Objective:To explore the related factors and independent risk factors of radiation pneumonitis (RP) in breast cancer patients after radiotherapy, and to guide the optimization of treatment plan for BC and reduce the incidence of RP.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 770 female breast cancer patients who received postoperative radiotherapy at Deyang People's Hospital between July 2021 and September 2024. The occurrence of RP was observed, and potential clinical and dosimetric factors were analyzed. Continuous variables were assessed using the t-test, categorical variables with the chi-square test, and univariate analysis was used to identify factors associated with RP. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to find out the independent risk factors of RP, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the predictive value of each factor. Results:Among 770 patients, 46 developed RP (34 grade 1, 12 grade 2). Univariate analysis showed that surgical method, chemotherapy regimen, interval between chemotherapy and radiotherapy, age, planning target volume, and maximum dose of the ipsilateral lung were not associated with RP (all P>0.05). Clinical stage ( χ2=7.84, P=0.020), chest wall + supraclavicular + internal mammary lymph node irradiation ( χ2=104.50, P<0.001), supraclavicular + internal mammary lymph node irradiation ( χ2=8.90, P=0.003), number of chemotherapy cycles ( t=9.88, P<0.001), and ipsilateral lung V 5 Gy( t=16.47, P<0.001), V 10 Gy( t=18.70, P<0.001), V 15 Gy( t=20.23, P<0.001), V 20 Gy( t=23.39, P<0.001), V 25 Gy( t=21.68, P<0.001), V 30 Gy( t=21.67, P<0.001), V 35 Gy( t=20.67, P<0.001), V 40 Gy( t=19.96, P<0.001), V 45 Gy( t=18.59, P<0.001), V 50 Gy( t=11.69, P<0.001), D mean( t=30.76, P<0.001) were significantly correlated with the occurrence of RP. Multivariate analysis revealed that ipsilateral lung V 5 Gy ( OR=1.258, 95% CI: 1.143-1.384, P<0.001), number of chemotherapy cycles ( OR=2.767, 95% CI: 1.781-4.299, P<0.001), and chest wall + supraclavicular + internal mammary lymph node irradiation ( OR=7.926, 95% CI: 2.943-21.349, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for RP. Using V 5 Gy=51.65% as the diagnostic cutoff, the sensitivity and specificity for predicting RP were 0.870 and 0.804, respectively. Taking the number of chemotherapy cycles=6.50 as the cutoff, the sensitivity and specificity of predicting RP were 0.891 and 0.586, respectively. Taking 0.50 as the diagnostic cutoff point, the sensitivity and specificity of chest wall + supraclavicular + internal mammary lymph node irradiation for RP were 0.870 and 0.797, respectively. Conclusions:The number of chemotherapy cycles, ipsilateral lung V 5 Gy, and chest wall + supraclavicular + internal mammary lymph node irradiation are independent risk factors for RP in postoperative female breast cancer patients.

Objective:To apply statistical process control (SPC) techniques to the quality assurance of non-normal radiotherapy plans through Johnson transformation, establishing patient-specific tolerance and action limits based on treatment sites and dose/distance assessment criteria, thereby enhancing the intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) verification accuracy and dose delivery precision.Methods:In this study, 951 gamma analysis data of patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) executed on the Halcyon accelerator platform were selected and categorized into six groups based on treatment sites, including brain (102 cases), head and neck (100 cases), breast (229 cases), lung (154 cases), esophagus (223 cases), and pelvic (143 cases) groups. The six groups of data were statistically analyzed through Anderson-Darling normality tests ( α = 0.05) using Minitab 21 software. Non-normal data were transformed into normal data through Johnson transformation and then were used to establish treatment site-specific tolerance and action limits, which were compared with the Shewhart control charts based on normal distributions. Results:The PSQA result of the six groups all exhibited non-normal distributions ( P < 0.05). Through Johnson transformation, the tolerance and action limits for the head and neck, breast, lung, esophagus, and pelvic areas under the 3%/2 mm criterion ranged from 95.13% to 96.16% and 94.19% to 95.91%, respectively. In contrast, the tolerance and action limits ranged from 91.15% to 94.86% and 89.94% to 94.78% under the 2%/2 mm criterion. Directly applying Shewhart control charts without normality assumptions yielded higher tolerance limits compared to the application of Johnson transformation, increasing the false positive rate in the non-normal PSQA process. Conclusions:Applying the SPC techniques directly to a non-normal process can lead to an increased false alarm rate and wrong process interpretation. The SPC techniques combined with Johnson transformation enable more effective monitoring of a non-normal PSQA process, facilitating timely identification of potential factors that may lead to an out-of-control process based on the treatment site-specific limits.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of Dulongneedling in the treatment of vertigo in cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery(CSA).Methods A total of 46 cases of patients with definitive diagnosis of vertigo in CSA admitted to the outpatient clinic of the Acupuncture,Muxibustion and Rehabilitation Department of Guangdong Second Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from June to October 2024 were selected for the study.The patients were randomly divided into observation group and control group according to the random number table method,with 23 cases in each group.The observation group was treated with Dulongten-needling in shoulder and neck,and the control group was given conventional acupuncture treatment,the course of treatment for the two groups covered two weeks.After two weeks of treatment,the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated,and the changes in the scores of Evaluation Scale For Cervical Vertigo(ESCV)before and after treatment were observed in the patients of the two groups.Three dimensional pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling(3D-pCASL)technique was applied to determin the changes in cerebral blood flow(CBF)values in the region of region of interest(ROI),and the changes in CBF values in the patients of the two groups were compared.Results(1)The total effective rate of the observation group was 91.30%(21/23),and that of the control group was 78.26%(18/23),and the efficacy of the observation group was superior to that of the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P<0.05).(2)After treatment,the ESCV scores of patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P<0.05),and the improvement in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P<0.05).(3)After treatment,the CBF change values of each ROI in the two groups showed elevated(positive),and the CBF change values of the right middle cerebral artery(R-MCA)in the control group showed decreased(negative).After treatment,the CBF change values of the observation group in the blood supply areas of the right posterior inferior cerebellar artery(R-PICA),right anterior inferior cerebellar artery(R-AICA),right anterior cerebral artery(R-ACA),branches from vertebral arteries(VA)and basilar arteries(BA),bilateral superior cerebellar arteries(SCA),and bilateral posterior cerebral arteries(PCA)were significantly elevated,and the observation group was significantly superior in improving the above ROIs in the CBF change value to that of the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion Dulongneedling in the treatment of vertigo in CSA can significantly improve the CBF of patients,reduce the clinical symptoms such as vertigo,neck and shoulder pain,headache.

Objective:To apply statistical process control (SPC) techniques to the quality assurance of non-normal radiotherapy plans through Johnson transformation, establishing patient-specific tolerance and action limits based on treatment sites and dose/distance assessment criteria, thereby enhancing the intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) verification accuracy and dose delivery precision.Methods:In this study, 951 gamma analysis data of patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) executed on the Halcyon accelerator platform were selected and categorized into six groups based on treatment sites, including brain (102 cases), head and neck (100 cases), breast (229 cases), lung (154 cases), esophagus (223 cases), and pelvic (143 cases) groups. The six groups of data were statistically analyzed through Anderson-Darling normality tests ( α = 0.05) using Minitab 21 software. Non-normal data were transformed into normal data through Johnson transformation and then were used to establish treatment site-specific tolerance and action limits, which were compared with the Shewhart control charts based on normal distributions. Results:The PSQA result of the six groups all exhibited non-normal distributions ( P < 0.05). Through Johnson transformation, the tolerance and action limits for the head and neck, breast, lung, esophagus, and pelvic areas under the 3%/2 mm criterion ranged from 95.13% to 96.16% and 94.19% to 95.91%, respectively. In contrast, the tolerance and action limits ranged from 91.15% to 94.86% and 89.94% to 94.78% under the 2%/2 mm criterion. Directly applying Shewhart control charts without normality assumptions yielded higher tolerance limits compared to the application of Johnson transformation, increasing the false positive rate in the non-normal PSQA process. Conclusions:Applying the SPC techniques directly to a non-normal process can lead to an increased false alarm rate and wrong process interpretation. The SPC techniques combined with Johnson transformation enable more effective monitoring of a non-normal PSQA process, facilitating timely identification of potential factors that may lead to an out-of-control process based on the treatment site-specific limits.

Objective:To explore the related factors and independent risk factors of radiation pneumonitis (RP) in breast cancer patients after radiotherapy, and to guide the optimization of treatment plan for BC and reduce the incidence of RP.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 770 female breast cancer patients who received postoperative radiotherapy at Deyang People's Hospital between July 2021 and September 2024. The occurrence of RP was observed, and potential clinical and dosimetric factors were analyzed. Continuous variables were assessed using the t-test, categorical variables with the chi-square test, and univariate analysis was used to identify factors associated with RP. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to find out the independent risk factors of RP, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the predictive value of each factor. Results:Among 770 patients, 46 developed RP (34 grade 1, 12 grade 2). Univariate analysis showed that surgical method, chemotherapy regimen, interval between chemotherapy and radiotherapy, age, planning target volume, and maximum dose of the ipsilateral lung were not associated with RP (all P>0.05). Clinical stage ( χ2=7.84, P=0.020), chest wall + supraclavicular + internal mammary lymph node irradiation ( χ2=104.50, P<0.001), supraclavicular + internal mammary lymph node irradiation ( χ2=8.90, P=0.003), number of chemotherapy cycles ( t=9.88, P<0.001), and ipsilateral lung V 5 Gy( t=16.47, P<0.001), V 10 Gy( t=18.70, P<0.001), V 15 Gy( t=20.23, P<0.001), V 20 Gy( t=23.39, P<0.001), V 25 Gy( t=21.68, P<0.001), V 30 Gy( t=21.67, P<0.001), V 35 Gy( t=20.67, P<0.001), V 40 Gy( t=19.96, P<0.001), V 45 Gy( t=18.59, P<0.001), V 50 Gy( t=11.69, P<0.001), D mean( t=30.76, P<0.001) were significantly correlated with the occurrence of RP. Multivariate analysis revealed that ipsilateral lung V 5 Gy ( OR=1.258, 95% CI: 1.143-1.384, P<0.001), number of chemotherapy cycles ( OR=2.767, 95% CI: 1.781-4.299, P<0.001), and chest wall + supraclavicular + internal mammary lymph node irradiation ( OR=7.926, 95% CI: 2.943-21.349, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for RP. Using V 5 Gy=51.65% as the diagnostic cutoff, the sensitivity and specificity for predicting RP were 0.870 and 0.804, respectively. Taking the number of chemotherapy cycles=6.50 as the cutoff, the sensitivity and specificity of predicting RP were 0.891 and 0.586, respectively. Taking 0.50 as the diagnostic cutoff point, the sensitivity and specificity of chest wall + supraclavicular + internal mammary lymph node irradiation for RP were 0.870 and 0.797, respectively. Conclusions:The number of chemotherapy cycles, ipsilateral lung V 5 Gy, and chest wall + supraclavicular + internal mammary lymph node irradiation are independent risk factors for RP in postoperative female breast cancer patients.

Objective:To explore the value of the Nomogram model established by CT radiomics combined with clinical indicators for prediction of the severity of early acute pancreatitis (AP).Methods:From January 2016 to March 2023, the AP patients in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University were retrospectively collected. According to the revised Atlanta classification and definition of acute pancreatitis in 2012, all patients were divided into the severe group and the non-severe group. All patients were first diagnosed, and abdominal CT plain scan and enhanced scan were completed within 1 week. Patients were randomly (random number) divided into training and validation groups at a ratio of 7:3. The pancreatic parenchyma was delineated as the region of interest on each phase CT images, and the radiomics features were extracted by python software. LASSO regression and 10-fold cross-validation were used to reduce the dimension and select the optimal features to establish the radiomics signature. Multivariate Logistic regression was used to select the independent predictors of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), and a clinical model was established. A Nomogram model was established by combining CT radiomics signature and clinical independent predictors. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate the predictive efficacy of each model.Results:Total of 205 AP patients were included (59 cases in severe group, 146 cases in non-severe group). 3, 5, 5 and 5 optimal radiomics features were selected from the plain CT scan, arterial phase, venous phase and delayed phase images of all patients, and the radiomics models were established. Among them, the arterial phase radiomics model had relatively better performance in predicting SAP, with an area under curve (AUC) of 0.937 in the training group and 0.913 in the validation group. Multivariate Logistic regression showed that C-reactive protein (CRP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were independent predictors of SAP, and they were used to establish a clinical model. The AUC in the training and validation groups were 0.879 and 0.889, respectively. The Nomogram model based on arterial phase CT radiomics signature, CRP and LDH was established, and the AUC was 0.956 and 0.947 in the training group and validation group, respectively. DCA showed that the net benefit of Nomogram model was higher than that of clinical model or radiomics model alone.Conclusions:The Nomogram model established by CT radiomics combined with clinical indicators has high application value for early prediction of the severity of AP, which is conducive to the formulation of clinical treatment plans and prognosis evaluation.

Objective:To establish and validate a nomogram model for early prediction of the risk of acute pancreatitis (AP) progressing to severe acute pancreatitis (SAP).Methods:CT signs and clinical laboratory parameters of 361 AP patients admitted to our Hospital from January 2016 to July 2022 were retrospectively collected. There were 221 males (61.2%) and 140 females (38.8%). According to the Atlantic score, all patients were divided into the SAP group (64 cases) and the non-SAP (NSAP) group (297 cases). Univariate analysis was used to screen out variables with statistically significant differences. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to screen out the independent risk factors of SAP, and finally a nomogram prediction model was established. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve and decision curve (DCA) were used to evaluate the predictive efficacy, accuracy and clinical practicability of the model, and Bootstrap method was used to verify the model internally.Results:Univariate analysis and multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that pleural effusion ( OR=7.353, 95% CI: 3.344-16.170), posterior pararenal space (PPS) involvement ( OR=3.149, 95% CI: 1.314-7.527), serum creatinine concentration (Cr) ( OR=1.027, 95% CI: 1.017-1.038) and serum calcium concentration (Ca 2+) ( OR=0.038, 95% CI: 0.009-0.166) were independent risk factors for SAP ( P<0.05). A Nomogram model was established based on these four factors. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of this model was 0.905 (95% CI: 0.869-0.933), indicating high predictive efficiency. Internal verification showed that the model had good accuracy in predicting SAP, and C-index was 0.90. DCA analysis showed that the model had high clinical practicability. Conclusions:The Nomogram model combining pleural effusion, PPS involvement, Cr and Ca 2+ had a good effect on early prediction of SAP, which could provide a new reference tool for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Objective:To explore the application of microfluidic chip in detection of hereditary deafness-associated hotspot mutations.Methods:The dedicatedly designed and fabricated microfluidic chip was integrated with kompetitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction amplification system, scanned via laser-excited confocal fluorescence scanner, and finally analyzed programmatically to acquire the typing results of the 23 mutation sites of the four common genes associated with hereditary hearing loss. Dried blood spots were collected from 276 neonates containing the 131 cases with hearing loss who were born in 2019 in Chengdu (deafness group) and the 145 cases with normal hearing who were born in 2020 in Chengdu (control group), and analyzed by the microfluidic chip to evaluate its clinical performance.Results:By cluster analysis, the microfluidic chip correctly analyzed the 23 positive reference samples and acquired the same typing results as their actual results, with a limit of detection of 1 mg/L. For the 276 newborn blood spots, the detection results of the microfluidic chips were confirmed to be correct by the contrasting methods. Among Deafness Group, 66 (50.4%) tested positive for the selected 23 mutation hotspots; among Control Group, 40(27.6%) were positive. Among these mutations, c.109G>A of the GJB2 gene was the most prevalent one, whose carrier rate in deafness group and control group were 46.6%(61/131) and 23.4% (34/145), respectively.Conclusions:The micro-fluidic chip system was succeeded in fulfilling the hereditary deafness-related mutation detection, and offered many advantages including high specificity, avoiding the amplicon carryover contamination, simplifying the entire experimental operation process and short detection time, so as to better meet the detection requirement of genetic testing for deafness in newborn screening and other fields.

Objective To investigate the role of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in diagnosis and treatment of colorectal submucosal lesions. Methods EUS were applied in 74 patients with suspected colorectal submucosal lesions. According to the origin of submucosal lesion, the patients had received biopsy, endoscopic ultrasonography-fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) and endoscopic treatment or surgery. The correlation between EUS and clinical pathology is analyzed retrospectively. Results In the diagnosis based on EUS, there were 28 cases of neuroendocrine tumors (occurred in the rectum), 15 lipomas (4 cases occurred in ileocecal, 1 in transverse colon, 8 in ascending colon, 2 in sigmoid colon), 2 rectal gastrointestinal stromal tumor (1 in muscularis propria and the other in muscularis mucosa), 14 external pressure changes (9 ovarian tumor, 2 lymph nodes, 3 pelvic tumor), 5 cyst (4 in transverse colon, 1 in ascending colon), 1 gas cyst, 3 sigmoid colon endometriosis, 4 rectum malignant tumor invasion, 2 intestinal lymphoma. All the patients had received biopsy, EUS-FNA, endoscopic treatment or surgery. Compared with pathology, a total coincidence rate of 91.9% (68/74) was achieved by EUS, and 2 cases were pathologically diagnosed as leiomyoma, which is considered as rectal carcinoma by EUS at first, 1 case of intestinal lymphoma instead of lipoma, 2 inflammatory mass instead of malignant tumor around the rectum, and 1 rectal carcinoma instead of endometriosis. Conclusion The digestive tract structure could be showed clearly with EUS, and the size of the colon and rectal submucosal lesions, the layer of origin and the structural relationship of adjacent tissues could also be detected. Then, the appropriate treatment against the colon and rectal submucosal lesions would be adopted after the accurate judgment of lesions with EUS.

Objective To investigate the effect of H 2 S and its synthetase inhibitor propargylglycine ( PAG) on the autophagic function in caerulein-induced acute pancreatitis ( AP) mice.Methods A total of 60 male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into control , AP, NaHS and PAG group using random number method.AP was induced in mice via hourly intraperitoneal injection of caerulein (50 μg/kg) continuously for 6 hours.NaHS and PAG group received NaHS (10 mg/kg) or PAG (50 mg/kg) 1 h before the AP induction . A equal volume of normal saline solution was injected in control group and AP group .All the mice were killed at 12 h after the first caerulein injection and blood sample was collected for the detection of serum amylase and lipase content.Deproteinization spectrometry was used to detect serum H 2 S content, and pancreatic tissue was pathological examined and scored . Real-time PCR detected mRNA expression of CSE , and the protein expression of LC3-Ⅱ/LC3 Ⅰand p62 was measured using Western blot .Results Serum amylase, lipase, H2S, CSE mRNA, LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰand p62 were (2 700 ±100)U/L, (70 ±20)U/L,(22.9 ±1.7)mmol/L, 1.0 ±0.1,0.419 ±0.080, 0.227 ±0.140 in control group; (17 290 ±500)U/L,(520 ±40)U/L, (31.3 ± 3.0)mmol/L, 5.4 ±0.4, 1.184 ±0.120, 1.985 ±0.210 in AP group; (27 784 ±1 200)U/L, (900 ± 80)U/L,(38.6 ±3.3)mmol/L, 6.9 ±0.9,1.600 ±0.210, 4.229 ±0.050 in NaHS group; (13 750 ± 2 000)U/L,(370 ±20)U/L, (24.5 ±2.1)mmol/L, 4.2 ±0.5, 0.745 ±0.130, 1.203 ±0.080 in PAG group.All those biomarkers detected above in AP group significantly increased compared with control group , which were much lower than those in NaHS group , but higher than those in PAG group , and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05).Pancreatic histological damage in NaHS group was more severe than that in AP group , which in PAG group was less severe than that in AP group .Conclusions PAG could greatly decrease serum amylase and lipase level , and reduce the damage on autophagy and the severity of AP .