Background: and Purpose Therapeutic target selection in noninvasive brain stimulation for poststroke motor recovery typically relies on the interhemispheric inhibition model, which is effective for mildly affected patients but offers limited benefits for severely affected individuals. The mechanisms governing recovery from moderate-to-severe stroke remain poorly understood, which hinders the development of targeted interventions. Methods: We analyzed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from patients with unilateral subcortical stroke and moderate-to-severe upper limb deficits, both pre- and postintervention, along with data from healthy controls. We developed a novel dynamic lag analysis method for identifying recovery-related homotopic sensorimotor regions with altered interhemispheric interactions. To further uncover the global reorganization pathway, we developed dynamic lateralization approaches to detect large-scale functional connectivity (FC) alterations associated with the identified regions in transient lateralization states. Results: Dynamic time-lag analysis revealed significantly reduced synchronized states in the homotopic dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) post-intervention compared with pre-intervention, which correlated with motor recovery. Further dynamic lateralization analysis revealed a prolonged segregation state in patients, characterized by weakened interhemispheric and strengthened intrahemispheric interactions. In this state, patients showed decreased FC in the ipsilesional PMd and increased FC in the contralesional PMd with bilateral subcortical networks. These recoveryrelated alterations were absent in the traditional static analysis. Conclusions Dynamic analyses targeting interhemispheric interactions are valuable for understanding neural reorganization after stroke. The diminished interactions between the homotopic PMd indicate a compensatory mechanism. Importantly, a state-dependent compensatory pathway was identified, wherein the contralesional PMd assumes the functions of the ipsilesional PMd through enhanced interactions with subcortical structures, potentially guiding more effective interventions.

Objective: To compare the changes in the concentration of relevant growth factors released from platelet-rich plasma (PRP) stored at -80℃ by cryopreservation and at 4℃ by refrigerated lyophilization over 2 years, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for prolonging PRP storage duration. Methods: PRP (n=15) was separated using a blood cell separator and stored under -80℃ cryopreservation (F-PRP group) and 4℃ refrigerated freeze-drying conditions (FD-PRP group). The contents of growth factors (PDGF-AA, PDGF-BB, EGF, TGF-β1, and VEGF) in both groups were measured by ELISA at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 24 months. Results: PDGF-AA and VEGF maintained good stability in both groups for up to 24 months. PDGF-BB and TGF-β1 showed high stability in the first 12 months but their stability decreased gradually from 12th to 24th months. EGF demonstrated good stability in the first 6 months, and its stability gradually decreased from the 9th to 24th months. Comparing the F-PRP and FD-PRP groups, the concentrations of the five growth factors in the FD-PRP group were either not statistically different or higher than those in the F-PRP group at all time points. Specifically, the concentrations of EGF were significantly higher in the FD-PRP group at all time points. Conclusion: Both -80℃ freezing and 4℃ freeze-drying enable long-term preservation of PRP. Freeze-drying imposes less stringent storage requirements and facilitates growth factor compared to frozen storage.

Objective:To investigate the current status of occupational internal exposure of nuclear medicine staff performing 131I treatment, and explore the related influence factors, so as to provide a basis for protection against internal exposures. Methods:A survey was conducted using cluster random sampling method to ascertain all the nuclear medicine staff involved in 131I treatment in nuclear medicine hospitals in Hubei province for the years 2021 to 2023. The in vitro monitoring mesurement was made of the 131I activity in thyroid by using portable gamma spectrometer, and the committed effective dose was estimated. Results:The positive detection rate of 131I in treatment staff was between 18.75% and 21.12%, with an average of 20.08%. The highest value found in cleaning and nursing staff in iodine therapy workplaces. The detection rate found in two hospitals were up to 75.61% and 64.71%, respectively. The detection rate was positive for the three consecutive years. There was no statistically significant difference in the committed effective dose between different treatment positions, and the level of internal exposure was lower than the external exposure arising from nuclear medicine practice. Factors affecting detection rate of 131I in thyroid included the amount of 131I used for treatment, and disorder type for treatment, 131I dose, use or otherwise of automated radiopharmaceutical dispenser, and ventilation in treatment rooms. Conclusions:Continuous attention should be paid to the internal exposure of nuclear medicine staff for use of 131I for treatment. Ventilation should be provided regularly, as required, to the 131I treatment rooms and active rooms and the staff should wear masks during the relevant working processes.

Objective:To investigate the number of medical institutions and staff involved in 131I diagnosis and therapy in China, and to ascertain the level of 131I activity incorporated in thyroid of medical staff performing the 131I treatment. Methods:Questionnaires were used to investigate the basic information on nuclear medicine practices in all the non-military hospitals in China. Portable gamma spectrometers were used to determine and analyze the 131I activity in thyroid of the medical staff in some radioiodine treatment workplaces. The result were reported through National Radiological Health Information Platform. Results:Until December 2022, there had been 959 hospitals performing clinical nuclear medicine practices in China, with a total of 10 820 medical staff. In China, there have been 623 hospitals performing 131I therapeutical procedures, accounting for 65.0% of all nuclear medicine hospitals, and 333 hospitals performing 131I treatment of thyroid cancer, accounting for 34.7%. The hospitals equipped with automated radiopharmaceutical dispenser accounted for 61.3% of the 623 hospitals. A total of 2 210 nuclear medicine staff were monitored for internal exposure in 20 provinces in 2022, with 249 (11.3%) having activities above 100 Bq and the maximum value of 2.9 × 10 4 Bq. A total of 426 nuclear medicine staff in four provinces were detected using HPGe detectors, with 101 (23.7%) detected to have 131I in their thyroid glands. A total of 1 748 in 17 provinces were detected using NaI or LaBr detectors, with 379 (21.2%) detected to have 131I in their thyroid glands. The detection rate of 131I in the staff was found to increase with the increased amount of 131I purchased by hospitals. The detection rate of 131I in the hosptitals having purchased the amount of 131I≥3.70 × 10 6 MBq in 2021 was 32.1%. This value was notably higher than in the other three groups whose purchased amount <3.70 × 10 6 MBq, with a statistically significant difference( χ2=15.46, P < 0.001). Conclusions:There were great differences in the number of both hospitals and staff performing 131I treatment between different provinces in China. About one fifth of the staff in the 131I treatment workplaces could be detected to have incorporated 131I in their thyroid glands.

Objective:To reveal the coupling mechanism of beam temporal profile and tissue oxygen content on radical kinetics, further explain the potential biological basis of the FLASH effect, and provide a reference for beam optimization and treatment planning design of FLASH radiotherapy (FLASH-RT).Methods:TOPAS-nBio v3.0 was used to simulate the physical and chemical processes of electron beams in water, and a full-scale kinetic model was established covering the generation, diffusion, reaction, and quenching of free radicals such as hydroxyl radical (·OH) and hydrated electrons (e aq-). Under different beam temporal profiles (single pulse, multi-pulses, continuous wave irradiation) and different oxygen concentration conditions, the evolution dynamics of free radicals were systematically simulated. At the same time, the data on e aq- content were obtained by experimental measurement of laser absorption spectroscopy to verify the accuracy of the model prediction. Results:The changing trend of e aq- concentration measured in the experiment was highly consistent with the simulation result, verifying the reliability of the constructed model. The beam time structure had a significant impact on the peak value and duration of free radical concentration. The single-pulse structure can cause the free radicals to rapidly increase and then quickly quench in a short time, while the continuous or long-pulse structure can cause the radical concentration to remain at a high level for a long time. The evolution of ·OH was not sensitive to the oxygen environment, while e aq- are greatly affected by the oxygen environment. The scavenging efficiency of free radicals in a hypoxic environment was significantly decreased, leading to an enhanced accumulation of oxidative damage to biological macromolecules. The lifespan of e aq- in an oxygen-rich environment decreased rapidly. Conclusions:Radical kinetics are regulated by both the beam temporal profile and oxygen content. FLASH-RT can utilize single-pulse or multi-pulses intervals to form periodic windows, reducing normal tissue damage by efficiently scavenging free radicals through antioxidants, while free radicals in tumor tissues continuously accumulate and amplify damage, thus generating a selective protective effect.

The efficacy of preoperative neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy(nCRT)in locally advanced rectal cancer(LARC)is predicted using radiomic features of the target areas in radiotherapy for rectal cancer and an interpretable machine learning model.The clinical data are collected from 290 LARC patients who are divided into effective and ineffective groups based on tumor regression grade.The extracted radiomic features and clinicopathological data are used to develop prediction models.The optimal model is determined based on AUC performance evaluation,and the explanatory analysis is conducted using nomogram and decision curve.A total of 223 patients are included in the study,with 48 in the effective group.There are 156 patients in the training set(34 in the effective group)and 67 patients in the validation set(14 in the effective group).The nomogram model shows the best performance,with AUC of 0.858 in the training set and 0.844 in internal test set,and decision curve analysis demonstrated its superior net clinical benefit across most threshold ranges than other models.Combining radiomics and clinical variables,the nomogram can effectively predict nCRT outcomes and support clinical decision-making.

Objective:To evaluate the long-term efficacy of liposuction combined with lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA) in the treatment of secondary lymphedema in lower extremity and analyse the factors that affect therapeutic outcomes.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 172 patients who were treated in the Department of Lymphatic Surgery, Capital Medical University Affiliated Beijing Shijitan Hospital for secondary lymphedema in lower extremity, between January 2019 and December 2021. The cohort comprised 170 females and 2 males, with a median age of 55 years. The primary diseases were: 99 patients with cervical cancer, 47 with endometrial cancer, 1 with penile cacer and 25 with other malignant tumours. All patients received liposuction to aspirate subcutaneous adipose tissue and LVA anastomosis of the inguinal lymphatic vessels with the great saphenous vein and its branches. Postoperative follow-ups were performed at outpatient clinic, telephone interview and questionnaire survey to acquire immediate status of the patients at the time. Following variables were included the follow-up: gender, age, body mass index (BMI), duration, hypertension, diabetes, the type of primary disease, history of surgery, history of lymph node dissection, history of radiotherapy or chemotherapy, extracellular water ratio (ECW%) in the affected limb, preoperative history of erysipelas, preoperative percentage difference in circumference of bilateral proximal toes, dorsal feet, ankles, distal third of legs, middle legs, proximal third of legs, knees, distal third of thighs, mid thighs, proximal third of thighs and groins. Additional parameters included duration of liposuction, intraoperative blood loss, adipose tissue content, number of lymphatic vessels anastomosed in LVA, postoperative daily standing time, postoperative history of erysipelas, and usage of compression garment. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using SPSS 26.0 software, with P <0.05 considered statistically significant. Results:A complete remission was defined as less than 10.0% in the percentage of bilateral limb volume difference during follow-up. There were 112 patients with complete remission. After excluded confounding factors through univariate analysis, multivariate analysis had revealed following independent risk factors: ECW% of affected limb ( P<0.01), postoperative standing duration >6 hours/day ( P=0.021), postoperative history of erysipelas ( P=0.016), regular use of compression garment ( P=0.013), and percentage difference of circumference at bilateral proximal toes ( P=0.038). Among the remaining 60 patients, 32 patients achieved effective remission which was defined as less than 20.0% in the swelling volume expansion ratio. Conclusion:Liposuction combined with LVA can relieve secondary lymphedema of lower extremity for majority of patients. ECW% of affected limb, postoperative standing duration >6 hours/day, postoperative history of erysipelas, irregular use of elastic socks, and percentage difference in circumference at bilateral proximal toes are the independent risk factors that affect the prognosis.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of chylous pleural effusion caused by liver cirrhosis.Methods:The clinical data of 19 cases of liver cirrhosis complicated with chylous pleural effusion admitted at Department of Lymphatic Surgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital from Jun 2013 to Oct 2022 was retrospectively analyzed.Results:There were 12 males (63.2%) and 7 females (36.8%).Ten cases (52.6%) had right chylothorax, and 9 cases (47.4%) had bilateral chylothorax; Seventeen cases (89.5%) had concurrent ascites. Chest fluid examination: 3 cases were milky white (16%), 10 cases were yellow white (53%), 4 cases were orange yellow (21%), and 2 cases were pink (10%).There were 2 cases of exudate and 17 cases of transudate. By radionuclide lymphatic imaging, 9 cases showed increased radiation in the right chest cavity; One case showed increased radiation in the left chest cavity; Five cases showed bilateral chest radiation elevation. By lymphangiography,11 cases showed complete visualization of the thoracic duct, of which 10 cases showed obstruction at the outlet of the thoracic duct. The 10 patients underwent surgical treatment for the release of adhesions at the end of the thoracic duct, and the postoperative result was good. Six patients died during follow-up.Conclusions:Cirrhosis combined with chylous pleural effusion is rare in clinical practice and prognosis is poor. The laboratory examination of pleural effusion is an important basis for determining chylous pleural effusion. The lysis of adhesions at the end of the thoracic duct has a certain therapeutic effect on patients with lymphangiography indicating thoracic duct outlet obstruction.

Objective:To explore the safety and efficacy of intraosseous regional administration (IORA) of vancomycin for preventing infection in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA).Methods:A total of 124 patients with knee osteoarthritis undergoing TKA between February 2024 and May 2024 at nine hospitals were enrolled. Preoperative infection prophylaxis involved either IORA (0.5 g vancomycin administered via intraosseous regional infusion before incision) or intravenous infusion (1 g vancomycin via peripheral vein). The IORA group included 15 males and 47 females with a median age of 66.5 years (range, 60.0-70.0 years), while the intravenous group included 14 males and 48 females with a median age of 66.0 years (range, 61.8-70.3 years) years. Intraoperative samples were collected including fat and synovium tissues after incision, before prosthesis placement, and after tourniquet release; distal femoral cancellous bone during femoral osteotomy; proximal tibial cancellous bone during tibial osteotomy; proximal intercondylar cancellous bone before prosthesis placement; and peripheral blood from non-infused arms at surgery initiation and after tourniquet release. Vancomycin concentrations were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Vital sign changes were recorded from admission to 5~10 minutes post-IORA (IORA group) or post-incision (intravenous group). Follow-ups were conducted on postoperative day 1 and 3, and at 1 and 3 months, to document complications including IORA-related adverse events, periprosthetic joint infections, surgical site infections, red man syndrome, acute kidney injury, deep vein thrombosis and so on.Results:Vancomycin concentrations in bone, fat, and synovial tissue samples were significantly higher in the IORA group than in the intravenous group ( P<0.05), while vancomycin concentrations in blood samples were significantly lower in the IORA group than in the intravenous group ( P<0.05). Only 7.3%(41/558) of tissue samples in the IORA group had vancomycin concentrations below 2.0 μg/g (the minimum inhibitory concentration of vancomycin against coagulase-negative staphylococcus), compared to 59.3%(331/558) in the intravenous group (χ 2=11.285, P<0.001). In the intravenous group, 16.9%(21/124) of blood samples had vancomycin concentrations exceeding 15.0 mg/L (the threshold associated with a significantly increased risk of nephrotoxicity), while all concentrations in the IORA group were below this threshold, the difference was statistically significant (χ 2=22.943, P<0.001). There were no statistically significant difference ( P>0.05) in vital signs changes before and after vancomycin administration between the two groups. Two patients in the intravenous group experienced incision exudate, while no other related complications occurred in either group. Conclusions:Compared to the traditional intravenous infusion of 1 g vancomycin, intraosseous injection of a low dose (0.5 g) of vancomycin achieves higher local tissue concentrations in the knee joint with a lower incidence of adverse reactions and is safe for infection prophylaxis. Despite guidelines not recommending the routine use of vancomycin for preventing infection after primary TKA, intraosseous injection of 0.5 g vancomycin may be considered intraoperatively for primary TKA in the following scenarios: patients in medical institutions with a high prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, patients with potential preoperative MRSA colonization, or patients with cephalosporin allergy.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the differential expression and biological functions of circRNAs in the anterior lens capsules of high myopic patients with cataract and their pathogenic roles in the development of this condition. METHODS: Anterior lens capsule specimens were collected intraoperatively from 36 patients with age-related cataract (ARC) and 36 high myopic patients with cataract. Among these, 18 specimens from each group were selected for whole transcriptome sequencing and biological analysis, and the remaining 36 specimens were used for validation of circPDGFRA, circFOXJ3, hsa_circ_0004767, hsa_circ_0007528, ciCRIM1, circMAN1A2, circSLC5A3, and circPTK2 expressions using RT-qPCR. hsa_circ_0007528 was selected for cell experiments to examine its effects on proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of lens epithelial cells (LECs). RESULTS: A total of 16 192 circRNAs were detected in the specimens from both groups, among which 62 circRNAs were differentially expressed (29 upregulated and 33 downregulated). GO and KEGG analyses revealed that the differentially expressed circRNAs were primarily localized in the cytoplasm, nucleoplasm, and endoplasmic reticulum, and were involved in signaling pathways associated with Gap junction and the PI3K-Akt, NF-κB, Jak-STAT, HIF-1, and MAPK signaling pathways. The ceRNA network predicted multiple target genes. RT-qPCR validation results were consistent with the sequencing data. In the LECs, upregulation of hsa_circ_0007528 significantly inhibited cell proliferation and migration and obviously promoted cell apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS The expression profile of circRNAs in the anterior lens capsule of high myopic patients with cataract differs from that of ARC patients. Upregulation of hsa_circ_0007528 inhibits LEC proliferation and migration and promotes cell apoptosis.
Humans ; Cataract/complications* ; RNA, Circular ; Myopia/genetics* ; Apoptosis ; Cell Proliferation ; Epithelial Cells ; Cell Movement ; Anterior Capsule of the Lens/metabolism* ; Male ; Female