1.Disease burden and trend prediction of autism spectrum disorder in children and adolescents in China and globally
GAO Yue, LI Hongjie, CHEN Meiqi, ZHOU Yang, YANG Xiaolei
Chinese Journal of School Health 2026;47(2):268-272
Objective:
To analyze the current burden of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among children and adolescents in China and globally, and to predict the disease burden from 2024 to 2035, providing a scientific basis for formulating relevant public health policies and intervention measures.
Methods:
Based on the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database in 2023, the Joinpoint regression model was used to analyze the changing trends of the disease burden of ASD among children and adolescents in China and globally from 1990 to 2023, and the average annual percent change (AAPC) was calculated. An autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model was constructed to predict the disease burden trends of ASD among children and adolescents in China and globally from 2024 to 2035.
Results:
The prevalence and disability adjusted life years (DALYs) rate of ASD among children and adolescents in China increased from 452.69/100 000 and 86.67/100 000 in 1990 to 762.84/100 000 and 148.52/ 100 000 in 2023(AAPC=1.60%, 1.65%, both P <0.01). The prevalence and DALYs rate of ASD among children and adolescents globally increased from 648.49/100 000 and 123.47/100 000 to 862.44/100 000 and 167.16/100 000(AAPC=0.87%, 0.93%, both P <0.01). In 2023, the highest ASD prevalence and DALY rates occurred in children under 5 years old, with China reporting 848.14/100 000 and 166.69/100 000, both below the global averages of 928.80/100 000 and 181.34/100 000. Projections indicated that by 2035, the ASD prevalence and DALY rates in China would rise to 906.83/100 000 and 168.71/100 000, still below the global averages of 938.04/100 000 and 184.49/100 000.
Conclusion
The disease burden of ASD among children and adolescents in China and globally has generally increased from 1990 to 2023, with a higher risk of disease at younger ages.
2.Analysis of characteristics of newly reported HIV positive male student cases in Jiangsu Province from 2023 to 2024
LIU Xiaoyan, CHEN Yuheng, SHI Hongjie, NING Xin, ZHANG Ying, YANG Dandan
Chinese Journal of School Health 2026;47(3):425-429
Objective:
To investigate the characteristics and potential risk factors associated with HIV infection among newly reported HIV positive male student cases in Jiangsu Province from 2023 to 2024, so as to provide evidence for targeted intervention strategies.
Methods:
Data were obtained from the China CDC Surveillance System on newly reported HIV positive male student cases from 2023 to 2024. A survey was conducted to collect information on demographic characteristics, knowledge of AIDS prevention, education and training history, HIV testing history, behavioral and substance use patterns, and other relevant factors prior to HIV diagnosis among 343 newly reported HIV positive male student cases in Jiangsu Province. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the risk factors of HIV infection among male students.
Results:
Among the HIV positive male student cases, homosexual behavior accounted for 93.88% of transmission routes, while 10.20% involved heterosexual contact, as well as 4.08% for two sexual hehaviors. Awareness of HIV prevention knowledge was 97.08%, and 66.76% had previously undergone HIV testing. Among the respondents, 10.50% had used rush poppers as enhancers, and 72.30% had received HIV prevention education within the past year. Among students cases with homosexual behavior, the median time from first homosexual contact to HIV diagnosis was ≤2 years, with 54.66% of cases falling into this category; the most common way of finding same sex partners was through social software, accounting for 88.20% of cases, while the proportion of those via "Blued" app reached 87.07% ; the proportion of using condoms every time during sexual activity in the past six months was 12.27%. Among the student cases with homosexual behavior, the results of multiple Logistic regression analysis showed that student cases aged 18 to 24 ( OR =4.52) and >24 ( OR = 19.23 ), without receiving education on HIV prevention in the past year ( OR =1.86), having consistent condom use ( OR =2.73) and not using condoms ( OR =2.12) during the last sexual activity were more likely to had the first same sex sexual activity for more than 3 years before being diagnosed as HIV positive cases (all P <0.05). Student cases who were uncertain about their partner s sexual identity ( OR =0.33), and who primarily identified same sex partners through "other" means ( OR = 0.23 ) were more likely to avoid HIV testing; in contrast, student cases with consistent condom use during the last homosexual encounter ( OR =7.20) was significantly associated with increased likelihood of HIV testing (all P <0.05).
Conclusions
Newly reported HIV positive male student cases in Jiangsu Province exhibit serious discrepancies between knowledge and practice regarding HIV prevention. Measures are needed to accelerate the optimization of campus based HIV prevention education content and delivery methods. Simultaneously, enhanced management of extracurricular male populations is essential to effectively control the spread of HIV.
3.Acute effects of air pollution on mortality among residents in Jiading District, Shanghai, in 1994 - 2024
Dongyue MIAO ; Menghao WANG ; Renjie CHEN ; Dongni LIANG ; Yaqing JIN ; Yunjie REN ; Hongjie YU
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2026;37(3):29-33
Objective To investigate the exposure-response relationships and lag effects between air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, O3, and NO2) and mortality in Jiading District, Shanghai, and to provide a scientific basis for the formulation of environmental health policies. Methods Using an individual-level time-stratified case-crossover design, conditional logistic regression models in conjunction with a distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) were employed to analyze the exposure-response relationship and temporal lag patterns of ambient air pollution on resident mortality in Jiading District (1994–2024). Results A total of 59 048 death cases were collected, including 18,701 deaths from cardiovascular diseases and 11 731 deaths from respiratory diseases. PM2.5 and NO2 had a significant impact on all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease mortality, and respiratory disease mortality, with the most significant effects observed within a lag of 0–3 days. PM10 also had some impact on these three types of mortality, but its effect was generally weaker than that of PM2.5 and NO2. The exposure-response curves showed that the risk of death increased rapidly with increasing concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10, while the effect of NO2 plateaued at higher levels. No significant differences were found across age or gender subgroups. Conclusion Short-term exposure to PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 significantly increases all-cause mortality risk in Jiading District, with effects persisting up to 7 days, highlighting the need for enhanced air pollution control measures, particularly targeting fine particulate matter.
4.Role of fecal calprotectin testing in predicting endoscopic remission in Crohn′s disease treated with infliximab
Qiong GUO ; Chen CHEN ; Xiaojing ZHAO ; Jingjing MA ; Chunhua JIAO ; Nana TANG ; Hongjie ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Digestion 2025;45(7):469-476
Objective:To explore the relationship between early fecal calprotectin (FC) level and the long-term efficacy of infliximab (IFX) in the treatment of Crohn′s disease (CD) and predictive the value.Methods:From January 2018 to December 2023, at the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, the clinical data of patients with moderate-to-severe CD who received IFX as first-line therapy were retrospectively collected. The main outcomes were clinical and endoscopic remission at week 52 after IFX treatment, and the secondary outcome was clinical response at week 14 after IFX treatment. The predictive value of FC levels at week 0 (at baseline when first administered) and week 14 of treatment was evaluated for the clinical and endoscopic remission at week 52 after IFX treatment. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to investigate the factors predicting endoscopic remission. The optimal cutoff value was calculated, model was established, the data was divided into training set and validation set at a ratio of 7∶3 using the random number table method and the corresponding column chart was drawn. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and calibration curve were used to evaluate the discrimination and calibration of the model, respectively. Mann-Whitney U test was used for statistical comparison. Results:A total of 165 patients with CD were enrolled, of whom 150 cases (90.9%) achieved clinical response after induction therapy, and 15 cases (9.1%) were primary non-response. Among the 150 patients with clinical response, 112 cases (74.7%) achieved clinical remission at week 52 after treatment, while 38 cases (25.3%) did not achieve clinical remission. Endoscopic evaluation was performed at week 52 after treatment in 139 patients, of whom 54 cases (38.8%) achieved endoscopic remission and 85 cases (61.2%) did not. At week 14 of treatment, there was no statistically significant difference in FC level between the patients achieved and did not achieve clinical response (263.24 (93.96, 675.28) μg/g vs. 556.35 (245.77, 953.56) μg/g, P>0.05). At week 52 after treatment, the FC level of patients who achieved clinical remission was lower than that of patients did not achieve(103.20(44.11, 456.57) μg/g vs. 531.26(222.06, 998.40) μg/g) and the decreased value of FC at week 52 and week 0 after treatment of patients achieved clinical remission was more than that of patients did not achieve clinical remission (443.34 (82.25, 788.95) μg/g vs. 269.91 (-79.20, 522.54) μg/g), and the differences were statistically significant ( U=1 078.00, 2 677.00; P<0.001, =0.018). At week 52 after treatment, the FC level of patients achieved endoscopic remission was lower than that of patients did not achieve endoscopic remission (52.80(31.93, 83.47) μg/g vs. 506.18(217.44, 778.02) μg/g), and the decreased value of FC at week 52 and week 0 after treatment of patients achieved endoscopic remission was more than that of patients did not achieve endoscopic remission (428.85(140.20, 863.60) μg/g vs. 309.61(-62.37, 683.82) μg/g), and the differences were statistically significant ( U=500.00, 2 812.00; P<0.001, =0.025). The FC level at week 14 of treatment could predict the clinical and endoscopic remission at week 52 after treatment (area under the curve (AUC) =0.663, 0.773; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.566 to 0.760, 0.694 to 0.852; P=0.006, <0.001). The optimal cutoff value of FC at week 14 of treatment for predicting endoscopic remission at week 52 after treatment was 246.13 μg/g, with a sensitivity of 0.741 and a specificity of 0.671. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that FC ≤ 246.13 μg/g at week 14 of treatment ( OR=4.576, 95% CI: 2.021 to 10.363, P<0.001), baseline albumin ( OR=1.093, 95% CI: 1.006 to 1.188, P=0.035), and baseline platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) ( OR=0.995, 95% CI: 0.990 to 1.000, P=0.046) were independent influencing factors of endoscopic remission at week 52 after treatment. A predictive model for endoscopic remission at week 52 after IFX treatment was established based on FC ≤ 246.13 μg/g at week 14 of treatment, baseline albumin and PLR. The results of ROC analysis showed that this model had good discriminative ability, with an AUC of 0.780 (95% CI: 0.700 to 0.878) in the validation set, with a sensitivity of 0.812 and a specificity of 0.760. The results of calibration curve analysis demonstrated that the average absolute error of the prediction model in the validation set was 0.038, and the consistency between the predicted probability and the actual probability was good. Conclusion:FC ≤ 246.13 g/g at week 14 of IFX treatment has good predictive value for endoscopic remission at week 52 after treatment in CD patients.
5.Arthroscopic reduction and fixation of Schatzker type Ⅳ tibial plateau fracture plus posterolateral column collapse assisted by an anterior cruciate ligament tunnel locator
Tao LI ; Junhong LI ; Jianhua JI ; Hongjie WEN ; Peng LIAO ; Qinggang ZHAO ; Hang ZHAO ; Zhong CHEN
Chinese Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma 2025;27(11):935-942
Objective:To analyze the clinical effects of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tunnel locator applied in the arthroscopic reduction and fixation of Schatzker type Ⅳ tibial plateau fracture plus posterolateral column collapse.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 12 patients with Schatzker type IV tibial plateau fracture combined with posterolateral column collapse who had undergone arthroscopic reduction and fixation assisted by an ACL locator at Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, The Hospital Affiliated to Yunnan University from January 2020 to December 2022. There were 8 males and 4 females with an age of (44.5±6.4) years (set as an observation group). According to a 1∶1 ratio, another contemporary 12 patients of the same category were selected as a control group who had been treated by double-plate-screw fixation through internal and external double incisions. They were 7 males and 5 females with an age of (42.6±6.3) years. The operation time, incision length, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, and postoperative complications were recorded and compared between the 2 groups. At the same time, the Rasmussen radiological and functional scores at 1, 3, and 12 months after operation were recorded for intergroup and intragroup comparisons.Results:There was no statistically significant difference in the preoperative general data between the 2 groups, showing the 2 groups were comparable ( P>0.05). All the 24 patients were followed up for (18.2±3.5) months after operation. In the observation group, the operation time [(96.3±6.3) min], incision length [(8.5±0.6) cm], and postoperative hospital stay [(8.1±1.3) d] were significantly shorter than those in the control group [(128.2±7.5) min, (15.9±0.8) cm, and (9.3±1.2) d], and the intraoperative blood loss [50.0 (41.5, 59.0) mL] was significantly less than that in the control group [135.0 (121.5, 147.5) mL] (all P<0.05). However, intergroup comparisons showed no statistically significant differences in Rasmussen radiographic scores or functional scores at 1 month, 3 months, or 12 months postoperatively between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). Additionally, no significant differences were observed in postoperative complications between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:In the arthroscopic reduction and fixation of Schatzker type Ⅳ tibial plateau fracture plus posterolateral column collapse, compared with the traditional double-plate-screw fixation through double incisions, assistance of an ACL tunnel locator leads to advantages of being more minimally invasive and more surgically efficient. However, the 2 techniques lead to comparable postoperative functional recovery.
6.Low tube voltage and low dose contrast agents combined with artificial intelligence iterative reconstruction in upper limb CT angiography for displaying arteriovenous fistula
Beili SHOU ; Jing LI ; Wenming ZHANG ; Bin CHEN ; Yueqiao ZHANG ; Hongjie HU
Chinese Journal of Medical Imaging Technology 2025;41(4):543-547
Objective To investigate the value of low tube voltage and low dose contrast agents combined with artificial intelligence iterative reconstruction(AIIR)in upper limb CT angiography(CTA)for displaying arteriovenous fistula(AVF).Methods Totally 65 patients with chronic renal failure and suspected AVF stenosis who underwent upper limb CTA were prospectively enrolled and randomly divided into conventional-dose group(CD group,n=30)and low-dose group(LD group,n=35).In CD group,CTA was acquired using conventional tube voltage(100 kVp)and contrast agents dosage(1.0 ml/kg body mass),and conventional hybrid iterative reconstruction(HIR)was used to reconstruct images(group A),while in LD group,CTA was collected using 80 kVp and contrast agent dosage of 0.6 ml/kg body mass,and images were reconstructed with HIR(group B)and AIIR(group C),respectively.Then subjective and objective assessment of imaging quality were performed,respectively,the results were compared among groups,while the radiation dose and dosage of contrast agents were compared between CD and LD groups.Results No significant difference of subjective score of imaging quality nor confidence for diagnosing AVF stenosis was found between group A and group C(both P>0.017),and all the above scores were higher than those in group B(all P<0.017).Signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)of subclavian artery,brachial artery and radial artery in group C were all higher than those in groups A and B(all P<0.017),while no significant difference of SNR nor CNR was found between group A and B(all P>0.017).The volume CT dose index,dose length product and dosage of contrast agent in LD group were all lower than those in CD group(all P<0.001).Conclusion Low tube voltage and low dose contrast agents combined with AIIR in upper limb CTA for displaying AVF could reduce radiation dose and contrast agents dosage under the condition of ensuring imaging quality.
7.Evaluation of clinical consistency between deep learning algorithm-based ef-fective optical zone measurement after fully automatic corneal refractive sur-gery and traditional measurement methods
Yuhua ZHOU ; Mengyang CHEN ; Changtao YOU ; Shuaifei LI ; Lingling XU ; Dongdong CHEN ; Hongjie MA ; Geng LI ; Mingyang HU
Recent Advances in Ophthalmology 2025;45(8):629-634
Objective To investigate the diagnostic accuracy and clinical applicability of the Linknet-VGG16 deep learning algorithm for measuring the effective optical zone(EOZ)after corneal refractive surgery.Methods This single-center retrospective cohort study included 69 patients(69 eyes)who underwent femtosecond laser-assisted in situ kerato-mileusis(FS-LASIK)(34 eyes)or small incision lenticule extraction(SMILE)(35 eyes)at the Refractive Surgery Center of Affiliated Zhengzhou Aier Eye Hospital of Henan University from June 2023 to June 2024.Data from the right eyes of all patients were selected for statistical analysis.During the surgery,patients in the FS-LASIK group adopted the VisuMax fem-tosecond laser system combined with the Amaris 750S excimer laser system,while those in the SMILE group only used the VisuMax femtosecond laser system.A total of 276 Pentacam images were re-examined postoperatively.A Linknet segmenta-tion model based on the VGG16 encoder was constructed,and image normalization techniques were applied to accelerate model convergence.Model performance was assessed using accuracy,intersection over union(IoU),and the Dice coeffi-cient.The traditional EOZ measurement method based on corneal tangential curvature served as the reference standard.Bland-Altman analysis was conducted to evaluate consistency across all images and within each group,and the time effi-ciency of both methods was compared.Results Six representative medical image segmentation architectures(U-Net,U-Net++,DeepLabv3-ResNet50,DeepLabv3+-ResNet50,Unet-Densenet169,and Linknet-VGG16)were systematically evaluated.The Linknet-VGG16 model demonstrated superior performance over the other 5 models in pixel-level accuracy,IoU and Dice coefficient,which were 99.83%,99.48%and 99.74%,respectively.Although there was no significant differ-ence in accuracy and Dice coefficient between Linknet-VGG16 and U-Net models(whose accuracy was 99.82%and Dice coefficient was 99.72%),the inference speed of the U-Net model(62.46 ms)was 31.76%slower than that of the Linknet-VGG16 model(42.62 ms).The evaluation results of a clinically applicable comprehensive scoring model(weights:accura-cy 20%,IoU 20%,Dice coefficient 20%,speed 25%,model size 15%)showed that the Linknet-VGG16 model achieved a score of 88.01,surpassing other architectures(U-Net:86.29;DeepLabv3+-ResNet50:80.41;DeepLabv3-ResNet50:73.82;U-Net++:73.22;Unet-Densenet169:66.66).Bland-Altman analysis revealed that the mean difference of the 136 images in the FS-LASIK group was 0.01 mm[95%limits of agreement(LoA):-0.36 to 0.35 mm],with 96.3%of data points falling within the LoA.The mean difference of the 140 images in the SMILE group was-0.01 mm(95%LoA:-0.36 to 0.33 mum),with 95.7%of data points falling within the LoA.The mean difference of all 276 images was 0.00 mm(95%LoA:-0.36 to 0.34 mm),with 96.4%of data points falling within the LoA.These results indicated excellent consistency.The average measurement time per image using the traditional EOZ measurement method was 13.00 minutes,whereas the deep learning model required only 3.22 seconds.Conclusion The traditional EOZ measurement method based on corne-al tangential curvature exhibits good consistency with the fully automatic EOZ measurement method based on deep learning algorithms,achieving high image recognition accuracy.Additionally,the deep learning algorithm significantly reduces measurement time,compared with the traditional method based on corneal tangential curvature.
8.Application of CT and DSA multimodal image fusion technique in interventional therapy for arterial occlusive lesions of lower extremities
Zheyu LV ; Shi ZHOU ; Yaping SHEN ; Hongjie CHEN ; Xiyuan YANG
Journal of Interventional Radiology 2025;34(12):1348-1352
Objective To discuss the application value of CT and DSA multimodal image fusion technology in endovascular interventional therapy for arterial occlusive lesions of lower extremities and to evaluate its efficacy and safety so as to provide a scientific basis for clinical decision-making.Methods A total of 283 lower limbs with arterial complete occlusive lesions,who received treatment at Affiliated Baiyun Hospital of Guizhou Medical University hospital from January 2020 to December 2023,were selected for this study.The 283 diseased lower limbs were randomly divided into study group(n=142)and control group(n=141).In the study group the endovascular interventional therapy assisted by CT and DSA multimodal image fusion technology was adopted,while in the control group the traditional DSA-guided endovascular interventional therapy was employed.The imaging parameters,surgical success rates,X-ray exposure doses,time spent for operation,incidence of postoperative complications,changes of ankle-brachial index(ABI),primary patency rate,assisted primary patency rate,and secondary patency rate were compared between the two groups.Results The surgical success rate in the study group was 96.47%,which was significantly higher than 87.94%in the control group(P<0.05).The mean time spent for operation in the study group was(125.42±23.74)minutes,which was shorter than(147.81±29.33)minutes in the control group.The mean X-ray exposure dose in the study group was(2 856.34±427.82)mGy·cm2,which was lower than(3 674.53±512.60)mGy·cm2 in the control group.The incidence of postoperative complications in the study group was 4.23%,which was significantly lower than 12.57%in the control group(P<0.05).The ABI values of the affected limbs in the study group and control group increased from preoperative(0.65±0.15)and(0.60±0.18)respectively to postoperative(1.09±0.32)and(0.90±0.28)respectively.The postoperative ABI value in the study group was higher than that in the control group(P<0.05).The postoperative 12-month primary patency rate,assisted primary patency rate and secondary patency rate in the study group were 78.17%,85.92%and 90.14%respectively,which were better than 67.38%,75.89%and 80.85%respectively in the control group.Conclusion For arterial occlusive lesions of lower extremities,endovascular interventional therapy with the help of CT and DSA multimodal image fusion technology has high surgical success rates,low incidence of complications,and satisfactory revascularization rate.This technology provides new idea and method for the treatment of arterial occlusive lesions of lower extremities with high clinical safety.Therefore,this technology is worthy of clinical promotion and application.
9.Pathogenicity analysis and genetic counseling for a hemizygous c.1042-10G>C variant of SLC9A7 gene.
Jingyuan WANG ; Jia HUANG ; Hongjie ZHU ; Lingxiao ZHOU ; Heng YANG ; Wenjie YANG ; Shuai CHEN ; Hongyan LIU
Chinese Journal of Medical Genetics 2025;42(10):1177-1182
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the clinical significance of a hemizygous c.1042-10G>C variant of the SLC9A7 gene NM_001257291.2) previously identified in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, and to provide an evidence-based guidance for prenatal genetic counseling.
METHODS:
Four families presented at the Medical Genetics Center of Henan Provincial People's Hospital between December 2022 and July 2024 were included in this study. Phenotypic information and biological samples were collected from family members. Genomic DNA was extracted and subjected to whole-exome sequencing and copy number variation analysis to identify candidate pathogenic variants. Sanger sequencing was performed for familial co-segregation analysis. Reverse-transcription PCR was used to assess the RNA splicing pattern of the variant in peripheral blood samples. Quantitative PCR was employed to analyze the expression profiles of various SLC9A7 transcripts in fetal brain tissue and peripheral blood samples. Pathogenicity of the variant was classified based on guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Henan Provincial People's Hospital (Ethics No.: 2021-171).
RESULTS:
Six hemizygous males carrying the SLC9A7 c.1042-10G>C variant were identified among the four families, which included three adult males and two male infants with normal phenotypes. Only one affected male from family 3 exhibited global developmental delay, short neck, webbed neck, ocular dysplasia, and congenital corneal leukoma. He also had a history of perinatal asphyxia and carried an additional hemizygous variant HUWE1 c.12283C>G. Reverse-transcription PCR showed no aberrant splicing in heterozygous or hemizygous carriers compared to healthy controls, suggesting that the variant does not affect RNA splicing. Quantitative PCR revealed that NM_001257291.2 is the predominant transcript expressed in fetal brain tissue and peripheral blood.
CONCLUSION
The SLC9A7 c.1042-10G>C variant does not alter RNA splicing and is present in multiple phenotypically normal males, which supported its classification as a benign variant.
Humans
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Male
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Female
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Genetic Counseling
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Pedigree
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Adult
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DNA Copy Number Variations/genetics*
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Sodium-Hydrogen Exchangers/genetics*
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Exome Sequencing
10.Effect of measurement site on diagnostic performance of CT-derived fractional flow reserve
Yutao ZHOU ; Na ZHAO ; Yunqiang AN ; Lei SONG ; Chaowei MU ; Jingang CUI ; Tao JIANG ; Li XU ; Hongjie HU ; Lin LI ; Dumin LI ; Wenqiang CHEN ; Lijuan FAN ; Feng ZHANG ; Yang GAO ; Bin LYU
Chinese Journal of Radiology 2025;59(6):704-711
Objective:To investigate the effect of CT-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) measurement sites on the values and the diagnostic performance, and to determine the optimal measurement site for CT-FFR using invasive FFR as the reference standard.Methods:This study was part of the CT-FFR CHINA clinical trial. Patients with suspected coronary artery disease who were scheduled for invasive coronary angiography (ICA) were prospectively recruited from five clinical centers across the country from November 2018 to March 2020. Each enrolled patient underwent coronary CT angiography (CCTA), CT-FFR, ICA, and invasive pressure wire-based FFR assessments sequentially within one week. Four groups of CT-FFR values were obtained on each enrolled target vessels according to different CT-FFR measurement locations: 1, 2, 3 cm distal to the target lesion, and terminal vessel groups. Spearman and Bland-Altman analyses were used to explore the correlation and consistency of CT-FFR values and FFR values at different measurement sites. The measurement deviation of CT-FFR was also compared. Diagnostic accuracy and performance of CT-FFR, including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), in discriminating myocardial ischemia were analyzed across all measurement site groups on a per-vessel level, using FFR as the reference standard.Results:A total of 289 patients with 345 target lesion vessels were included. According to CCTA, there were 51 target vessels (14.8%) with<50% stenosis, 106 vessels (30.7%) with 50%-69% stenosis, and 188 vessels (54.5%) with stenosis≥70%. At per-vessel level, CT-FFR and FFR values at each measurement position group were highly positively correlated: 1 cm distal to target lesion group, r=0.734 ( P<0.001); 2 cm distal to target lesion group, r=0.732 ( P<0.001); 3 cm distal to target lesion group, r=0.737 ( P<0.001); terminal vessel group was 0.719 ( P<0.001). At per-vessel level, CT-FFR and FFR values of all measurement sites were in good agreement (Bland-Altman analysis results): 1 cm distal to target lesion group, 0.014 (95% LoA 0.002-0.026); 2 cm distal to target lesion group, 0.026 (95% LoA 0.015-0.038); 3 cm distal to target lesion group, 0.040 (95% LoA 0.039-0.051); terminal vessel group, 0.075 (95% LoA 0.064-0.087). And at per-vessel level, the accuracy of diagnosing myocardial ischemia with CT-FFR at 1 cm was highest [84.6% (95% CI 80.4%-88.3%)], and the lowest accuracy in the terminal vessel group [67.0% (95% CI 61.7%-72.0%)]. However, there was no significant difference in the diagnostic accuracy of CT-FFR at 1 cm, 2 cm [80.6% (95% CI 76.1%-84.6%)] and 3 cm [77.5% (95% CI 72.6%-81.7%)]. AUC of CT-FFR at 1 cm distal to the lesion were both highest for global level and moderately stenosis (50%-69%) lesions [0.85 (95% CI 0.81-0.89), 0.84 (95% CI 0.77-0.90)]. And the differences were statistically significant among the four measurement location groups (all P<0.05). Conclusions:The deviation of CT-FFR increases with measurement site distance distal to target lesions. One centimeter distal to the target lesion is the optimal measurement site, and the CT-FFR value here shows the highest diagnostic performance for myocardial ischemic lesions, especially for moderate stenosis.


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