Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate programmed death-ligand 1 tumor proportion score in predicting the safety and efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 antibody-based therapy in treating patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a real-world setting. METHODS: This retrospective, multicenter, observational study enrolled adult patients who received PD-1/PD-L1 antibody-based therapy in China and met the following criteria: (1) had pathologically confirmed, unresectable stage III-IV NSCLC; (2) had a baseline PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS); and (3) had confirmed efficacy evaluation results after PD-1/PD-L1 treatment. Logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier analysis, and Cox regression were used to assess the progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and immune-related adverse events (irAEs) as appropriate. RESULTS: A total of 409 patients, 65.0% ( n = 266) with a positive PD-L1 TPS (≥1%) and 32.8% ( n = 134) with PD-L1 TPS ≥50%, were included in this study. Cox regression confirmed that patients with a PD-L1 TPS ≥1% had significantly improved PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.747, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.573-0.975, P = 0.032). A total of 160 (39.1%) patients experienced 206 irAEs, and 27 (6.6%) patients experienced 31 grade 3-5 irAEs. The organs most frequently associated with irAEs were the skin (52/409, 12.7%), thyroid (40/409, 9.8%), and lung (34/409, 8.3%). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that a PD-L1 TPS ≥1% (odds ratio [OR] 1.713, 95% CI 1.054-2.784, P = 0.030) was an independent risk factor for irAEs. Other risk factors for irAEs included pretreatment absolute lymphocyte count >2.5 × 10 9 /L (OR 3.772, 95% CI 1.377-10.329, P = 0.010) and pretreatment absolute eosinophil count >0.2 × 10 9 /L (OR 2.006, 95% CI 1.219-3.302, P = 0.006). Moreover, patients who developed irAEs demonstrated improved PFS (13.7 months vs. 8.4 months, P <0.001) and OS (28.0 months vs. 18.0 months, P = 0.007) compared with patients without irAEs. CONCLUSIONS A positive PD-L1 TPS (≥1%) was associated with improved PFS and an increased risk of irAEs in a real-world setting. The onset of irAEs was associated with improved PFS and OS in patients with advanced NSCLC receiving PD-1/PD-L1-based therapy.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/metabolism* ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Lung Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Aged ; B7-H1 Antigen/metabolism* ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/metabolism* ; Adult ; Aged, 80 and over ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the application of three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction technology in preoperative planning for anterolateral thigh flap transplantation. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 11 patients with skin and soft tissue defects treated with free anterolateral thigh flap transplantation between January 2022 and January 2024, who met the selection criteria. There were 8 males and 3 females, aged 34-70 years (mean, 50.8 years). Causes of injury included traffic accidents (4 cases), machine trauma (3 cases), heavy object crush injury (3 cases), and tumor (1 case). The time from injury to flap repair ranged from 7 to 35 days (mean, 23 days). Preoperatively, the patients' CT angiography images were imported into Mimics21.0 software. Through the software's segmentation, editing, and reconstruction functions, 3D visualization and measurement of the vascular pedicle, perforators, wound size, and morphology were performed to plan the flap harvest area, contour, vascular pedicle length, and anastomosis site, guiding the implementation of flap transplantation. RESULTS: The length of the vascular pedicle needed by the recipient site was (9.1±0.9) cm, and the maximum length of vascular pedicle in the donor area was (10.6±0.6) cm, with a significant difference ( t=4.230, P<0.001). The operation time ranged from 220 to 600 minutes (mean, 361.9 minutes). One patient had poor wound healing at the recipient site, which healed after dressing changes. All 11 flaps survived well without necrosis. All patients were followed up 6-19 months (mean, 11 months). Four flaps showed bulkiness and underwent secondary debulking; the remaining flaps had good contour and soft texture. The donor sites healed well, with no sensory disturbance around the incision or complications such as walking impairment. CONCLUSION Preoperative planning using CT angiography data and 3D reconstruction software can effectively determine the flap area, contour, required vascular pedicle length, anastomosis site, and whether vascular grafting is needed, thereby guiding the successful execution of anterolateral thigh flap transplantation.
Humans ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Thigh/diagnostic imaging* ; Aged ; Plastic Surgery Procedures/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods* ; Soft Tissue Injuries/surgery* ; Surgical Flaps ; Computed Tomography Angiography ; Free Tissue Flaps/blood supply* ; Preoperative Care

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided closed reduction and internal fixation using Kirschner wire for the treatment of olecranon fractures of the ulna in children. METHODS: Between January 2019 and January 2021, 13 children with olecranon fracture were treated with ultrasound-guided closed reduction and percutaneous Kirschner wire internal fixation, including 10 males and 3 females. The age ranged from 3 to 14 years old. Children with ulnar olecranon fractures were evaluated using the Gicquel scoring system. The clinical evaluation encompassed postoperative pain, functional status, and range of motion, with a maximum score of 15 points. The radiological assessment contributed an additional 4 points. A cumulative score of more than 18 scores was classified as excellent, more than 17 scores as good, more than16 scores as fair, and less than 16 scores as poor. Clinical assessment:A score of 14 indicates excellent performance, a score of 13 reflects good performance, a score of 12 denotes fair performance, and a score of less than 11 signifies poor performance. RESULTS: A total of 13 patients were followed up, with a duration ranging from 6 to 12 months. According to the Gicquel scoring criteria, the comprehensive evaluation of clinical and radiographic findings yielded 10 excellent and 3 good outcomes. Evaluation based solely on clinical findings resulted in 13 excellent outcomes. CONCLUSION Ultrasound-guided percutaneous cross Kirschner wire fixation for children's olecranon fracture has the advantages of less trauma, rapid recovery, less fluoroscopy, and good recovery of elbow function. The clinical effect is satisfactory.
Humans ; Child ; Male ; Female ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/instrumentation* ; Ulna Fractures/physiopathology* ; Bone Wires ; Child, Preschool ; Adolescent ; Olecranon Process/surgery* ; Ultrasonography ; Closed Fracture Reduction/methods* ; Olecranon Fracture

PURPOSE: The secondary damage of spinal cord injury (SCI) starts from the collapse of the blood spinal cord barrier (BSCB) to chronic and devastating neurological deficits. Thereby, the retention of the integrity and permeability of BSCB is well-recognized as one of the major therapies to promote functional recovery after SCI. Previous studies have demonstrated that activation of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) provides anti-apoptosis and neuroprotection in SCI. Endogenous HIF-1α, rapidly degraded by prolylhydroxylase, is insufficient for promoting functional recovery. Dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG), a highly selective inhibitor of prolylhydroxylase, has been reported to have a positive effect on axon regeneration. However, the roles and underlying mechanisms of DMOG in BSCB restoration remain unclear. Herein, we aim to investigate pathological changes of BSCB restoration in rats with SCI treated by DOMG and evaluate the therapeutic effects of DMOG. METHODS: The work was performed from 2022 to 2023. In this study, Allen's impact model and human umbilical vein endothelial cells were employed to explore the mechanism of DMOG. In the phenotypic validation experiment, the rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham group, SCI group, and SCI + DMOG group (10 rats for each). Histological analysis via Nissl staining, Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan scale, and footprint analysis was used to evaluate the functional recovery after SCI. Western blotting, TUNEL assay, and immunofluorescence staining were employed to exhibit levels of tight junction and adhesion junction of BSCB, HIF-1α, cell apoptosis, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The one-way ANOVA test was used for statistical analysis. The difference was considered statistically significant at p < 0.05. RESULTS: In this study, we observed the expression of HIF-1α reduced in the SCI model. DMOG treatment remarkably augmented HIF-1α level, alleviated endothelial cells apoptosis and disruption of BSCB, and enhanced functional recovery post-SCI. Besides, the administration of DMOG offset the activation of ER stress induced by SCI, but this phenomenon was blocked by tunicamycin (an ER stress activator). Finally, we disclosed that DMOG maintained the integrity and permeability of BSCB by inhibiting ER stress, and inhibition of HIF-1α erased the protection from DMOG. CONCLUSIONS Our findings illustrate that the administration of DMOG alleviates the devastation of BSCB and HIF-1α-induced inhibition of ER stress.
Spinal Cord Injuries/pathology* ; Animals ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Amino Acids, Dicarboxylic/therapeutic use* ; Recovery of Function/drug effects* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/metabolism* ; Male ; Spinal Cord/blood supply*

Investigating the correlation between micronucleus formation and male infertility has the potential to improve clinical diagnosis and deepen our understanding of pathological progression. Our study enrolled 2252 male patients whose semen was analyzed from March 2023 to July 2023. Their clinical data, including semen parameters and age, were also collected. Genetic analysis was used to determine whether the sex chromosome involved in male infertility was abnormal (including the increase, deletion, and translocation of the X and Y chromosomes), and subsequent semen analysis was conducted for clinical grouping purposes. The participants were categorized into five groups: normozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, oligozoospermia, oligoasthenozoospermia, and azoospermia. Patients were randomly selected for further study; 41 patients with normozoospermia were included in the control group and 117 patients with non-normozoospermia were included in the study group according to the proportions of all enrolled patients. Cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) screening was conducted through peripheral blood. Statistical analysis was used to determine the differences in micronuclei (MNi) among the groups and the relationships between MNi and clinical data. There was a significant increase in MNi in infertile men, including those with azoospermia, compared with normozoospermic patients, but there was no significant difference between the genetic and nongenetic groups in azoospermic men. The presence of MNi was associated with sperm concentration, progressive sperm motility, immotile spermatozoa, malformed spermatozoa, total sperm count, and total sperm motility. This study underscores the potential utility of MNi as a diagnostic tool and highlights the need for further research to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of male infertility.
Humans ; Male ; Infertility, Male/genetics* ; Adult ; Micronucleus Tests ; Semen Analysis ; Oligospermia/genetics* ; Azoospermia/genetics* ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Sperm Count ; Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective ; Middle Aged

Objective:To evaluate the value of a combined model based on primary lesion 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose ( 18F-FDG) PET/CT radiomics for predicting lymph node metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) . Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 203 NSCLC patients who underwent pre-treatment PET/CT imaging at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from June 2013 to July 2023. Patients were randomly assigned to the training set ( n=142) and the validation set ( n=61) at a ratio of 7∶3. A predictive model was developed in the training set, and its predictive performance and clinical application value were assessed in both the training and validation sets. Traditional PET/CT parameters and PET/CT radiomics features of the primary lesion were obtained by 3D-slicer software. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), random forest, and extreme gradient boosting were performed to extract features. Support vector machine was used to construct a radiomics score (Radscore). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to predict the influencing factors of lymph node metastasis in NSCLC patients and to establish models. Predictive performance of the models was evaluated by receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves and clinical application value was assessed by calibration curves and decision curve analysis (DCA) . Results:Among 203 NSCLC patients, 116 had lymph node metastasis, with 64 cases in the training set and 52 cases in the validation set. Three complementary classical machine learning methods were used for feature screening, and finally 10 radiomics features were obtained. The optimal threshold for Radscore-PET was 0.43 and the optimal threshold for Radscore-CT was 0.39. Univariate analysis showed that, sex ( OR=0.48, 95% CI: 0.24-0.95, P=0.036), tumor marker levels ( OR=3.81, 95% CI: 1.84-7.91, P<0.001), long diameter of tumor ( OR=2.56, 95% CI: 1.27-5.16, P=0.009), short diameter of tumor ( OR=3.73, 95% CI: 1.75-7.92, P=0.001), vacuolar sign ( OR=0.32, 95% CI: 0.12-0.86, P=0.024), ring-like metabolism ( OR=3.67, 95% CI: 1.33-10.13, P=0.012), maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max) ( OR=6.57, 95% CI: 3.03-14.25, P<0.001), metabolic tumor volume (MTV) ( OR=2.91, 95% CI: 1.43-5.92, P=0.003), total lesion glycolysis (TLG) ( OR=4.23, 95% CI: 2.08-8.59, P<0.001), Radscore-PET ( OR=21.93, 95% CI: 9.04-53.20, P<0.001) and Radscore-CT ( OR=13.72, 95% CI: 6.12-30.76, P<0.001) were all influencing factors for predicting lymph node metastasis in NSCLC patients. Multivariate analysis showed that, tumor marker levels ( OR=2.55, 95% CI: 1.11-5.90, P=0.028), vacuolar sign ( OR=0.26, 95% CI: 0.08-0.83, P=0.023), SUV max ( OR=5.94, 95% CI: 1.99-17.75, P=0.001), Radscore-PET ( OR=25.51, 95% CI: 5.92-110.22, P<0.001), and Radscore-CT ( OR=8.68, 95% CI: 2.73-27.61, P<0.001) were independent influencing factors for predicting lymph node metastasis in patients with NSCLC. Based on the above independent influencing factors, models were constructed: the traditional model (tumor marker levels, vacuolar sign, SUV max), the PET model (SUV max, Radscore-PET), the CT model (vacuolar sign, Radscore-CT), and the combined model (tumor marker levels, vacuolar sign, SUV max, Radscore-PET, Radscore-CT). ROC curve analysis showed that, the area under curve (AUC) of the traditional, PET, CT, and combined models in the training set were 0.75 (95% CI: 0.67-0.82), 0.90 (95% CI: 0.84-0.95), 0.85 (95% CI: 0.78-0.90), and 0.94 (95% CI: 0.88-0.97), respectively. The predictive value of the combined model was higher than that of the traditional model ( Z=5.01, P<0.001), the PET model ( Z=1.99, P=0.047), and the CT model ( Z=3.25, P=0.001). In the validation set, the AUCs for the traditional model, PET model, CT model, and combined model were 0.65 (95% CI: 0.52-0.77), 0.86 (95% CI: 0.74-0.93), 0.85 (95% CI: 0.73-0.93), and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.80-0.96), respectively. The predictive value of the combined model was superior to that of the traditional model ( Z=3.23, P=0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of the combined model in the training set were 84.37% and 91.03%, while in the validation set, the sensitivity and specificity were 82.61% and 94.74%, respectively. Calibration curves showed a good agreement between the predicted and actual probabilities in both the training and validation sets. DCA showed that the combined models had good discriminative ability in both the training and validation sets. Conclusions:Tumor marker levels, vacuolar sign, SUV max, Radscore-PET, and Radscore-CT are all independent influencing factors for predicting lymph node metastasis in patients with NSCLC. The combined model based on these factors demonstrates excellent predictive performance and clinical application value for predicting lymph node metastasis in NSCLC.

Objective To explore medical institution-led exercise training interventions,prelimina-ry preventive measures,and comprehensive health service strategies for elderly adults.Methods Sixty elderly adults from communities under the jurisdiction of primary hospitals who voluntarily participated in the training and met the inclusion criteria were divided into 75 to 79 years old group and 80 to 84 years old group.Elastic bands exercise were selected as the method for physical training for elderly community members.A total of three sets(9 items)of exercise,including upper and lower limb mus-cle strength exercises and balance as well as coordination training,were designed.The training period lasted for 12 weeks,with each session lasting 1 hour,three times a week.The medical team partici-pated in training supervision and follow-up evaluations throughout the process,dynamically adjusting the training intensity based on individual needs.Results Comprehensive safety and support meas-ures significantly improved training participation and completion rates.No sports injuries or adverse events occurred throughout the process,and all participants completed the training plan.After train-ing,statistically significant differences were observed in grip strength,five-times sit-to-stand test duration,Berg Balance Scale(BBS)scores,and Timed Up and Go(TUG)test results(P＜0.05),indicating effective physical fitness improvement.Conclusion Elastic band exercises are a suitable mode for physical improvement training among elderly adults,significantly enhancing muscle strength in the limbs and trunk and improving balance function.The positive communication and in-teraction in group activities significantly boost elderly adults'confidence in healthy living,leading to notable improvements in their mental state.