Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of a new type of self-made bone drill applied to percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy for L5/S1 intervertebral disc herniation.Methods The clinical data of 52 patients with L5/S1 intervertebral disc herniation admitted to our hospital were retrospectively analyzed.All patients underwent percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy,with a new type of self-made bone drill for foraminoplasty during the surgery.The surgical conditions and occurrence of complications were recorded.The pain of patients before surgery,3 days after surgery,3 months after surgery,6 months after surgery,and 1 year after surgery was assessed by visual analogue scale(VAS);and the neurological function improvement before and after surgery was evaluated by Oswestry disability index(ODI).Results All patients underwent successful surgery without serious complications or recurrence after surgery.The VAS and ODI scores of patients 3 days,3 months,6 months,and 1 year after surgery were significantly lower than those before surgery(P<0.05).Conclusion The self-made new bone drill can significantly improve the efficiency of foraminoplasty and ensure surgical safety,with satisfactory early clinical effect.

Objective:To explore the effect of dietary modification-assisted multimodal therapy in the prevention and treatment of chronic prostatitis.Methods:A total of 132 cases of chronic prostatitis treated in the Outpatient Department of our hospital were randomly divided into an observation group(n=68)and a control group(n=64),the former following the Mediterranean dietary pattern,the latter adhering to their own dietary habits,and meanwhile both receiving lifestyle guidance,psychological counseling,symptomatic medication and physiotherapy according to their specific symptoms.The patients were followed up for 4 weeks,therapeutic effects were observed and comparisons were made between the two groups in the NIH-CPSI scores before and after treatment.Re-sults:Compared with the baseline,the quality of life(QOL)scores,pain and urination discomfort scores and total NIH-CPSI scores were significantly decreased in both the observation and the control groups after treatment(P<0.05),even more decreased in the former than in the latter,but with no statistically significant difference between the two(P>0.05).The rate of therapeutic effective-ness was higher in the observation group than in the control(87.1%vs 79.7%,but showed no statistically significant difference be-tween the two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion:Multimodal therapy is suitable for the management of different clinical manifesta-tions of individual patients,while dietary habits vary from person to person as well as from region to region.Therefore,scientific dietary modification for the prevention and treatment of CP/CPPS needs further exploration.

Objective:To investigate the selection of the modality of transperineal surgery and its effect in the treatment of pel-vic fracture-induced posterior urethral atresia(PUA).Methods:This study included 116 cases of PUA caused by pelvic fractures treated in our hospital from January 2012 to December 2021.We used transperineal resection of the urethral stricture and end-to-end u-rethral anastomosis(EEUA)as the first choice in the treatment of 79 cases.For the patients with the urethral atresia segment longer than 3 cm and evident urethral involution tension,we incised the penile septum,separated and removed the muscle tendon and scar tis-sue attached to the lower border of the pubis,and anastomosed with 4-0 absorbable thread for 8 stitches.For the other 37 cases for which we were not sure of effective suture of the membrane due to obvious scarring of the proximal urethra,the remaining urethra shor-ter than 5 mm or incomplete urethral mucosa,we selected conventional urethral pull-through operation(UPTO).We followed up the patients for 3-24 months postoperatively.Results:The total success rate of surgery was 78.4％(91/116),81.1％(30/37)in the UPTO and 77.2％(61/79)in the EEUA group,significantly higher in the former than in the latter(P=0.05).The rate of post-operative dysuria was remarkably lower in the UPTO than in the EEUA group(13.5％[5/37]vs 16.5％[13/79],P=0.05),and so was that of surgical failure(5.4％[2/37]vs 6.3％[5/79],P=0.05).The main causes of postoperative dysuria in the EEUA group included restenosis resulting from incomplete scar resection and the two sides of the anastomosed urethral segment not being at the coaxial level,while those in the UPTO group included the formation of mucosal flaps in the pulled-through urethra,and re-scarring leading to stricture or the pulled-through urethra not being at the coaxial level.Among the 7 cases of surgical failure due to recurrence,1 refused reoperation and opted for cystostomy tube drainage,and the other 6 underwent EEUA again 6 months later.Conclusion:EEUA is preferred as the first-choice surgery for PUA,while UPTO remains an effective treatment option in hospitals with preliminary skills and less experience in the management of PUA.

Objective:To investigate the status of personnel, facilities, and technology of radiation therapy in Henan province in 2023.Methods:A unified online survey questionnaire was designed and distributed from March to April 2023 by the Henan Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Quality Control Center to various medical institutions throughout the province to investigate the personnel, radiotherapy equipment, quality control equipment, imaging equipment, and radiotherapy technology development of each radiotherapy unit. Descriptive statistical methods were mainly used.Results:As of April 30, 2023, there were a total of 168 units engaged in radiation therapy in Henan province. The number of physicians involved in radiation therapy was 956, along with 365 medical physicists and 680 technicians. The equipment inventory included 212 medical linear accelerators, 1 cobalt-60 therapy machine, 32 afterloading therapy apparatuses, 4 Cyber Knife, 173 CT simulators, 2 MRI simulators and 94 conventional simulators. Linear accelerators were the primary radiotherapy equipment, 2.15 units per 1 million population on average. Additionally, there were 11 units offering 2D radiotherapy, 24 units offering 3D conformal radiotherapy, 130 units offering intensity-modulated radiotherapy, 41 units offering rotational intensity-modulated radiotherapy, and 33 units offering stereotactic radiosurgery. Regarding physical quality control equipment, 16 units were equipped with three-dimensional water tanks, 162 units were equipped with radiation dose meters, 114 units were equipped with morning check meters, 60 units were equipped with film dose meters, and 108 units were equipped with intensity adjustment plan verification systems.Conclusions:In 2023, there is a shortage of radiation therapy professionals in Henan province. Disparities are observed in the distribution of radiation therapy equipment among regions. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy has become the mainstream technology for radiation therapy in Henan province. The configuration of radiation therapy quality control equipment and standardized quality control work should be further improved.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of Tripterygium wilfordii multiglycoside (TGW) in the treatment of psoriatic dermatitis from a cellular immunological perspective. METHODS: Mouse models of psoriatic dermatitis were established by imiquimod (IMQ). Twelve male BALB/c mice were assigned to IMQ or IMQ₊TGW groups according to a random number table. Histopathological changes in vivo were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Ratios of immune cells and cytokines in mice, as well as PAM212 cell proliferation in vitro were assessed by flow cytometry. Pro-inflammatory cytokine expression was determined using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: TGW significantly ameliorated the severity of IMQ-induced psoriasis-like mouse skin lesions and restrained the activation of CD45⁺ cells, neutrophils and T lymphocytes (all P<0.01). Moreover, TGW significantly attenuated keratinocytes (KCs) proliferation and downregulated the mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-23, tumor necrosis factor α, and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Furthermore, it reduced the number of γ δ T17 cells in skin lesion of mice and draining lymph nodes (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS TGW improved psoriasis-like inflammation by inhibiting KCs proliferation, as well as the associated immune cells and cytokine expression. It inhibited IL-17 secretion from γ δ T cells, which improved the immune-inflammatory microenvironment of psoriasis.
Male ; Animals ; Mice ; Tripterygium ; Psoriasis/drug therapy* ; Keratinocytes ; Skin Diseases/metabolism* ; Cytokines/metabolism* ; Imiquimod/metabolism* ; Dermatitis/pathology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Skin/metabolism*

Astrocytes are the largest glial population in the mammalian brain. However, we have a minimal understanding of astrocyte development, especially fate specification in different regions of the brain. Through lineage tracing of the progenitors of the third ventricle (3V) wall via in-utero electroporation in the embryonic mouse brain, we show the fate specification and migration pattern of astrocytes derived from radial glia along the 3V wall. Unexpectedly, radial glia located in different regions along the 3V wall of the diencephalon produce distinct cell types: radial glia in the upper region produce astrocytes and those in the lower region produce neurons in the diencephalon. With genetic fate mapping analysis, we reveal that the first population of astrocytes appears along the zona incerta in the diencephalon. Astrogenesis occurs at an early time point in the dorsal region relative to that in the ventral region of the developing diencephalon. With transcriptomic analysis of the region-specific 3V wall and lateral ventricle (LV) wall, we identified cohorts of differentially-expressed genes in the dorsal 3V wall compared to the ventral 3V wall and LV wall that may regulate astrogenesis in the dorsal diencephalon. Together, these results demonstrate that the generation of astrocytes shows a spatiotemporal pattern in the developing mouse diencephalon.
Mice ; Animals ; Astrocytes ; Neuroglia/physiology* ; Diencephalon ; Brain ; Neurons ; Mammals

Objective:To develop and verify a nomogram to predict disease-free survival(DFS)and overall survival(OS)for patients undergoing cervical cancer surgery,which may provide reference for evaluating the prognosis of cervical cancer patients undergoing surgery.Methods:The clinical,pathological and follow-up data of patients who underwent radical operation for cervical cancer in Xijing Hospital,Air Force Medical University from March 2013 to October 2018 were analyzed retrospectively.Based on Cox regression analysis,Bayesian Informa-tion Criterion(BIC)backward stepwise selection method and R square screening variables,Net Reclassification Index(NRI)and Integrated Discrimination Improvement(IDI)were used to compare the predictive efficiency of the model,and a nomogram with better predictive efficiency was selected.The consistency index(C-index)and the receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC)were used to test the efficiency of the nomogram.Results:A total of 950 patients with cervical cancer were enrolled in this study.The risk factors for constructing the DFS nomogram were FIGO stage(2018),parametrium invasion,invasion depth,and maximum tumor diameter.The C-index for DFS in the training cohort and the verification cohort were 0.754 and 0.720,respectively.The area under ROC of the training cohort for 1-,3-and 5-years was 0.74(95%CI 0.65-0.82),0.77(95%CI 0.71-0.83)and 0.79(95%CI0.74-0.85),and the areas under ROC of verification cohort 1-,3-and 5-years were 0.72(95%CI 0.58-0.87),0.75(95%CI 0.64-0.86)and 0.72(95%CI 0.61-0.84),respectively.The risk factors for con-structing the OS nomogram were FIGO stage(2018),histological type,LVSI,parametrium invasion,surgical mar-gin,and invasion depth.The C-index for OS in the training cohort and the verification cohort were 0.737 and 0.759,respectively.The area under ROC of the 3-and 5-year training cohort were 0.76(95%CI 0.69-0.83)and 0.78(95%CI 0.72-0.84),and the areas under ROC of verification cohort 3-and 5-years were 0.76(95%CI 0.65-0.87)and 0.79(95%CI 0.69-0.88),respectively.Conclusions:This study is based on real-world big data to construct nomogram of DFS for 1,3,and 5 years and OS for 3,and 5 years for cervical cancer,which have ideal predictive effects and help clinical physicians correctly evaluate the prognosis of cervical cancer surgery patients.It provides strong reference basis for diagnosis,treatment,and prognosis evaluation.

Objective:To investigate the expression of KCTD8 gene in breast ductal carcinoma and its correlation with clinical factors and prognosis.Methods:Immunohistochemistry technology(IHC)were employed to detect protein expression levels of KCTD8 in 27 pairs of breast ductal carci-noma and its paired adjacent tissues.Analyzing the correlation between changes in KCTD8 expres-sion of protein and clinical factors using statistical techniques.RNA expression and methylation data of breast cancer(including intraductal cancer)were analysed from TCGA database.Result:The pro-tein expression of KCTD8 gene in 27 pairs of breast ductal carcinoma tissues showed a decreasing trend compared to adjacent tissues(P＜0.05),and the decreased expression level of protein was cor-related with the tumor size of patients(P＜0.05).The analysis results of the TCGA database indicate that the expression and hypemethylation of KCTD 8 gene in breast cancer(including intraductal can-cer)tissues affected the prognosis of patients.Conclusion:The reduced protein expression level of KCTD8 gene in breast ductal carcinoma may be involved in the development and affect the prog-nosis of patients.

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), anterolateral complex (ALC) and lateral meniscus (LM) maintain the anterolateral rotatory stability of the knee and control the internal rotation of the tibia. Anterolateral rotatory instability (ALRI) of the knee is not uncommon in clinic, and its main injury mechanism is non-contact injury. A pivot shift test or a tibial internal rotation test can indicate ALRI while X-ray, CT, MRI and ultrasound can assist in its diagnosis and differential diagnosis. For acute ALRI, good technique of ACL reconstruction is the basis to avoid postoperative residual ALRI, and anterolateral ligament reconstruction and extra-articular tenodesis are optional as appropriate. For chronic cases, however, both anterolateral ligament reconstruction and extra-articular tenodesis are effective. This article reviews the progress in research on the diagnosis and treatment of ALRI of the knee, hoping to provide references for its clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Objective:To conduct a comparative analysis of the radiation damage to zebrafish embryos and the associated biological mechanism after ultra-high dose rate (FLASH) and conventional dose rate irradiation.Methods:Zebrafish embryos at 4 h post-fertilization were exposed to conventional and FLASH irradiation (9 MeV electron beam). The mortality and hatchability of zebrafish after radiation exposure were recorded. Larvae at 96 h post-irradiation underwent morphological scoring, testing of reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and analysis of changes in oxidative stress indicators.Results:Electron beam irradiation at doses of 2-12 Gy exerted subtle effects on the mortality and hatchability of zebrafish embryos. However, single high-dose irradiation (&ge; 6 Gy) could lead to developmental malformation of larvae, with conventional irradiation showing the most significant effects ( t = 0.87-9.75, P < 0.05). In contrast, after FLASH irradiation (&ge; 6 Gy), the ROS levels in zebrafish and its oxidative stress indicators including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were significantly reduced ( t = 0.42-15.19, P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in ROS levels in incubating solutions after conventional and FLASH irradiation ( P > 0.05). Conclusions:Compared to conventional irradiation, FLASH irradiation can reduce radiation damage to zebrafish embryos, and this is in a dose-dependent manner. The two irradiation modes lead to different oxidative stress levels in zebrafish, which might be a significant factor in the reduction of radiation damage with FLASH irradiation.