BACKGROUND: Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) are major adverse events in neurosurgical patients. This study aimed to develop and validate machine learning models predicting PPCs after neurosurgery. METHODS: PPCs were defined according to the European Perioperative Clinical Outcome standards as occurring within 7 postoperative days. Data of cases meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria were extracted from the anesthesia information management system to create three datasets: The development (data of Huashan Hospital, Fudan University from 2018 to 2020), temporal validation (data of Huashan Hospital, Fudan University in 2021) and external validation (data of other three hospitals in 2023) datasets. Machine learning models of six algorithms were trained using either 35 retrievable and plausible features or the 11 features selected by Lasso regression. Temporal validation was conducted for all models and the 11-feature models were also externally validated. Independent risk factors were identified and feature importance in top models was analyzed. RESULTS: PPCs occurred in 712 of 7533 (9.5%), 258 of 2824 (9.1%), and 207 of 2300 (9.0%) patients in the development, temporal validation and external validation datasets, respectively. During cross-validation training, all models except Bayes demonstrated good discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.840. In temporal validation of full-feature models, deep neural network (DNN) performed the best with an AUC of 0.835 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.805-0.858) and a Brier score of 0.069, followed by Logistic regression (LR), random forest and XGBoost. The 11-feature models performed comparable to full-feature models with very close but statistically significantly lower AUCs, with the top models of DNN and LR in temporal and external validations. An 11-feature nomogram was drawn based on the LR algorithm and it outperformed the minimally modified Assess respiratory RIsk in Surgical patients in CATalonia (ARISCAT) and Laparoscopic Surgery Video Educational Guidelines (LAS VEGAS) scores with a higher AUC (LR: 0.824, ARISCAT: 0.672, LAS: 0.663). Independent risk factors based on multivariate LR mostly overlapped with Lasso-selected features, but lacked consistency with the important features using the Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) method of the LR model. CONCLUSIONS: The developed models, especially the DNN model and the nomogram, had good discrimination and calibration, and could be used for predicting PPCs in neurosurgical patients. The establishment of machine learning models and the ascertainment of risk factors might assist clinical decision support for improving surgical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ChiCTR 2100047474; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=128279 .
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Algorithms ; Lung Diseases/etiology* ; Machine Learning ; Neurosurgical Procedures/adverse effects* ; Postoperative Complications/diagnosis* ; Risk Factors ; ROC Curve

Artemisia argyi (A. argyi), a plant with a longstanding history as a raw material for traditional medicine and functional diets in Asia, has been used traditionally to bathe and soak feet for its disinfectant and itch-relieving properties. Despite its widespread use, scientific evidence validating the antifungal efficacy of A. argyi water extract (AAWE) against dermatophytes, particularly Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Microsporum gypseum, remains limited. This study aimed to substantiate the scientific basis of the folkloric use of A. argyi by evaluating the antifungal effects and the underlying molecular mechanisms of its active subfraction against dermatophytes. The results indicated that AAWE exhibited excellent antifungal effects against the three aforementioned dermatophyte species. The subfraction AAWE6, isolated using D101 macroporous resin, emerged as the most potent subfraction. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of AAWE6 against T. rubrum, M. gypseum, and T. mentagrophytes were 312.5, 312.5, and 625 μg·mL^-1, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results and assays of enzymes linked to cell wall integrity and cell membrane function indicated that AAWE6 could penetrate the external protective barrier of T. rubrum, creating breaches ("small holes"), and disrupt the internal mitochondrial structure ("granary"). Furthermore, transcriptome data, quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR), and biochemical assays corroborated the severe disruption of mitochondrial function, evidenced by inhibited tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and energy metabolism. Additionally, chemical characterization and molecular docking analyses identified flavonoids, primarily eupatilin (131.16 ± 4.52 mg·g^-1) and jaceosidin (4.17 ± 0.18 mg·g^-1), as the active components of AAWE6. In conclusion, the subfraction AAWE6 from A. argyi exerts antifungal effects against dermatophytes by disrupting mitochondrial morphology and function. This research validates the traditional use of A. argyi and provides scientific support for its anti-dermatophytic applications, as recognized in the Chinese patent (No. ZL202111161301.9).
Antifungal Agents/chemistry* ; Arthrodermataceae ; Artemisia/chemistry* ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Mitochondria ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests

Sj?gren′s syndrome is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease characterized by exocrine gland and extraglandular involvement. Cases of Sj?gren′s syndrome-associated aseptic meningitis (SS-AM) are relatively rare, and a case of recurrent aseptic meningitis with leukopenia and mild anemia associated with primary Sj?gren′s syndrome is reported, whose symptoms basically disappeared after treatment with prednison and hydroxychloroquine. The purpose of reporting this case is to raise awareness of SS-AM among fellow clinicians.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with stiff-person syndrome (SPS) associated with glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibodies.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, auxiliary examination results, treatment, and prognosis of patients with GAD antibody-related SPS treated at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2015 to July 2023.Results:A total of 33 patients were included, comprising 26 females (78.8%) and 7 males (21.2%), with an onset age of (42±12) years and a disease duration of 24.0 (10.5, 37.5) months. Two cases (6.1%) were diagnosed with tumors, including 1 case with invasive thymoma and 1 case with small cell lung cancer. The majority of patients (87.9%, 29/33) presented with stiffness of trunk and proximal limb muscles, 42.4% (14/33) of patients exhibited episodic spasm, and 54.5% (18/33) of patients were triggered by stimuli such as sound and light. Babinski or Chaddock reflexes were elicited in 33.3% (11/33) of patients. Some patients (36.4%, 16/33) had concurrent limbic encephalitis/epilepsy or cerebellar ataxia (referred to as complex SPS). The median cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) white blood cell count was 2×10 6/L [quartile: 1×10 6/L, 6×10 6/L; range: (0-30)×10 6/L], with mild elevation in 28.0% (7/25) of patients. Multi-channel surface electromyography in 14 out of 21 cases (66.7%) suggested synchronous contraction of agonist and antagonist muscles in a relaxed state. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score during the acute phase was 4 (3, 4). All patients received treatment with benzodiazepines or baclofen. Thirty patients (90.9%, 30/33) received first-line immunotherapy, 3 patients (9.1%, 3/33) received second-line immunotherapy with rituximab, and 14 (42.4%, 14/33) received mycophenolate mofetil as long-term immunotherapy. The follow-up period was 16 (10, 42) months, with a median best mRS score of 2; 66.7% (22/33) of patients had a favorable functional prognosis (mRS score≤2), and the recurrence rate was 30.0% (9/30). At the last follow-up, the median mRS score was 2, and 53.3% (16/30) of patients had a favorable functional prognosis. Prognosis was not significantly correlated with gender, age, clinical type, or CSF white blood cell level (all P>0.05). Conclusions:SPS is one of the main clinical phenotypes of GAD antibody-related neuroimmune diseases, commonly observed in middle-aged women, and exhibits a chronic progressive course. Only a minority of patients have concomitant tumors. The diagnosis relies on typical symptoms, GAD antibody testing, and electromyography examination. The initial immune therapy yields good results, but the prognosis for recurrent patients is poor.

A three-dimensional(3D)medical image segmentation network(CA-SegResNet)which incorporates a 3D coordinate attention mechanism is proposed to address the issue of segmenting identified vertebral bones from spinal computed tomography(CT)images.The network extracts image features through a deep residual convolutional neural network and fuses the feature maps from each encoder layer with the input of the corresponding decoder layer.Subsequently,a 3D coordinate attention module is introduced to capture inter-channel relationships as well as directional and positional information,establishing long-range dependencies across different spatial directions,thereby enabling precise segmentation of the identified vertebral bones.For the segmentation tasks involving the identified cervical vertebra(the 7th cervical vertebra)and the identified thoracic vertebra(the 12th thoracic vertebra)across 105 cases,CA-SegResNet achieves average Dice similarity coefficients(DSC)of 0.934 5 and 0.918 9 on the test set,with average Hausdorff distances(HD)of 7 and 8 mm.Compared with U-Net results,the average DSC is improved by 0.014 5 and 0.0463,while average HD is reduced by 176 and 388 mm.The results demonstrate that the network can realize the precise segmentation of identified vertebral bones from CT images.

Objective:To analyze the effectiveness and safety of the second course radiotherapy for unresectable colorectal cancer liver metastases.Methods:We retrospectively collected the data of 28 patients with unresectable colorectal cancer liver metastases who received the second course radiotherapy at Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute from 2017 to 2023, to analyze the feasibility of re-irradiation.Results:For the 28 patients, the median follow-up time after re-irradiation was 20.2 months. The median time interval between the first- and second-course radiotherapy was 11.1 months. The median biologically effective doses of the first- and second-course radiotherapy were 100 Gy and 96 Gy, respectively. Stereotactic body radiotherapy was administered to 25 patients (89.3%) during the first course and 24 patients (85.7%) during the second course of radiotherapy. The mean equivalent dose in 2 Gy fractions to the normal liver was 10.1 Gy in the first-course radiotherapy and 7.9 Gy in the second-course radiotherapy. The complete response rate, partial response rate, and objective response rate after re-irradiation were 54.5%, 18.2%, and 72.7%, respectively. After re-irradiation, the 2-year cumulative local failure rate was 17.0% when calculated based on patients and 15.1% when calculated based on lesions, the 1-year progression-free survival rate was 27.4%, and the 3-year overall survival rate was 46.7%. The second-course radiotherapy was well tolerated, with most patients (75.0%) experiencing grade 1-2 acute adverse reactions and only one case (3.6%) experiencing grade 3 acute adverse events.Conclusions:Second course radiotherapy is an effective and safe treatment approach for selected patients with unresectable colorectal cancer liver metastases.

Objective:To analyze the factors influencing functional recovery after surgery of calcaneal fracture.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed in 1,080 eligible patients with calcaneal fracture who had been admitted to The Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020. They were 931 males and 149 females with a mean age of 43.0 years. By the Sanders classification, there were 107 cases of type Ⅰ, 343 cases of type Ⅱ, 471 cases of type Ⅲ and 159 cases of type Ⅳ. Multiple linear regression model was used to screen out the main relevant factors affecting the postoperative functional recovery by analyzing the 18 factors which might influence the postoperative functional recovery like gender, age, Sanders type, occupation, body mass index, season, cause, hospital stay, operation method, internal fixation, preoperative combined injury, preoperative complication, anesthesia, attendance to rehabilitation institution, incision selection, waiting time, preoperative blister and reduction quality.Results:All the 1,080 patients were followed up for 17.5 months on average. The mean Creighton-Nebraska score at the last follow-up was 88.4. The univariate analyses showed statistically significant differences in the Creighton-Nebraska score among patients with different gender, age group, Sanders type, occupation, injury cause, surgical method, preoperative combined injury, incision selection and reduction quality ( P<0.05). Multiple linear regression model analysis resulted in the following regression equation: Y=107.408-4.013×gender-7.101×age-1.214×Sanders type-1.606×incision selection. Conclusions:The factors which influence the functional recovery after surgery of calcaneal fracture may be gender, age, fracture type and incision selection; the functional recovery score after surgery of calcaneal fracture may be low for female senior patients with type Ⅳ fracture and a large L-shaped incision.

Background::Joint dislocations significantly impact public health. However, a comprehensive study on the incidence, distribution, and risk factors for joint dislocations in China is lacking. We conducted the China National Joint Dislocation Study, which is a part of the China National Fracture Study conducted to obtain the national incidence and risk factors for traumatic fractures, and to investigate the incidence and risk factors for joint dislocations.Methods::For this national retrospective epidemiological study, 512,187 participants were recruited using stratified random sampling and probability-proportional-to-size method from January 19 to May 16, 2015. Participants who sustained joint dislocations of the trunk, arms, or legs (skull, sternum, and ribs being excluded) in 2014 were personally interviewed to obtain data on age, educational background, ethnic origin, occupation, geographic region, and urbanization degree. The joint-dislocation incidence was calculated based on age, sex, body site, and demographic factors. The risk factors for different groups were examined using multiple logistic regression.Results::One hundred and nineteen participants sustained 121 joint dislocations in 2014. The population-weighted incidence rate of joint dislocations of the trunk, arms, or legs was 0.22 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.16, 0.27) per 1000 population in 2014 (men, 0.27 [0.20, 0.34]; women, 0.16 [0.10, 0.23]). For all ages, previous dislocation history (male: OR 42.33, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 12.03–148.90; female: OR 54.43, 95% CI: 17.37–170.50) and alcohol consumption (male: OR 3.50, 95% CI: 1.49–8.22; female: OR 2.65, 95% CI: 1.08–6.50) were risk factors for joint dislocation. Sleeping less than 7 h/day was a risk factor for men. Compared with children, women aged ≥15 years (female 15–64 years: OR 0.16, 95% CI: 0.04–0.61; female ≥65 years: OR 0.06, 95% CI: 0.01–0.41) were less likely to sustain joint dislocations. Women with more than three children were at higher dislocation risk than women without children (OR 6.92, 95% CI: 1.18–40.78).Conclusions::The up-to-date data on joint dislocation incidence, distribution, and risk factors can be used as a reference for national healthcare, prevention, and management in China. Specific strategies for decreasing alcohol consumption and encouraging adequate sleeping hours should be developed to prevent or reduce dislocation incidents.Trial Registration::Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-EPR-15005878.

  Objective  To evaluate the clinical and paraclinical features of Chinese patients with anti- LGI1 encephalitis.  Methods  Patients with memory deficits, psychiatric symptoms, seizures or altered level of consciousness, suspicious of encephalitis, at presentation to Peking Union Medical College Hospital were recruited between July 2013 and January 2018, and tested for anti-LGI1 antibodies in their serum and/or cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) samples. Patients with anti-LGI1 antibodies were enrolled. The demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory examination results, neuroimaging features, immunotherapy, follow-up practices and outcomes for included patients were registered and analyzed.  Results  The study enrolled 120 patients, of whom 66.7% were male. The median age was 61 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 49-66 years). Seizures(65.0%) were the most common initial symptoms. Most patients developed seizures (95.0%), including faciobrachial dystonic seizures (54.2%), memory deficits (92.5%), and psychiatric symptoms (69.1%). Brain MRI and ¹⁸F-FDG PET / CT showed that the lesions were mainly located in unilateral or bilateral medial temporal lobes, and (or) basal ganglia. Of the patients, 95.0% received intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) or corticosteroids, 47.5% received mycophenolate mofetil as long-term immunotherapy, and no one received second-line immunotherapy. The median follow-up was 34.2 months(IQR: 22.0-45.6 months). 91.2% had a good outcome (modified Rankin Scale score≤2 points). Residual mild memory deficits were present in 47.8% of the patients. Nine deaths were documented. Relapses occurred in 24.8% of the patients in the first year. In total, 24 (20%)cases were young patients(onset age ≤45 years).There were fewer males among the younger patients(37.5% vs. 74.0%, P < 0.01). Besides, there were fewer younger patients with psychiatric symptoms(50.0% vs. 74.0%, P=0.02), hyponatremia(33.3% vs. 68.8%, P < 0.01), and abnormalities on brain ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT(20.8% vs. 47.9%, P=0.02). The relapse-free survival rate was significantly higher in the young patients.  Conclusions  Elderly males were predominant in patients with anti-LGI1 encephalitis. Most patients developed symptoms of limbic encephalitis and/or FDBS during the disease course. Several patients were young adults and lacked typical symptoms. Neuroimaging features were consistent with the involvement of limbic system or basal ganglia. Patients with anti-LGI1 encephalitis respond well to immunotherapy, irrespective of the age.

Objective:To assess the long-term follow-up results of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) showing macrovascular invasion (MVI).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted for 63 patients with HCC showing MVI without distant metastasis treated in Peking University Cancer Hospital from October 2015 to October 2018. Among them 28 patients were treated with IMRT combined with TACE and sorafenib (Group A) and 35 patients were treated with IMRT combined with TACE (Group B). Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to assess the progression-free survival (PFS) and the overall survival (OS) of both groups.Results:The median follow-up time was 62 months. Before PSM, the median OS of group A and B were 19.0 months and 15.2 months ( χ2=3.15, P=0.076), respectively, and the median PFS of groups A (10.7 months) was longer than that of group B (8.6 months; χ2=3.99, P=0.046). After PSM, the median OS of group A (30.6 months) was significantly longer than that of group B (15.2 months; χ2=5.34, P=0.023), and the PFS of groups A (12.5 months) was still longer than that of group B (8.3 months; χ2=4.79, P=0.026). In the whole group, 10 patients (15.9%) suffered from grade-3 hematologic toxicity, and seven patients (11.1%) experienced grade-3 hepatic toxicity. The incidence of skin reactions, hand-foot syndrome, and diarrhea in group A was higher than that in group B, but all these adverse events were grade 1-2. Moreover, no grade-4 adverse events, radiation-induced liver disease, and treatment-related mortality occurred in both groups. Conclusions:As demonstrated by the long-term follow-up result, IMRT combined with TACE and TKI could improve both the PFS and the OS of patients with HCC showing MVI after PSM.