ObjectiveTo investigate the value of different noninvasive diagnostic models in the diagnosis of esophageal and gastric varices since there is a high risk of esophageal and gastric varices in patients with compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis and significant portal hypertension， and to provide a basis for the early diagnosis of esophageal and gastric varices. MethodsA total of 108 patients with significant portal hypertension due to compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis who attended Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from November 2017 to November 2023 were enrolled， and according to the presence or absence of esophageal and gastric varices under gastroscopy， they were divided into esophageal and gastric varices group （GOV group） and non-esophageal and gastric varices group （NGOV group）. Related data were collected， including age， sex， imaging findings， and laboratory markers. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups； the least significant difference t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups. The receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was plotted to evaluate the diagnostic value of five scoring models， i.e.， fibrosis-4 （FIB-4）， LOK index， LPRI， aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index （APRI）， and aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio （AAR）. The binary logistic regression method was used to establish a combined model， and the area under the ROC curve （AUC） was compared between the combined model and each scoring model used alone. The Delong test was used to compare the AUC value between any two noninvasive diagnostic models. ResultsThere were 55 patients in the GOV group and 53 patients in the NGOV group. Compared with the NGOV group， the GOV group had a significantly higher age （52.64±1.44 years vs 47.96±1.68 years， t=0.453， P<0.05） and significantly lower levels of alanine aminotransferase ［42.00 （24.00 — 17.00） U/L vs 82.00 （46.00 — 271.00） U/L， Z=-3.065， P<0.05］， aspartate aminotransferase ［44.00 （32.00 — 96.00） U/L vs 62.00 （42.50 — 154.50） U/L，Z=-2.351， P<0.05］， and platelet count ［100.00 （69.00 — 120.00）×10⁹/L vs 119.00 （108.50 — 140.50）×10⁹/L， Z=-3.667， P<0.05］. The ROC curve analysis showed that FIB-4， LOK index， LPRI， and AAR used alone had an accuracy of 0.667， 0.681， 0.730， and 0.639， respectively， in the diagnosis of esophageal and gastric varices （all P<0.05）， and the positive diagnostic rates of GOV were 69.97%， 65.28%， 67.33%， and 58.86%， respectively， with no significant differences in AUC values （all P>0.05）， while APRI used alone had no diagnostic value （P>0.05）. A combined model （LAF） was established based on the binary logistic regression analysis and had an AUC of 0.805 and a positive diagnostic rate of GOV of 75.80%， with a significantly higher AUC than FIB-4， LOK index， LPRI， and AAR used alone （Z=-2.773，-2.479，-2.206， and-2.672， all P<0.05）. ConclusionFIB-4， LOK index， LPRI， and AAR have a similar diagnostic value for esophageal and gastric varices in patients with compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis and significant portal hypertension， and APRI alone has no diagnostic value. The combined model LAF had the best diagnostic efficacy， which provides a certain reference for clinical promotion and application.

This study aims to evaluate the effects of sodium butyrate(NaBu)on preliminary follicle development of mice,using an in vitro 3D culture system.Preantral follicles were isolated from mouse ovaries(12.5 days post-birth)and cultured in vitro,NaBu was added for treatment during the culture process.Follicle morphology was observed and follicular diameter,survival rate,antral formation rate,oocyte maturation rate and early embryonic development were evaluated.The re-sults showed that an in vitro 3D culture system for preantral follicles of mice was successfully es-tablished.Matured follicles were cultured following an initial induction period of 8 days,after which M Ⅱ-stage oocytes were effectively expelled.During the process of follicle culture,the addition of varying doses(0.05-1.00 mmol/L)of NaBu from 0th day to 8 days had not showed any significant promotion in follicle development at any of the tested concentrations.NaBu at a dose of 0.10 mmol/L significantly increased antral formation rate(treated on 4th day for 2 days).In conclusion,short-term administration of appropriate doses of NaBu could significantly facilitate in vitro preantral follicle development and oocyte maturation by ensuring sustained developmental potential within follicles.This study may provide a theoretical basis for sodium butyrate to improve the reproduc-tive capacity of livestock and poultry in the breeding process.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a crucial renal replacement therapy for end-stage renal disease (ESRD), offering significant advantages as high flexibility, hemodynamic stability, and high cost-effectiveness. However, prolonged exposure to intra-abdominal dialysate may predispose to the mechanical complication of abdominal external hernia. Abdominal external hernia may lead to various adverse clinical outcomes. In severe cases, it can progress to incarceration or even rupture, ultimately necessitating discontinuation of the therapy. The authors systematically review PD-associated abdominal external hernias, including their clinical landscape, risk factors, surgical treatment strategies and prognostic determinants. They also assess the effects of hernia repair on residual renal function, aiming to provide references for clinical decision-making.

This study aims to evaluate the effects of sodium butyrate(NaBu)on preliminary follicle development of mice,using an in vitro 3D culture system.Preantral follicles were isolated from mouse ovaries(12.5 days post-birth)and cultured in vitro,NaBu was added for treatment during the culture process.Follicle morphology was observed and follicular diameter,survival rate,antral formation rate,oocyte maturation rate and early embryonic development were evaluated.The re-sults showed that an in vitro 3D culture system for preantral follicles of mice was successfully es-tablished.Matured follicles were cultured following an initial induction period of 8 days,after which M Ⅱ-stage oocytes were effectively expelled.During the process of follicle culture,the addition of varying doses(0.05-1.00 mmol/L)of NaBu from 0th day to 8 days had not showed any significant promotion in follicle development at any of the tested concentrations.NaBu at a dose of 0.10 mmol/L significantly increased antral formation rate(treated on 4th day for 2 days).In conclusion,short-term administration of appropriate doses of NaBu could significantly facilitate in vitro preantral follicle development and oocyte maturation by ensuring sustained developmental potential within follicles.This study may provide a theoretical basis for sodium butyrate to improve the reproduc-tive capacity of livestock and poultry in the breeding process.

Objective:To investigate whether the rs612529 C/T and rs11669663 G/A in VSTM1 gene are associated with leukocyte signaling inhibitory receptor-1(SIRL-1)expression and an increased risk for systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)in a Han Chinese cohort.Methods:A total of 200 patients with SLE and 218 healthy controls(HC)were enrolled.Relevant laboratory characteris-tics of patients with SLE were also collected.Genotyping of rs612529 C/T and rs11669663 G/A were performed by Sanger sequencing technology.SIRL-1 expression was assessed in peripheral blood neutrophils and monocytes was detected by flow cytometry.Levels of autoantibodies associated with SLE were detected by ELISA.Results:In both SLE group and HC,the C allele of rs612529 was asso-ciated with a decreased expression level of SIRL-1 on monocytes,with a gradual increased in SIRL-1 protein level from the CC over the CT to the TT genotype.C allele of rs612529 was associated with higher serum anti-dsDNA antibody titers in patients with SLE(P<0.05).In the case of rs11669663 G/A,no significant association of genotypes with SLE susceptibility was detected.Conclusion:VSTM1 rs612529 C/T may contribute to SLE disease activity and regulate SIRL-1 expression on monocytes in the Han Chinese cohort.

Objective To observe the value of noninvasive right ventricular pressure-strain loop(RVPSL)for quantitative evaluation on right ventricular myocardial function changes in liver cirrhosis patients after TIPS.Methods Totally 26 cases of liver cirrhosis who would undergo TIPS were prospectively recruited as liver cirrhosis group.Echocardiography was performed before and 1 week,1 month after TIPS,and parameters of right ventricular myocardial function,including routine right ventricular echocardiography,right ventricular strain and right ventricular myocardial work were acquired.Meanwhile,30 healthy adults were recruited as control group,and the above parameters were recorded.Then these parameters were compared between groups,also before and after TIPS within liver cirrhosis group,and the changes of right ventricular myocardial function after TIPS were evaluated.Results Right ventricular global work index(RVGWI),right ventricular global constructive work(RVGCW)and right ventricular global wasted work(RVGWW)in liver cirrhosis group were higher than those in control group at all time points(all P＜0.05).One weak and 1 month after TIPS,right ventricular global longitudinal strain(RVGLS)and right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain(RVFWLS)in liver cirrhosis group were all higher than those in control group(all P＜0.05).In liver cirrhosis group,RVGWI,RVGCW and RVGWW 1 week after TIPS were all higher than those before TIPS and 1 month after TIPS(all P＜0.05),while RVGLS 1 weak and RVGWI 1 month after TIPS were both higher than those before TIPS(both P＜0.05).Conclusion Noninvasive RVPSL could be used to sensitively and quantitatively evaluate right ventricular function changes in patients with liver cirrhosis after TIPS.

Objective:To explore the efficacy and safety of negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in treating infected wounds in orthopedic trauma patients.Methods:China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Biomedical Literature Database, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCT) and cohort studies examining the impact of NPWT on wound healing in orthopedic trauma infections. The retrieval time was from the establishment of the databases to October 2024. RevMan 5.4 software was used for Meta-analysis. The patients were divided into two groups according to different treatment methods: the intervention group, treated with NPWT, and the control group, treated with conventional treatment. The observed indicators included clinical efficacy, wound healing quality, length of hospital stay, wound healing time, incidence of complications, secondary surgery rate, and duration of antibiotic use. Publication bias analysis was performed on the observed indicators through Begg and Egger tests.Results:A total of 13 studies were included, comprising 11 RCT and 2 cohort studies, involving a total of 3 538 patients, with 1 762 in the intervention group and 1 776 in the control group. The meta-analysis results indicated that the intervention group had better clinical efficacy ( OR=7.08, 95% CI 5.31, 9.45, P<0.01), higher wound healing quality ( MD=4.15, 95% CI 3.99, 4.32, P<0.01), shorter length of hospital stay ( MD=-13.38, 95% CI -14.39, -12.38, P<0.01), shorter wound healing time ( MD=-8.11, 95% CI -10.22, -6.00, P<0.01), lower incidence of complications, lower secondary surgery rate ( OR=0.22, 95% CI 0.09, 0.57, P<0.01), and shorter duration of antibiotic use ( MD=-7.61, 95% CI -8.06, -7.16, P<0.01) when compared with the control group. No significant publication bias was observed in the aforementioned indicators ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Compared with the conventional treatment, NPWT can enhance the clinical efficacy and wound healing quality of infected wounds in orthopedic trauma patients, shorten length of hospital stay and wound healing time, reduce the incidence of complications and secondary surgery rates, and shorten the duration of antibiotic use.

Objective:To investigate the brain iron status in the sensorimotor cortex of patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) and its relationship with changes in resting-state functional connectivity (RS-FC).Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. Thirty-two patients with CLBP (CLBP group) who were treated at Wuxi People′s Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University from July 2023 to March 2024 and 30 age-and gender-matched healthy volunteers (control group) were prospectively included. All subjects underwent pain and neuropsychological assessments and head MRI examinations, including conventional sequences, quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), and blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional MRI. QSM values of the sensorimotor cortex and the left middle frontal gyrus, right inferior temporal gyrus, right olfactory cortex, and right posterior cingulate gyrus were extracted using the ANTs toolkit. The bilateral postcentral gyrus and posterior portion of the bilateral precentral gyrus in the sensorimotor cortex were selected as seed points using SPM software to extract the average time series of BOLD signals and evaluate the changes in RS-FC values with other brain regions. Two-sample t-tests were used to compare the differences in QSM values and RS-FC values between the two groups. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between iron deposition in key brain regions and RS-FC values and clinical scale scores. Results:The QSM values in the posterior portion of the bilateral precentral gyrus and the left postcentral gyrus in the CLBP group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( t=2.17, P=0.009; t=4.44, P<0.001), and the QSM value in the left postcentral gyrus was positively correlated with pain-related scale scores ( P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the QSM values in the left orbital part of the middle frontal gyrus ( t=2.22, P=0.031) and the right inferior temporal gyrus ( t=2.98, P=0.004) were increased, while the QSM values in the right olfactory cortex ( t=2.54, P=0.014) and the right posterior cingulate gyrus ( t=2.70, P=0.009) were decreased in the CLBP group. Compared with the control group, the RS-FC values between the left postcentral gyrus, the posterior part of the bilateral precentral gyrus, and the left superior frontal gyrus were increased in the CLBP group ( P<0.001), the RS-FC value between the right postcentral gyrus and the right precuneus was increased ( P<0.001). The RS-FC of the bilateral motor cortex and the left dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus was positively correlated with the QSM values of the bilateral motor cortex ( r=0.444, P=0.015). Conclusion:Iron deposition in the sensorimotor cortex (posterior portion of the bilateral precentral gyrus and the left postcentral gyrus) is increased in CLBP patients and is correlated with abnormal functional connectivity within and between brain regions.

Objective:To investigate the value of MULTI-parametric MR imaging with flexible design (MTP) combined with microview diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) in predicting pituitary tumor invasion of cavernous sinus.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. The clinicopathological and imaging data of 59 patients with suspected pituitary tumor who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University from December 2021 to August 2024 were prospectively analyzed. According to Knosp classification, patients with pituitary tumor were divided into non-invasive group (28 cases) and invasive group (31 cases). All patients underwent MTP and microview DWI sequence scanning, and the corresponding parameter values [T 1, R 2*, T 2* and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)] were measured on the MTP quantitative map and ADC map at the maximum diameter level of the pituitary tumor. Independent sample t test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare the clinical data, quantitative parameter values and proliferation index (Ki-67) between the non-invasive group and the invasive group. Quantitative parameter values with statistically significant differences were jointly included in logistic regression to construct the model. Receiver characteristic curve and area under the curve (AUC) were used to analyze single variables and logistic model in predicting the value invasion of pituitary tumor cavernous sinus invasion. Spearman correlation was used to analyze the correlation between the quantitative values and Ki-67 level. Results:There was no significant difference in age and gender between the non-invasive group and the invasive group ( P>0.05). T 1 and T 2* values in invasion group were higher than those in non-invasion group ( Z=4.42, P<0.001; Z=3.43, P<0.001), R 2* values and ADC values in the invasion group were lower than those in the non-invasion group, and the difference was statistically significant (t=4.07, P<0.001; Z=-3.07, P=0.002). The AUC values of T 1, R 2*, T 2*, ADC, logistic model 1(T 1+R 2*+ADC) and logistic model 2(T 1+T 2*+ADC) for predicting pituitary tumor cavernous sinus invasion were 0.835, 0.767, 0.760, 0.733, 0.926 and 0.925, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that the value of pituitary tumor T 1 was positively correlated with Ki-67 ( r=0.431, P=0.002). Conclusion:Quantitative parameters of MTP sequence and microview DWI sequence can quantitatively evaluate pituitary tumor invasion of cavernous sinus, and the combination of the two sequences can significantly improve the prediction efficiency.

AIM:To establish methods for the isolation,identification,primary culture and evaluation of gas-tric smooth muscle cells(GSMC)from rat and mouse.METHODS:Thirty SD rats and thirty C57BL/6 mice were random-ly assigned into three groups,with 10 rats or mice in each group.Three parallel experiments were conducted to isolate pri-mary GSMC under aseptic conditions.The isolated cells were identified through morphological observation,immunofluo-rescence and Western blot.Flow cytometry was employed to analyze the purity of the cells.Additionally,trypan blue ex-clusion test was utilized to evaluate the viability of the cells after resuscitation.RESULTS:Isolated rat and mouse GSMC exhibited a fusiform or polygonal morphology.Immunofluorescence and Western blot results demonstrated the expression of α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA).Flow cytometry showed that the positive expression rate of α-SMA was 99.6%in rat GSMC and 97.4%in mouse GSMC.Moreover,the viability rates of rat and mouse GSMC after cryopreservation were found to be greater than 97%.CONCLUSION:A stable and reliable method for the isolation,culture and evaluation of primary GSMC from rat and mouse has been established.