Objective:To summarize the early clinical outcomes of aortic valve replacement(AVR) using the Perceval sutureless aortic valve.Methods:This retrospective study included 50 patients who underwent AVR with the Perceval sutureless prostheses at Beijing Anzhen Hospital between June 2023 and January 2025. Surgical parameters, early clinical outcomes, valve function, and hemodynamic performance were evaluated to summarize clinical effectiveness.Results:The mean age of patients was(63.5±9.1) years, predominantly female(36/50). Severe aortic stenosis was present in 43 cases(86.0%). A preoperative aortic annulus dimension of 20.0(19.0, 21.0) mm measured in both anteroposterior and transverse diameters. Preoperative peak transvalvular gradient was(92.7±31.0)mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), with a mean gradient of (58.0±21.2) mmHg. All procedures were successfully completed using the Perceval sutureless prostheses. Isolated AVR was performed in 20 patients(40.0%), with cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross-clamp times of 75.0(50.5, 99.5) min and 50.5(29.5, 71.5) min, respectively. Postoperative transesophageal echocardiography revealed an immediate reduction in the peak transvalvular gradient to 11.0(8.0, 18.0) mmHg, significantly lower compared to preoperative measurements( P<0.001). Two cases of paravalvular leakage and one case requiring permanent pacemaker implantation were reported postoperatively. All patients completed the 3-month follow-up, with one death during the follow-up period; the remaining patients exhibited normal prosthetic valve function without major adverse cardiovascular events. Significant postoperative reductions were observed in left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(45.8 mm vs. 43.2 mm, P=0.003) and left atrial diameter(53.9 mm vs. 44.6 mm, P<0.001) compared with baseline. Conclusion:AVR using the Perceval sutureless prostheses demonstrated safe and effective early clinical outcomes with excellent hemodynamic performance and low incidence of postoperative paravalvular leakage and permanent pacemaker implantation. The sutureless technique represents a viable alternative strategy, particularly advantageous for patients with small aortic annuli or complex surgical conditions, warranting broader clinical adoption.

OBJECTIVES: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) poses a major threat to global health. Evaluating atherosclerosis in asymptomatic individuals can help identify those at high risk of CVD. This study aims to establish an individualized nomogram prediction model to estimate the risk of vascular plaque formation in asymptomatic individuals. METHODS: A total of 5 655 participants who underwent CVD screening at the Health Management Center of The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, between January 2022 and June 2024 we retrospectively enrolled. Using simple random sampling, participants were divided into a training set (n=4 524) and a validation set (n=1 131) in an 8꞉2 ratio. Demographic and clinical data were collected and compared between groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent factors associated with vascular plaques and to construct a nomogram prediction model. The predictive performance and clinical utility of the model were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test, calibration plots, and decision curve analysis (DCA). RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 52 years old. There were 3 400 males (60.12%). The overall detection rate of vascular plaque in the screening population was 49.87% (2 820/5 655). No statistically significant differences were observed in clinical indicators between the training and validation sets (all P>0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis identified age, systolic blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), lipoprotein(a), male sex, smoking history, hypertension history, and diabetes history as independent risk factors for vascular plaque in asymptomatic individuals (all P<0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of the nomogram model for predicting vascular plaque risk were 0.778 (95% CI 0.765 to 0.791, P<0.001) in the training set and 0.760 (95% CI 0.732 to 0.787, P<0.001) in the validation set. The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test indicated good model calibration (training set: P=0.628; validation set: P=0.561). The calibration curve plotted using the Bootstrap method demonstrated good agreement between predicted probabilities and actual probabilities. DCA showed that the nomogram provided a clinical net benefit for predicting vascular plaque risk when the threshold probability ranged from 0.02 to 0.99. CONCLUSIONS The nomogram prediction model for vascular plaque risk, constructed using readily available and cost-effective physical examination indicators, exhibited good predictive performance. This model can assist in the early identification and intervention of asymptomatic individuals at high risk for cardiovascular disease.
Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Nomograms ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic/diagnosis* ; Aged ; Adult ; Physical Examination ; Logistic Models ; Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology* ; ROC Curve

Objective To develop and validate a nomogram model that integrates systemic inflammatory markers to predict the likelihood of pelvic lymph node metastasis(PLNM)in prostate cancer patients prior to surgery.Methods This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data and preoperative inflammatory markers—including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR),platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio(PLR),systemic immune-inflammation index(SII),and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio(MLR)—of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer.Univariate and multi-variate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify markers that were significantly associated with PLNM.Based on the results of the multivariate analysis,a nomogram was developed and its predictive accuracy was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves(ROC)and calibration plots.Results Among the 334 enrolled patients with prostate cancer,107 were identified with PLNM.Univariate analysis revealed statistically significant differences in free prostate-specific antigen(fPSA),Gleason score,NLR,PLR,MLR,and SII between the PLNM and non-pelvic lymph node metastasis(NPLNM)groups(P<0.05).Multivariate analysis confirmed that fPSA,Gleason score,and SII were independent predictors of PLNM(P<0.05).A nomogram incorporating these predic-tors exhibited strong discriminative ability,with an area under the ROC curve(AUC)of 0.79(95%CI:0.73～0.84).Calibration analysis further demonstrated good consistency between the predicted and observed probabilities of PLNM.Conclusions This study successfully developed a nomogram model based on systemic inflammatory markers for preoperative prediction of pelvic lymph node metastasis in prostate cancer.Owing to its user-friendly design and high predictive accuracy,this tool may serve as a valuable complementary method to conventional imaging techniques,thereby supporting personalized treatment decision-making.

Objective To develop and validate a nomogram model that integrates systemic inflammatory markers to predict the likelihood of pelvic lymph node metastasis(PLNM)in prostate cancer patients prior to surgery.Methods This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data and preoperative inflammatory markers—including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR),platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio(PLR),systemic immune-inflammation index(SII),and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio(MLR)—of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer.Univariate and multi-variate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify markers that were significantly associated with PLNM.Based on the results of the multivariate analysis,a nomogram was developed and its predictive accuracy was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves(ROC)and calibration plots.Results Among the 334 enrolled patients with prostate cancer,107 were identified with PLNM.Univariate analysis revealed statistically significant differences in free prostate-specific antigen(fPSA),Gleason score,NLR,PLR,MLR,and SII between the PLNM and non-pelvic lymph node metastasis(NPLNM)groups(P<0.05).Multivariate analysis confirmed that fPSA,Gleason score,and SII were independent predictors of PLNM(P<0.05).A nomogram incorporating these predic-tors exhibited strong discriminative ability,with an area under the ROC curve(AUC)of 0.79(95%CI:0.73～0.84).Calibration analysis further demonstrated good consistency between the predicted and observed probabilities of PLNM.Conclusions This study successfully developed a nomogram model based on systemic inflammatory markers for preoperative prediction of pelvic lymph node metastasis in prostate cancer.Owing to its user-friendly design and high predictive accuracy,this tool may serve as a valuable complementary method to conventional imaging techniques,thereby supporting personalized treatment decision-making.

Objective:To summarize the early clinical outcomes of aortic valve replacement(AVR) using the Perceval sutureless aortic valve.Methods:This retrospective study included 50 patients who underwent AVR with the Perceval sutureless prostheses at Beijing Anzhen Hospital between June 2023 and January 2025. Surgical parameters, early clinical outcomes, valve function, and hemodynamic performance were evaluated to summarize clinical effectiveness.Results:The mean age of patients was(63.5±9.1) years, predominantly female(36/50). Severe aortic stenosis was present in 43 cases(86.0%). A preoperative aortic annulus dimension of 20.0(19.0, 21.0) mm measured in both anteroposterior and transverse diameters. Preoperative peak transvalvular gradient was(92.7±31.0)mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), with a mean gradient of (58.0±21.2) mmHg. All procedures were successfully completed using the Perceval sutureless prostheses. Isolated AVR was performed in 20 patients(40.0%), with cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross-clamp times of 75.0(50.5, 99.5) min and 50.5(29.5, 71.5) min, respectively. Postoperative transesophageal echocardiography revealed an immediate reduction in the peak transvalvular gradient to 11.0(8.0, 18.0) mmHg, significantly lower compared to preoperative measurements( P<0.001). Two cases of paravalvular leakage and one case requiring permanent pacemaker implantation were reported postoperatively. All patients completed the 3-month follow-up, with one death during the follow-up period; the remaining patients exhibited normal prosthetic valve function without major adverse cardiovascular events. Significant postoperative reductions were observed in left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(45.8 mm vs. 43.2 mm, P=0.003) and left atrial diameter(53.9 mm vs. 44.6 mm, P<0.001) compared with baseline. Conclusion:AVR using the Perceval sutureless prostheses demonstrated safe and effective early clinical outcomes with excellent hemodynamic performance and low incidence of postoperative paravalvular leakage and permanent pacemaker implantation. The sutureless technique represents a viable alternative strategy, particularly advantageous for patients with small aortic annuli or complex surgical conditions, warranting broader clinical adoption.

Weight loss is a prevalent non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease(PD), often appearing several years before motor symptoms and continuing throughout the course of the disease.The cause of weight loss in PD may be linked to an imbalance in energy and neuroendocrine function.Ghrelin and leptin are thought to be significant factors in the weight loss experienced by those with PD.Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome may independently increase the risk of PD and significantly impact the cognitive and motor functions, as well as other non-motor symptoms, of PD patients.Research has shown that a hypoxic environment can enhance the expression and aggregation of the pathogenic protein α-synuclein.This suggests that hypoxic stress and intermittent hypoxia may be contributing factors to the development of PD.This article examines the correlation between weight loss in patients with Parkinson's disease and the hormones ghrelin and leptin, as well as the impact of a hypoxic environment on these hormones.

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy of ultrasound-guided spinal nerve block (SNB) and paraverteral nerve block (PVB) in treating postherpetic neuralgia.Methods:A total of 52 patients with postherpetic neuralgia who visited the Pain Clinic of the Xiangya Hospital, Central South University from February 2020 to December 2022 were selected and randomly divided into an ultrasound-guided SNB group and a PVB group using a random number table method, with 26 patients in each group. Patients in the SNB group received ultrasound-guided spinal nerve block therapy; The PVB group received ultrasound-guided paraverteral nerve block treatment. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores, 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) scores, and total effective rate were observed in two groups of patients before treatment, 2 weeks after treatment, 1 month after treatment, 3 months after treatment, and 6 months after treatment. Complications during treatment were also observed.Results:The total effective rates of SNB group patients at 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment were significantly higher than those of PVB group (all P<0.05). After treatment, the VAS scores of both groups of patients at each time point were significantly reduced compared to before treatment (all P<0.05); The VAS scores of patients in the SNB group were lower than those in the PVB group at 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment, but the difference was not statistically significant (all P>0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores between SNB and PVB groups before nerve block treatment (all P>0.05). The MCS and PCS scores of the two groups of patients were significantly higher than before treatment at 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment (all P<0.05). The MCS scores of the SNB group were significantly higher than those of the PVB group at 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment (all P<0.05), but there was no statistically significant difference in PCS scores between the two groups (all P>0.05). Both groups of patients did not experience any serious complications related to the treatment in this study during the follow-up period. Conclusions:Both ultrasound-guided spinal nerve block and paraverteral nerve block can safely and effectively treat postherpetic neuralgia. The clinical effect of ultrasound-guided spinal nerve block in treating postherpetic neuralgia is better than that of paraverteral nerve block.

Objective To investigate the impact of dexamethasone(DEX)on diaphragmatic atrophy caused by acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS)and its correlation with diaphragmatic protein metabolism.Methods Twenty healthy male Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were randomly assigned to control,ARDS model,low-dose DEX,and high-dose DEX group,with each group consisting of five rats.ARDS was induced in the rats by intratracheal administration of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)at 4 mg/kg.Conversely,intratracheal saline was administered to the control group at 2 mL/kg.Following the induction of the model,an intraperitoneal injection of DEX at 1 mg·kg-1·d-1 was administered to the low-dose DEX group.Conversely,DEX at 5 mg·kg-1·d-1 was administered to the high-dose group for 7 consecutive days.Subsequently,on the eighth day of the experiment,the diaphragmatic weight of all rats was measured.Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(PCR)was utilized to assess the mRNA expression of interleukins(IL-1β,IL-18)in each group.Western blotting was employed to determine the protein expression levels of nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)p65,NOD-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3),caspase-1,Gasdermin D(GSDMD),myosin heavy chain 2(Myh2),and F-box protein 32(Fbxo32).Additionally,immunohistochemistry was utilized to evaluate the ratio of fast to slow muscle fibers in the diaphragm.Results The ARDS model group showed significant reductions in body weight,diaphragm weight,fast muscle fibers,and Myh2 protein expression compared to the control group[body weight(g):266±17 vs.292±15,diaphragm weight(g):0.77±0.02 vs.0.92±0.08,fast muscle fibers:(74±1)%vs.(78±3)%,Myh2 protein expression(Avalue):0.75±0.07 vs.0.95±0.05,all P<0.05].Conversely,significant increases were observed in the expressions of IL-1β and IL-18 mRNA,slow muscle fibers,and the proteins NF-κB p65,NLRP3,caspase-1,GSDMD,Fbxo32[IL-1β mRNA(IL-1β/GAPDH):2.2±0.3 vs.1.0±0.2,IL-18 mRNA(IL-18/GAPDH):2.3±0.3 vs.1.0±0.3,slow muscle fibers:(26±1)%vs.(22±3)%,NF-κB p65 protein expression(A value):0.40±0.15 vs.0.17±0.05,NLRP3 protein expression(A value):0.51±0.05 vs.0.27±0.08,caspase-1 protein expression(A value):0.54±0.12 vs.0.30±0.19,GSDMD protein expression(A value):0.40±0.12 vs.0.20±0.05,Fbxo32 protein expression(A value):0.51±0.15 vs.0.33±0.08,all P<0.05].Compared with the ARDS group,both low and high doses of DEX were found to further reduce body weight,diaphragm weight,fast muscle fibers,and Myh2 protein expression,and further increase the expressions of IL-1β and IL-18 mRNA,slow muscle fibers,and the proteins NF-κB p65,NLRP3,caspase-1,GSDMD,Fbxo32,with the changes in the high dose DEX group being more significant than those in the low dose group[body weight(g):198±14 vs.222±16,diaphragm weight(g):0.57±0.04 vs.0.68±0.04,fast muscle fibers:(56±5)%vs.(69±2)%,Myh2 protein expression(A value):0.29±0.16 vs.0.57±0.15,IL-1βmRNA expression:5.6±1.4 vs.3.3±0.6,IL-18 mRNA expression(IL-18/GAPDH):5.8±1.2 vs.3.9±0.6,slow muscle fibers:(44±5)%vs.(31±2)%,NF-κB p65 protein expression(A value):0.87±0.04 vs.0.70±0.07,NLRP3 protein expression(A value):0.75±0.08 vs.0.63±0.04,caspase-1 protein expression(A value):0.99±0.06 vs.0.82±0.08,GSDMD protein expression(Avalue):0.85±0.11 vs.0.61±0.10,Fbxo32 protein expression(Avalue):1.00±0.10 vs.0.78±0.12,all P<0.05].Normal muscle fiber structure was revealed by microscopic observation in the control group,clear fiber separation in the ARDS model group,and disordered muscle fiber arrangement with structural distortion was noted in both low and high-dose DEX groups.Conclusion Prolonged administration of DEX may worsen diaphragmatic atrophy induced by ARDS,possibly by promoting the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and cell pyroptosis.

Objective:To construct an evaluation index system for the perioperative medical service efficiency.Methods:From September to November 2023, this study conducted literature search and research group discussions to select initial indicators for evaluating the efficiency of perioperative medical services guided by value-based healthcare; 2-round Delphi methods were used to construct an evaluation index system for perioperative medical service efficiency, and the weights of the indicators were determined using the analytic hierarchy process.Results:The expert motivation for both rounds of Delphi method was 100.00%, the expert authority coefficient was 0.94, and the Kendall coordination scores were 0.56 and 0.75, respectively. The final established evaluation index system for perioperative medical service efficiency included 2 primary indexes, 9 secondary indexes, and 41 tertiary indexes. The first level indexes included medical quality and medical cost, with relative weights of 66.67% and 33.33%, respectively. Among them, medical quality included 7 secondary indexes: medical management, medical safety, service mode, information construction, patient outcomes, service efficiency, and satisfaction; Medical costs include 2 secondary indiexes: patient costs and medical institution costs.Conclusions:The evaluation index system for the efficiency of perioperative medical services reflected the connotation of value-based healthcare and could comprehensively and objectively evaluate the efficiency of perioperative medical services.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a pernicious tumor with high heterogeneity, which creates a conundrum for making a precise diagnosis and choosing an optimal treatment approach. Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) with anatomical and functional sequences has evolved as a routine and significant paradigm for the detection and characterization of PCa. Moreover, using radiomics to extract quantitative data has emerged as a promising field due to the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and image data processing. Radiomics acquires novel imaging biomarkers by extracting imaging signatures and establishes models for precise evaluation. Radiomics models provide a reliable and noninvasive alternative to aid in precision medicine, demonstrating advantages over traditional models based on clinicopathological parameters. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of related studies of radiomics in PCa, specifically around the development and validation of radiomics models using MRI-derived image features. The current landscape of the literature, focusing mainly on PCa detection, aggressiveness, and prognosis evaluation, is reviewed and summarized. Rather than studies that exclusively focus on image biomarker identification and method optimization, models with high potential for universal clinical implementation are identified. Furthermore, we delve deeper into the critical concerns that can be addressed by different models and the obstacles that may arise in a clinical scenario. This review will encourage researchers to design models based on actual clinical needs, as well as assist urologists in gaining a better understanding of the promising results yielded by radiomics.
Male ; Humans ; Artificial Intelligence ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Prostatic Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods* ; Precision Medicine ; Retrospective Studies