Globally，prostate cancer is the second most common malignant tumor in men. Radiotherapy is a radical treatment modality for prostate cancer，with efficacy comparable to radical prostatectomy. During radiotherapy delivery，as tumors in the peripheral zone of the prostate which are adjacent to the anterior rectal wall，delivering curative doses to the prostate inevitably results in irradiation of the anterior rectal wall. This carries a certain probability of causing related complications and adversely affecting patients' quality of life. The prostate-rectum spacer（or isolation device）is perineally implanted between the prostate and rectum to create a physical separation，increasing the distance between them. This reduces rectal radiation dose during radiotherapy and consequently lowers the incidence of rectal adverse reactions. Currently，commonly used prostate-rectum spacers include polyethylene glycol hydrogels，hyaluronic acid hydrogels，and balloon spacers. Substantial clinical evidence has confirmed the safety and efficacy of prostate-rectum spacers，strongly supporting their use in prostate cancer radiotherapy. However，existing technologies still face several challenges，including inadequate separation force provided by the spacer material，procedural complexity during implantation，compression-induced injuries to adjacent tissues，and suboptimal visualization under current imaging modalities. Future efforts must establish quality standards，optimize image-guided implantation，develop novel materials，evaluate long-term biocompatibility to enhance clinical deployment，and mitigate rectal complication risks.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the incidence of hospital-associated infections among the neurosurgery de-partment patients undergoing brain tumor resection and analyze the economic cost so as to provide scientific bases for formulating prevention strategies.METHODS Totally 1027 patients who underwent brain tumor resection in neurosurgery department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University from Jan.1,2020 to Dec.31,2024 were recruited as the research subjects.The 36 patients who had postoperative hos-pital-associated infections were assigned as the infection group,and 991 patients who did not have hospital-associ-ated infection were assigned as the no infection group.The patients of the infection group and the non-infection group were matched in a 1∶1 ratio by using propensity score matching method(caliper value 0.005).The length of hospital stay and costs of medical items were compared between the infection group and the non-infection group,and the economic burden due to the hospital-associated infections was estimated.RESULTS The incidence of hospital-associated infections was 3.51％among the patients undergoing brain tumor resection,and totally 36 pairs were matched successfully with the propensity score.The hospitalization cost of the infection group was 109,103.81(73,370.21,163,628.37)yuan after the matching,which was increased by 50,087.69 yuan as com-pared with the non-infection group(Z=-5.237,P＜0.001);the length of hospital stay was 23.00(17.25,36.00)days,which was prolonged by 8.50 days(Z=-3.764,P＜0.001).Among the costs of medical items,the medial costs of western medicine,treatment materials and clinical laboratory tests increased most.CONCLUSIONS The control of the costs of western medicine,treatment materials and clinical laboratory tests is the key to reduce the costs of brain tumor resection patients with hospital-associated infections.It is necessary to carry out the real-time monitoring of the hospital-associated infections and early warning of suspected cases and reduce the incidence of hospital-associated infections so as to reduce the economic costs.

Purpose To investigate the expression of Versican(VCAN)and thrombospondin 2(THBS2)and their relationship with cancer-associated fibroblast(CAFs)and clinicopathological significance in papillary thyroid car-cinoma(PTC).Methods Bioinformatics analyses were performed using PTC single-cell sequencing data from the GEO and TCGA database.Weighted correlation network analysis identified CAFs-related genes,and enrichment analy-sis highlighted pivotal genes associated with CAFs;the expression of VCAN,THBS2,and α-SMA in 130 PTC tissue samples were detected by immunohistochemistry EnVision method.Masson staining evaluated tumor stromal fibrosis.Relationships between these markers,clinicopathological parameters,and CAF proliferation were analyzed.Results Bioinformatics analysis identified VCAN and THBS2 as core genes significantly associated with CAFs,and extracellular matrix-related pathways.The proliferation rate of CAFs in PTC was 83.1％(108/130),with positivity rate of 96.9％(126/130)for VCAN and 75.4％(98/130)for THBS2.The median mesenchymal fibrosis index was 32.4(inter-quartile range:22.7-50.0).High CAF proliferation correlated positively with lymph node metastasis(P＜0.001),higher TNM stage(P＜0.05),and specific histologic subtypes of PTC.Similarly,VCAN expression,THBS2 expres-sion,and the degree of PTC stromal fibrosis were positively correlated with lymph node metastasis(P＜0.001,P＜0.05,and P＜0.001,respectively).Both THBS2 expression and the degree of PTC stromal fibrosis correlated with the histologic subtype of PTC.The percentage of tumor mesenchymal α-SMA-positive cells strongly correlated with the im-mune response score(IRS)of VCAN and THBS2(rs=0.713,P＜0.001;rs=0.646,P＜0.001).Additionally,the percentage of Masson-stained area was positively correlated with the percentage of tumor mesenchymal α-SMA-posi-tive cells,and the IRS of VCAN and THBS2(rs=0.892,P＜0.001;rs=0.729,P＜0.001;rs=0.616,P＜0.001).Conclusion VCAN and THBS2 serve as potential markers for assessing invasiveness and lymph node metas-tasis of PTC.Their strong association with CAFs provides a basis for further investigation of the malignant biological be-havior of PTC.

Purpose To investigate the expression of Versican(VCAN)and thrombospondin 2(THBS2)and their relationship with cancer-associated fibroblast(CAFs)and clinicopathological significance in papillary thyroid car-cinoma(PTC).Methods Bioinformatics analyses were performed using PTC single-cell sequencing data from the GEO and TCGA database.Weighted correlation network analysis identified CAFs-related genes,and enrichment analy-sis highlighted pivotal genes associated with CAFs;the expression of VCAN,THBS2,and α-SMA in 130 PTC tissue samples were detected by immunohistochemistry EnVision method.Masson staining evaluated tumor stromal fibrosis.Relationships between these markers,clinicopathological parameters,and CAF proliferation were analyzed.Results Bioinformatics analysis identified VCAN and THBS2 as core genes significantly associated with CAFs,and extracellular matrix-related pathways.The proliferation rate of CAFs in PTC was 83.1％(108/130),with positivity rate of 96.9％(126/130)for VCAN and 75.4％(98/130)for THBS2.The median mesenchymal fibrosis index was 32.4(inter-quartile range:22.7-50.0).High CAF proliferation correlated positively with lymph node metastasis(P＜0.001),higher TNM stage(P＜0.05),and specific histologic subtypes of PTC.Similarly,VCAN expression,THBS2 expres-sion,and the degree of PTC stromal fibrosis were positively correlated with lymph node metastasis(P＜0.001,P＜0.05,and P＜0.001,respectively).Both THBS2 expression and the degree of PTC stromal fibrosis correlated with the histologic subtype of PTC.The percentage of tumor mesenchymal α-SMA-positive cells strongly correlated with the im-mune response score(IRS)of VCAN and THBS2(rs=0.713,P＜0.001;rs=0.646,P＜0.001).Additionally,the percentage of Masson-stained area was positively correlated with the percentage of tumor mesenchymal α-SMA-posi-tive cells,and the IRS of VCAN and THBS2(rs=0.892,P＜0.001;rs=0.729,P＜0.001;rs=0.616,P＜0.001).Conclusion VCAN and THBS2 serve as potential markers for assessing invasiveness and lymph node metas-tasis of PTC.Their strong association with CAFs provides a basis for further investigation of the malignant biological be-havior of PTC.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the incidence of hospital-associated infections among the neurosurgery de-partment patients undergoing brain tumor resection and analyze the economic cost so as to provide scientific bases for formulating prevention strategies.METHODS Totally 1027 patients who underwent brain tumor resection in neurosurgery department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University from Jan.1,2020 to Dec.31,2024 were recruited as the research subjects.The 36 patients who had postoperative hos-pital-associated infections were assigned as the infection group,and 991 patients who did not have hospital-associ-ated infection were assigned as the no infection group.The patients of the infection group and the non-infection group were matched in a 1∶1 ratio by using propensity score matching method(caliper value 0.005).The length of hospital stay and costs of medical items were compared between the infection group and the non-infection group,and the economic burden due to the hospital-associated infections was estimated.RESULTS The incidence of hospital-associated infections was 3.51％among the patients undergoing brain tumor resection,and totally 36 pairs were matched successfully with the propensity score.The hospitalization cost of the infection group was 109,103.81(73,370.21,163,628.37)yuan after the matching,which was increased by 50,087.69 yuan as com-pared with the non-infection group(Z=-5.237,P＜0.001);the length of hospital stay was 23.00(17.25,36.00)days,which was prolonged by 8.50 days(Z=-3.764,P＜0.001).Among the costs of medical items,the medial costs of western medicine,treatment materials and clinical laboratory tests increased most.CONCLUSIONS The control of the costs of western medicine,treatment materials and clinical laboratory tests is the key to reduce the costs of brain tumor resection patients with hospital-associated infections.It is necessary to carry out the real-time monitoring of the hospital-associated infections and early warning of suspected cases and reduce the incidence of hospital-associated infections so as to reduce the economic costs.

Globally，prostate cancer is the second most common malignant tumor in men. Radiotherapy is a radical treatment modality for prostate cancer，with efficacy comparable to radical prostatectomy. During radiotherapy delivery，as tumors in the peripheral zone of the prostate which are adjacent to the anterior rectal wall，delivering curative doses to the prostate inevitably results in irradiation of the anterior rectal wall. This carries a certain probability of causing related complications and adversely affecting patients' quality of life. The prostate-rectum spacer（or isolation device）is perineally implanted between the prostate and rectum to create a physical separation，increasing the distance between them. This reduces rectal radiation dose during radiotherapy and consequently lowers the incidence of rectal adverse reactions. Currently，commonly used prostate-rectum spacers include polyethylene glycol hydrogels，hyaluronic acid hydrogels，and balloon spacers. Substantial clinical evidence has confirmed the safety and efficacy of prostate-rectum spacers，strongly supporting their use in prostate cancer radiotherapy. However，existing technologies still face several challenges，including inadequate separation force provided by the spacer material，procedural complexity during implantation，compression-induced injuries to adjacent tissues，and suboptimal visualization under current imaging modalities. Future efforts must establish quality standards，optimize image-guided implantation，develop novel materials，evaluate long-term biocompatibility to enhance clinical deployment，and mitigate rectal complication risks.

Objective To determine the diagnostic value of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration ( EUS-FNA ) for gastrointestinal lesions with inconclusive endoscopic biopsies. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed in 65 patients who were found to have gastrointestinal lesions with inconclusive endoscopic biopsies and underwent EUS-FNA in Drum Tower Hospital. Diagnostic value of EUS-FNA was determined by comparing with surgical histopathology and follow-up results. Results This study included 41 males ( 63％) and 24 females ( 37％) with median age of 60 years. The most common lesion was diffuse infiltrative lesions ( 37, 56. 9％) , followed by submucosal protrusion types ( 17, 26. 2％) . Fifty-four cases ( 83. 1％) were malignant lesions, and 11 cases ( 16. 9％) were benign. The overall sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of EUS-FNA for gastrointestinal lesions with inconclusive biopsies were 76. 8％ ( 95％CI: 65. 7％-87. 8％) , 100. 0％ ( 95％CI: 66. 4％-100. 0％) , and 80. 0％( 95％CI: 70. 3％-89. 7％) , respectively. Sub-group analysis showed the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of EUS-FNA for diffuse infiltrative lesions were 70. 6％ ( 95％CI: 55. 3％-85. 9％, 100. 0％( 95％CI:29. 2％-100. 0％) , and 73. 0％ ( 95％CI: 58. 7％-87. 3％) , respectively. For submucosal protrusions, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of EUS-FNA were 68. 8％ ( 95％CI: 46. 0％ -91. 5％) , 100. 0％ ( 95％CI: 2. 5％-100. 0％) , and 70. 6％ ( 95％CI: 44. 0％-89. 7％) , respectively. Conclusion EUS-FNA has moderate diagnostic value for endoscopic biopsy-inconclusive gastrointestinal lesions. It can be an alternative option when standard methods, such as endoscopic mucosal forceps biopsy, fail to provide a definitive diagnosis.

Objective To investigate the relationship of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with blood-lipid levels. Methods Individuals 40 years old or older who had undergone a physical-health examination in our hospital between January and December 2017 were enrolled in this study. Information regarding medical history and the results of essential ophthalmological and physical-health examinations were examined to exclude individuals with serious chronic diseases such as malignant tumors, stroke, myocardial infarction, pulmonary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and kidney disease. One thousand nine individuals with AMD (all at the early stage) were included in the AMD group, and 3489 individuals without AMD were included in the non-AMD group. Data of all participants, including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, were collected and analyzed. Results The average age in the AMD group was higher than that in the non-AMD group, and the male to female ratio was significantly higher in the AMD group (P<0.05). After adjusting for age, gender, and BMI confounders, multiple linear stepwise regression analysis revealed that HDL-C was associated with AMD (β=-0.026, 95% CI: 0.045-0.006, P=0.011); there was no correlation between TC, TG, LDL-C, and AMD (all P>0.05). Conclusion Early stage AMD was related to a decrease in HDL-C, which may be a protective factor against AMD. Further study is warranted to validate this finding.

Objective To explore the application disturbance coefficient (DC) value of noninvasive brain edema monitoring in patients after traumatic brain injury.Methods A total of 54 cerebral injury patients were performed by non-invasive brain edema monitoring from June to November 2016.The essential information,DC,intracranial pressure (ICP),and 6-month-later glasgow outcome score (GOS) were collected.Results DC was negatively correlated with ICP (r=-0.779 5,P＜0.01),and it was positively correlated with glasgow coma scale (GCS) and GOS (r=0.667 5,P＜0.01;r=0.630 6,P＜0.01).The mean of DC with good prognosis patients was 106.99±4.09,and that of the poor prognosis patients was85.26±4.45,the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.05).Conclusion DC has a good clinical application value.

Objective To evaluate the differences of the thinnest-point corneal thickness (TCT) decrease after three different corneal crosslinking (CXL) protocols for progressive keratoconus.Methyds Retrospective clinical case study.From August 2010 to November 2015,consecutive 85 patients (110 eyes) with progressive keratoconus were enrolled and treated with CXL in Department of Opthalmology,Navy General Hospital.21 patients of 25 eyes underwent standard epithelium-off corneal crosslinking (S-CXL),14 patients of 22 eyes underwent 1 g · L-1 riboflavin-sodium lactate Ringer's solution iontophoresis-assisted CXL (I-CXLa),and 50 patients of 63 eyes underwent 0.1％ riboflavin-distilled water solution I-CXLb.Preoperative and postoperative TCT were measured by ALLEGRO oculyzer.The differences of TCT decrease after treatment were compared among the three CXL protocols.Results The differences of TCT from baseline after 3 months,6 months and 12 months in the S-CXL group were (-14.93 ±27.16) μm,(-31.94 ±22.89) μm,(-27.71 ±26.01) μm,respectively,the I-CXLa group were (-20.14 ± 19.09) μm,(-10.10 ± 24.28) μm,(-7.11 ± 22.26)μm,respectively,the I-CXLb group were (-28.08 ± 26.14) μm,(-21.08 ± 25.62) μm,(-15.91 ± 19.19)μm,respectively.Three months after treatment,the differences of TCT decrease in the three groups was not statistically significant (P =0.188);Six and 12 months after treatment,the differences between S-CXL and I-CXLa were statistically significant (all P ＜0.05),but the differences between S-CXL and I-CXLb,between I-CXLb and I-CXLa showed no significant difference (all P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Six and 12 months after treatment,TCT decrease is related to the CXL protocol.TCT decrease degree may reflect the intensity of crossinking.TCT decrease in I-CXLb is smaller than that in S-CXL,but there is no statistical difference.