BACKGROUND:Upper lumbar spinal stenosis is a multifactorial degenerative disorder of the spine.For narrowing of the spinal canal in the upper lumbar region(L1-L4),surgical decision-making is particularly complex.Existing minimally invasive surgeries each have their own advantages and limitations.Currently,there are few reports on biomechanical comparison and finite element analysis of different surgical methods for the treatment of high lumbar spinal stenosis.OBJECTIVE:To analyze the biomechanical impact of endoscopic unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression,transforaminal endoscopic lumbar decompression,and cross-overtop decompression in the treatment of upper lumbar spinal stenosis using endoscopy,and to verify the reliability and effectiveness of these three surgical techniques in treating upper lumbar spinal stenosis,providing a biomechanical basis for clinical decision-making.METHODS:The CT images of the lumbar spine of a healthy volunteer were selected,and the finite element model M0 of the normal lumbar L1-L5 segments was established using Mimics,Geomagic,Solid works,and Ansys software.The L2-L3 segment,representing upper lumbar characteristics,was chosen.Based on this model,the surgical models for endoscopic unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression(M1),transforaminal endoscopic lumbar decompression(M2),and cross-overtop decompression(M3)were established.Using software,the changes in the range of motion of the entire lumbar segment and the maximum Von Mises stress of the intervertebral discs were simulated and evaluated for each group of models under six loading conditions:flexion,extension,left lateral bending,right lateral bending,left rotation,and right rotation.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Compared with model MO,the range of motion in M1,M2,and M3 increased under all six conditions,with M1 showing a greater increase.(2)M1 and M2 demonstrated significant increases in range of motion under forward bending,extension,and right rotation,while the increase under other conditions remained below 7％.(3)Compared with model M3,model M1 exhibited slightly increased overall joint range of motion during extension and left bending,while no significant changes were observed in other aspects,and the L1-L5 lumbar segments did not reach an unstable state.(4)In model M1,the maximum Von Mises stress of the intervertebral discs increased most significantly under flexion and extension loading conditions.However,under left lateral bending,right lateral bending,left rotation,and right rotation loading conditions,the increase did not exceed 5％.(5)These findings suggest that due to the sagittal anatomical characteristics of the facet joints,the unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression technique,while decompressing,involves resection of more facet joints,which impacts overall segmental stability.The transforaminal endoscopic lumbar decompression technique is suitable for patients with foraminal stenosis but cannot achieve complete decompression for those with severe ventral central stenosis.The Cross-Overtop technique effectively enlarges the volume of the central canal and lateral recess,optimizing decompression,and shows unique advantages in treating upper lumbar spinal stenosis.

BACKGROUND:Upper lumbar spinal stenosis is a multifactorial degenerative disorder of the spine.For narrowing of the spinal canal in the upper lumbar region(L1-L4),surgical decision-making is particularly complex.Existing minimally invasive surgeries each have their own advantages and limitations.Currently,there are few reports on biomechanical comparison and finite element analysis of different surgical methods for the treatment of high lumbar spinal stenosis.OBJECTIVE:To analyze the biomechanical impact of endoscopic unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression,transforaminal endoscopic lumbar decompression,and cross-overtop decompression in the treatment of upper lumbar spinal stenosis using endoscopy,and to verify the reliability and effectiveness of these three surgical techniques in treating upper lumbar spinal stenosis,providing a biomechanical basis for clinical decision-making.METHODS:The CT images of the lumbar spine of a healthy volunteer were selected,and the finite element model M0 of the normal lumbar L1-L5 segments was established using Mimics,Geomagic,Solid works,and Ansys software.The L2-L3 segment,representing upper lumbar characteristics,was chosen.Based on this model,the surgical models for endoscopic unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression(M1),transforaminal endoscopic lumbar decompression(M2),and cross-overtop decompression(M3)were established.Using software,the changes in the range of motion of the entire lumbar segment and the maximum Von Mises stress of the intervertebral discs were simulated and evaluated for each group of models under six loading conditions:flexion,extension,left lateral bending,right lateral bending,left rotation,and right rotation.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Compared with model MO,the range of motion in M1,M2,and M3 increased under all six conditions,with M1 showing a greater increase.(2)M1 and M2 demonstrated significant increases in range of motion under forward bending,extension,and right rotation,while the increase under other conditions remained below 7％.(3)Compared with model M3,model M1 exhibited slightly increased overall joint range of motion during extension and left bending,while no significant changes were observed in other aspects,and the L1-L5 lumbar segments did not reach an unstable state.(4)In model M1,the maximum Von Mises stress of the intervertebral discs increased most significantly under flexion and extension loading conditions.However,under left lateral bending,right lateral bending,left rotation,and right rotation loading conditions,the increase did not exceed 5％.(5)These findings suggest that due to the sagittal anatomical characteristics of the facet joints,the unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression technique,while decompressing,involves resection of more facet joints,which impacts overall segmental stability.The transforaminal endoscopic lumbar decompression technique is suitable for patients with foraminal stenosis but cannot achieve complete decompression for those with severe ventral central stenosis.The Cross-Overtop technique effectively enlarges the volume of the central canal and lateral recess,optimizing decompression,and shows unique advantages in treating upper lumbar spinal stenosis.

OBJECTIVE To provide direction and reference for the adjustment of the discount rate （DR） in China’s pharmacoeconomic guidelines. METHODS Search was conducted on the official websites of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research， health technology assessment agencies in various countries/regions， as well as relevant websites of other upper-middle-income or high-income countries/regions. The recommended DR， adjustment trends， and setting rationales in pharmacoeconomic evaluation guidelines across different countries/regions were then summarized and compared. Based on theoretical derivation and literature analysis， the effects of different DR on the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio （ICER） were examined. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS Among the 40 included guidelines， the base-case DR ranged from 1.5% to 5%， with 5% being the most common value； the range for sensitivity analysis was 0 to 12%. Thirty-six countries/regions applied the same DR to both costs and health outcomes， while in the Netherlands， Belgium， Poland and Czech Republic， DR for costs was higher than for health outcomes. In recent years， Korea， France and Ireland had lowered their DR in response to economic changes， whereas the Netherlands and Czech Republic had raised their DR for cost. The setting of the DR was primarily based on the public project investment interest rate or referred to recommendations from internationally authoritative institutions and other relevant guidelines. The direction and magnitude of the impact of different DR on the ICER largely depended on the distribution of costs and health outcomes between the intervention and reference measure. The setting and adjustment of DR were closely associated with the economic environment. Based on international experience, the DR in China can be lowered by 0.5% to 1.5%， and localized empirical research can be conducted using internationally common estimation methods.

Objective To explore the differential value of arterial spin labeling(ASL)combined with magnetic resonance spectroscopy(MRS)for postoperative recurrence and pseudoprogression in patients with high-grade glioma.Methods A total of 102 patients with high-grade glioma and new or expanded enhancement lesions after radiotherapy were enrolled.According to the results of pathological examination,they were divided into recurrence group(63 cases)and pseudoprogression group(39 cases).The local metabolites of lesions and their ratios,and local blood flow of lesions were compared between the two groups.The differential value of ASL and MRS for postoperative recurrence and pseudoprogression in patients with high-grade glioma was analyzed.Results Choline(Cho)/creatine(Cr)value,Cho/N-acetylaspartate(NAA)value and relative cerebral blood flow(rCBF)of lesion area in the recurrence group were significantly higher than those in the pseudoprogression group(P＜0.05).Compared with actual prognosis,Kappa values of MRS,ASL and ASL+MRS were 0.344,0.448 and 0.712,respectively(P＜0.05).The sensitivity,specificity and accuracy of MRS,ASL and ASL+MRS(parallel mode)were(66.67％,69.23％,67.65％),(76.19％,69.23％,73.53％)and(88.89％,69.23％,81.37％),respectively.The area under the curve(AUC)of receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve of Cho/Cr value,Cho/NAA value,rCBF of lesion area and combined detection were 0.657,0.844,0.831 and 0.922,respectively.The AUC of combined detection was significantly higher than that of single index(Z=5.028,2.063,2.242,P＜0.05).Conclusion Compared with single detection,the differential ability of ASL combined with MRS is higher for postoperative recurrence and pseudoprogression in patients with high-grade glioma.

Objective To investigate the pass rates of fit tests for various brands of medical protective masks and to explore methods for quickly matching these masks based on their head and face dimensions.Methods A total of 202 medical staff from designated hospitals in Tianjin were selected as subjects.Quantitative fit tests were conducted on 5 brands of masks(A,B,C,D,and E)using an aerosol condensation nucleus counter.Two-dimensional photographic measurement was used to obtain the face length and width of the subjects,categorizing them into face types#1 to#10.The pass rates of masks across different face zones,brands,and face types were compared.Results A total of 202 testers participated in this study.According to the guidelines,face type#1 was the most common[43.6%(88/202)],followed by face type#3[18.2%(37/202)].The majority of subjects were categorized as face types#1,#2,#3,and#4,totaling 176 subjects(87.1%).A total of 914 tests were conducted,with 678 passes,resulting in an overall mask pass rate of 74.18%.The pass rates of masks A,B,and C were significantly higher than those of masks D and E[87.03%(161/185),85.57%,(166/194),82.02%(146/178)vs.62.98%(114/181),51.70%(91/176),all P<0.05].The pass rate of adjustable head-mounted masks was significantly higher than that of non-adjustable masks[79.54%(587/738)vs.51.70%(91/176),P<0.05].The fit factor(FF)for mask B in face types#1 to#5 was significantly higher than that in face types#6 to#10[200(163,200)vs.132(86,200),P<0.05].Conclusions Two-dimensional photographic measurement can quickly obtain facial information of the subjects and match the corresponding masks.Hospitals can match masks with higher test pass rates according to the proportion of face types among medical staff.When selecting masks,preference should be given to adjustable head-mounted masks.

ObjectiveTaking the rat model of spleen-stomach damp-heat syndrome（SSDHS） as the research object， this study aimed to investigate the potential biomarkers of SSDHS and the related metabolic pathways based on urine metabolomics， and tried to reveal the essence of SSDHS at the level of endogenous small molecular metabolites. MethodSixteen SD rats were randomly divided into normal and model groups. The normal group was fed normal chow and the model group was fed with 200 g·L^-1 honey water daily， and lard and Chinese Baijiu alternately on alternate days for 17 days. The SSDHS model rats were exposed to external dampness-heat environment with temperature at 30-34 ℃， relative humidity of 95% for 2 h at the same time every day from the 10^th day for 7 d. Then， the model was evaluated by observing the general conditions of the rats， measuring the contents of motilin（MTL） and gastrin（GT） in plasma by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）， and examining the histopathology of gastronitestinal tissues. In additon， the urine metabolomics analysis was performed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS）， and the detection conditions was as follows：ACQUITY™ UPLC BEH C₁₈ column（2.1 mm×100 mm， 1.7 μm）， mobile phase of 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution（A）-0.1% formic acid acetonitrile solution（B） for gradient elution （0-3 min， 1%-18%B； 3-8 min， 18%-40%B； 8-10 min， 40%-100%B）， the flow rate of 0.4 mL·min^-1， electrospray ionization（ESI） in positive and negative ion modes， scanning range of m/z 50-1 000. The univariate and multivariate statistical analysis were constructed for screening inter-group differential ions， the element composition was calculated according to the precise relative molecular weight， and ion information was matched with databases such as Human Metabolome Database（HMDB） to identify biomarkers. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG） database was used to obtain the biological information of metabolites， and their associated metabolic pathways were analyzed by MetaboAnalyst 5.0. ResultCompared with the normal group， the rectal temperature of the model group increased significantly（P<0.01）， the levels of plasma MTL and GT decreased significantly（P<0.05， P<0.01）， and pathological changes such as bleeding， congestion and inflammatory infiltration in the gastric and colonic tissues. A total of 25 differential metabolites such as L-histidine， citric acid and isocitric acid were found to be the potential biomarker of SSDHS by urine metabolomics， 13 of which were phase Ⅱ metabolites of endogenous substances（glucuronic acid conjugates， sulfuric acid conjugates and acetyl conjugates）， involving the metabolic pathways of histidine metabolism， tricarboxylic acid cycle， glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism. ConclusionSSDHS primarily causes disorders of histidine metabolism， tricarboxylic acid cycle， glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism， as well as the imbalance of the activation/inactivation of endogenous metabolites， which may involve the immune response， material and energy metabolism， inflammatory response and intestinal flora， and may provide a basis for the establishment and application of SSDHS model.

Objective To analyze the chemical constituents in the water extract of Bupleuri Radix and investigate the active ingredients of Bupleuri Radix for the treatment of depression.Methods The chemical constituents in the water extract of Bupleuri Radix were identified by Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF/MS).CORT-induced poorly differentiated PC12 depression cell model was launched,and PC12 cells were pretreated with monomeric compounds from Bupleuri Radix for 24 h.The cell viability and LDH release rate were measured by CCK-8 assy kit and LDH assay kit,respectively.Results A total of 53 compounds were identified in the water extract of Bupleuri Radix,mainly including type Ⅰ,type Ⅱ and type Ⅲsaikosaponins.Among them,saikosaponin A,saikosaponin B2,saikosaponin C,saikosaponin E,saikosaponin F and 6″-acetyl saikosaponin A contributed the most to the metabolite profile of Bupleuri Radix,and could improve the viability of CORT-induced PC12 cells(P<0.05,P<0.01).Furthermore,saikosaponin A,saikosaponin B2,saikosaponin C,saikosaponin E and saikosaponin F could decrease the LDH release rate of CORT-induced PC12 cells(P<0.05,P<0.01).Conclusion The major anti-depression active ingredients in Bupleuri Radix may be Saikosaponin A,saikosaponin B2,saikosaponin C,saikosaponin E and saikosaponin F,which lays a foundation for the research of the quality control and pharmacodynamic material basis of Bupleuri Radix.

Objectives:To investigate the risk factors associated with carotid atherosclerosis based on a retrospective longitudinal monitoring cohort study of healthy subjects during physical examinations.Methods:From 2005 to 2019, a total of 3 344 healthy adults who received at least five routine physical examinations at the Beijing Physical Examination Center and had no carotid atherosclerosis for the first time were selected as the research objects, including 1 714 males (51.25%).The average age of the male and female participants was 47.14 and 47.56 years old, respectively. A retrospective longitudinal monitoring cohort was established and the incidence of carotid atherosclerosis was documented during the follow-up. A Cox regression model was used to analyze the risk factors related to carotid atherosclerosis.Results:At the follow-up of 5.17 years, 2 038 patients had developed carotid atherosclerosis (60.94%, 66.69% in males and 54.91% in females). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that advanced age (>60 years old, HR=18.973, 95% CI: 12.353-29.139), female ( HR=0.639, 95% CI: 0.582-0.701), hypertension ( HR=1.166, 95% CI: 1.047-1.298), and low estimated glomerular filtration rate ( HR=1.011, 95% CI: 1.009-1.013) were associated with the onset of carotid atherosclerosis. Conclusions:The main factors influencing the development of carotid atherosclerosis included age, sex, blood pressure, and estimated glomerular filtration rate.

Objective:To analyze the effect of home quarantine on blood glucose and lipids in healthy adults during the COVID-19 epidemic times.Method:From April 7, 2020 to May 1, 2020, 512 adults wereexamined in Beijing physical examination center, of which 87 adults aged olderthan 18, received community closed management or home quarantine from January 23, 2020 to March 30, 2020, and theadultshad physical examination in Beijing physical examination center in the same month of 2018 and 2019 were selected as controls. The change trend of blood glucose and blood lipid acrossthe three years was analyzed by one-way repeated measurement of variance, and the difference of blood lipid and blood glucose between two years of physical examination was further analyzed by Bonferroni method. Datawereanalyzed by gender.Result:Among the 87 subjects, 36 (41.4%) were male and 51(58.6%) were female. The average age was (46.3±13.2) years and ranged from 24 to 74. The difference of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) among 2018, 2019 and 2020 was statistically significant (all P<0.05), while differences in LDL-C, TC and FBG were statistically significant for males (all P<0.05) and HDL-C, LDL-C, TC and FBG were statistically significant for females (all P<0.05). HDL-C in 2018and 2020were significantly lower than that in 2019 [(1.27±0.29), (1.30±0.31) vs. (1.36±0.34) mmol/L], LDL-C in 2020was significantly higher than that in 2018and 2019 [(3.11±0.88) vs. (2.81±0.77), (2.84±0.71) mmol/L], TG in 2020 was significantly higher than that in 2019[(1.54±1.17) vs. (1.32±0.80) mmol/L], TC in 2019and 2020were significantly higher than that in 2018 [(4.88±0.94), (5.10±0.99) vs. (4.63±0.90) mmol/L], and the FBG in 2019and 2020were significantly lower than that in 2018 [(5.34±1.17), (5.44±1.58) vs. (5.84±1.70) mmol/L] (all P<0.05). The comparative analysis of men and women showed that the means of LDL-C, TG, TC and FBG of men were higher than those of women while the mean of HDL-C was lower than that of women in each year; compared with 2019, the increase of LDL-C and TC of men was obvious while the decrease of HDL-C of women was obvious (all P<0.05) in 2020. Conclusion:During the epidemic period of COVID-19, the home quarantine has adverse effects on blood glucose and lipid.