[Objective] To analyze the prognostic value of prostate cancer (PCa) pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) using gene expression databases and to explore the regulatory mechanism of nucleotidebinding oligomerization domain-like receptor containing pyrin domain 1 (NLRP1) in the pyroptosis of PCa cells. [Methods] Fragments per kilobase of exon model per million reads mapped (FPKM) data and clinical information from PCa and adjacent tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were obtained. Differentially expressed PRGs between PCa and adjacent tissues, classified subtypes and plotted survival curves were analyzed. Univariate Cox regression analysis, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis were conducted to screen prognosis-related PRGs, risk scores were calculated, and a prognostic risk model was constructed and validated. Patients were divided into high and low risk groups based on the median risk scores from the training and validation sets, and gene ontology (GO) enrichment and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis were conducted on differentially expressed PRGs. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression level of NLRP1 in PCa cell lines, and pyroptosis was induced in DU145 and LNCaP cells while morphological changes were observed. Western blot (WB) was performed to detect the expression of pyroptosis-related molecules. [Results] A total of 6 prognostic-related PRGs were obtained, including CHMP4C, CYCS, GPX4, GSDMB, NLRP1, and PLCG1. The risk score was positively correlated with the risk of recurrence but negatively correlated with the progression-free survival (P<0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) for the training set at 1, 3, and 5 years were 0.769 (95%CI: 0.652-0.878), 0.804 (95%CI: 0.736-0.882), and 0.772 (95%CI: 0.631-0.905), respectively, while those for the validation set were 0.731 (95%CI: 0.647-0.826), 0.753 (95%CI: 0.674-0.818), and 0.763 (95%CI: 0.626-0.849), respectively. Differences in expression levels of the 6 PRGs were observed between the high and low risk groups in both the training and validation sets (P<0.05). Cox regression analysis showed that T stage, prostate specific antigen (PSA), Gleason grade, and risk score were independent predictors of PCa prognosis (P<0.05). Differences in risk scores were observed among patients of different ages, T stages, and Gleason grades (P<0.05). NLRP1 was found to be lowly expressed in PCa cell lines and was involved in the regulation of pyroptosis in DU145 and LNCaP cells. [Conclusion] The prognostic risk model constructed based on PRGs has a certain predictability for the prognosis of PCa patients, and NLRP1 may be involved in the regulation of pyroptosis in PCa cells.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of low-dose and standard-dose radiotherapy (LD-RT vs. SD-RT) in the treatment of oropharyngeal cancer patients with positive human papillomavirus (HPV). Methods:All comparative studies of low-dose versus standard-dose radiotherapy in the treatment of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer were searched from PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMbase, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), CNKI, Chongqing VIP, and Wanfang databases from January 1, 2000 to February 9, 2023. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the data were strictly screened, and the RevMan 5.4 software was used for meta-analysis.Results:A total of 8 studies were included. The pooled results showed that the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of patients in the LD-RT group were similar to those in the SD-RT group ( HR=0.83, 95% CI=0.59-1.18, P=0.31; HR=0.97, 95% CI=0.53-1.78, P=0.92), but the rate of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) insertion was significantly reduced ( RR=0.45, 95% CI=0.28-0.72, P=0.001). Conclusion:LD-RT yields similar efficacy and lower rate of PEG insertion compared with SD-RT in HPV-positive oropharyngeal neoplasm patients.

Objective To observe the effect of in situ needle fenestration thoracic endovascular aortic repair(TEVAR)for treating aortic dissection(AD)involving aortic arch.Methods Data of 16 patients with AD involving aortic arch who underwent in situ needle fenestration TEVAR for reconstruction of aortic arch branches were retrospectively analyzed,and the number of fenestration,technical success rate and TEVAR related complications were recorded.Regular follow-up was conducted after TEVAR,the repair of dissection and the patency of fenestrated branch blood vessels were evaluated,the endoleak was assessed,and the survival of patients were recorded.Results The main aortic stent was successfully implanted in all 16 cases.Among them,4 received triple fenestration stent implantation in zones Z0,Z1 and Z2,6 received double fenestration stent implantation in zones Z1 and Z2,2 received double fenestration stent implantation in zones Z0 and Z1 and 4 received single fenestration stent implantation in zone Z2.The success rate of brachiocephalic trunk(BCT)fenestration was 83.33%(5/6).Left common carotid artery(LCCA)-right common carotid artery bypass was performed in 1 case without successful fenestration.The success rate of LCCA fenestration was 100%(12/12).The success rate of left subclavian artery(LSA)fenestration was 87.50%(14/16),2 cases with not successful fenestration were treated with axillar-axillary artery artificial vascular bypass.The technical success rate of intervention was 100%(16/16).Type Ⅰa endoleak occurred in 1 case during TEVAR process and improved after embolization with spring coil.One patient died of pericardial tamponade at the end of TEVAR.Fifteen patients were followed up for a median follow-up time of 20 months.During this period,transient ischemic attack and local small dissection at the proximal beginning of the main stent occurred each in 1 case,which improved after no special treatment.Type Ⅰ endoleak occurred in 1 case,type Ⅲ endoleak occurred in 2 cases,all improved after proximal fenestrated membrane stent implantation or spring coil embolization treatment.One case died of coronary heart disease.Conclusion In situ needle fenestration TEVAR was effective and safe for treating AD involving aortic arch.

Objective:To explore the early predictive value of umbilical cord blood S100β protein and lactate combined with amplitude integrated electroencephalogram（aEEG）in small for gestational age（SGA）preterm infants with brain injury.Methods:One hundred and six cases of SGA preterm infants were enrolled in this study in Neonatology Department of Inner Mongolia People's Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021. Umbilical cord blood serum S100β protein and lactate at birth of All SGA preterm infants were tested，and aEEG was monitored at 6h and 72 h after birth，corrected gestational age of 32 weeks and 37 weeks. According to the diagnostic criteria of brain injury in preterm infants，SGA preterm infants were divided into brain injury group（45 cases）and non-brain injury group（61 cases），and compared the differences of S100β protein，lactate and the designated time aEEG between the two groups.SGA preterm infants with brain injury were further divided into symmetrical group（28 cases）and non-symmetrical group（15 cases）. The differences of umbilical cord blood S100β protein and lactate level between the two groups were compared，and the diagnostic value in different types of SGA preterm infants with brain injury was also compared.Results:SGA preterm infants in the brain injury group had significantly higher levels of umbilical cord blood S100β protein［（0.826±0.218）μg/L vs（0.397±0.196）μg/L， t=8.316， P<0.05］and lactate［（8.5±1.3）mmol/L vs（3.8±0.9）mmol/L， t=3.281， P<0.05］than those in non-brain injury group.Symmetric SGA group had higher level of S100β protein than the asymmetric SGA group［（0.924±0.205）μg/L vs（0.438±0.196）μg/L， t=5.734， P<0.05］.But there was no statistically significant difference in lactate levels［（5.6±1.4）mmol/L vs（3.9±1.2）mmol/L， t=0.932， P>0.05］between symmetric SGA group and asymmetric SGA group. The abnormal rates of aEEG in brain injury group and non-brain injury group were respectively 100%（45/45）vs 22.95%（14/61）at 6 h after birth，95.56%（43/45）vs 16.39%（10/61）at 72 h after birth，62.22%（28/45）vs 6.56%（4/61）at 32 weeks of corrected gestational age，22.22%（10/45）vs 3.28%（2/61）at 37 weeks of corrected gestational age. The abnormal rate of brain injury group was higher than the non-brain injury group in the same nodal time，and the differences were statistically significant（ χ 2 value respectively 62.292，64.913，38.074，9.257，all P<0.05）. Conclusion:There were significant value in umbilical cord blood S100β protein，lactate level and aEEG monitoring in the early diagnosis in preterm infants SGA with brain injury. The combination of the three might be more helpful for the early diagnosis and timely treatment of brain injury in SGA preterm infants.

BACKGROUND:Premature birth is a major global health problem associated with high mortality and morbidity.White matter injury is the most common brain injury in preterm infants.Salvia miltiorrhiza is a traditional herbal plant that is commonly used to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in Asian countries. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the therapeutic effect of Salvia miltiorrhiza on white matter injury in preterm infants. METHODS:Eighteen neonatal male Sprague-Dawley rats at 3-day gestational age were selected and randomized into normal group,white matter injury group,and Salvia miltiorrhiza group.Animal models of preterm white matter injury were established by permanent ligation of the right common carotid artery in the latter two groups.Rats in the Salvia miltiorrhiza group were given intraperitoneal injection of Salvia miltiorrhiza(5 mg/kg·d)for 7 consecutive days.Normal group and white matter injury group were given the same volume of PBS for intervention.On the 14th day after modeling,the rats were sacrificed.Brains were pathologically observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining under microscope,and the expression levels of myelin basic protein and CC1 in brain tissue were visualized using immunofluorescence.Furthermore,liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to analyze possible pathways for the action of Salvia miltiorrhiza. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:In the white matter injury group,the structure of the corpus callosum was irregular and the cells appeared swollen and necrotic.In addition,induction of white matter injury resulted in significantly reduced myelin formation,with irregular and loosely arranged nerve fibers and significantly decreased myelin sheaths.Interestingly,white matter injury rats treated with Salvia miltiorrhiza had reduced cellular swelling,reduced lesions,and increased myelin sheaths.The expression of myelin basic protein was closely related to myelin formation,and CC1 was a marker of myelin oligodendrocytes.Salvia miltiorrhiza significantly up-regulated the expressions of myelin basic protein and CC1 in white matter injury rats(P＜0.000 1),indicating that Salvia miltiorrhiza alleviated white matter injury.Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis showed that the therapeutic effect of Salvia miltiorrhiza in the rat model of white matter injury was closely related to the regulation of complement and coagulation cascades.To conclude,Salvia miltiorrhiza may be a potential therapeutic agent for treating preterm white matter injury.

Objectives:To investigate the safety and efficacy of concomitant mitral valvuloplasty(MVP)and implantation of domestic third-generation magnetically levitated Corheart 6 left ventricular assist device(LVAD). Methods:Clinical data of 13 end-stage heart failure patients who underwent Corheart 6 LVAD implantation and MVP at Central China Fuwai Hospital of Zhengzhou University from October 2021 to March 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.Mortality and complication events during hospitalization and at follow-up were collected,and changes in myocardial injury biomarkers,renal function,hemodynamics,and echocardiographic indices were observed. Results:There were no perioperative deaths and no MVP-related complications in these patients.During a mean follow-up of(14.2±5.6)months,2 patients died due to COVID-19 pneumonia and cardiac arrest respectively,11 cases(84.6%)survived.There were no recurrences of moderate-to-severe mitral regurgitation in the survived patients.Compared with preoperative value,higher cardiac output,lower central venous pressure,pulmonary artery systolic pressure(PASP),and mean pulmonary artery pressure(PAMP)were evidenced at 24 h and 72 h postoperatively,estimated glomerular filtration rate was also reduced at 1 week post operation(all P<0.010).High-sensitive troponin T level was significantly increased at 1 week post operation and then reduced at 1 month post operation,but still not returned to pre-operative level([125.5±281.9]pg/ml at baseline,[1 295.6±654.6]pg/ml at 1 week post operation and[278.0±300.5]pg/ml at 1 month post operation).Echocardiography showed that compared with preoperative period,the left ventricular ejection fraction tended to be higher at 1 and 6 months postoperatively(both P>0.017),whereas left ventricular end-diastolic dimension,PASP,and PAMP were significantly reduced(all P<0.010). Conclusions:Domestic third-generation magnetically levitated Corheart 6 LVAD implantation with concomitant MVP is safe and feasible,there is no recurrence of moderate-to-severe mitral regurgitation,a significant reduction in pulmonary artery pressure,and significant hemodynamic improvement in early to mid-term postoperatively are observed in survived patients.

Acquired cerebral amyloid angiopathy,as a cerebrovascular disease discovered in recent years,mainly spreads through iatrogenic factors.This paper focuses on acquired cerebral amyloid angiopathy and delves into the new applications and profound implications of the"toxins damaging brain collaterals"theory proposed by academician WANG Yongyan in stroke research.Starting from the perspective of"toxins damaging brain collaterals",it comprehensively analyzes the causes and pathological mechanisms of acquired cerebral amyloid angiopathy,emphasizing the importance of external toxins,latent toxins,and turbid toxins in understanding the pathogenesis of the disease.It reveals that"toxins damaging brain collaterals"is the core mechanism of acquired cerebral amyloid angiopathy.On this basis,it proposes a new connotation of"toxins damaging brain collaterals":first,"toxin"includes both internal and external toxins;second,the organic integration of"external wind theory"and"toxins damaging brain collaterals"guides the improvement of theoretical research,clinical treatment,and prevention strategies for stroke,and promotes a deeper understanding of the disease.This approach to understanding acquired cerebral amyloid angiopathy from the perspective of"toxins damaging brain collaterals"not only demonstrates the effective integration of traditional Chinese medicine theory and modern biomedical science,but also provides insights and references for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Objective To analyze the literature on urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy by bibliometric method, and to understand the research status and development trend in this field. Methods The Web of Science core collection database was searched for articles on urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy from January, 1 2013 to March, 25 2023, and the visual analysis of the annual number of publications, countries, institutions, authors, source journals and keywords was performed by VOS viewer and CiteSpace software. Results A total of 1 212 relevant literatures were retrieved, and the annual number of publications was on the rise. The United States ranked the first in the number of publications, followed by Germany and Italy, among which the United States cooperated more with other countries. The institutions ranking top 10 were mostly concentrated in the United States, and the high-contribution institutions were mainly Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and University of California, San Francisco. The author with the largest number of articles was MATTHEW R, and many stable cooperation teams had been formed among the authors. The main journals in this field included Journal of Urology, European Urology, etc. The research hotspots in this field mostly focused on the relationship between influencing factors, evaluation diagnosis, treatment methods and outcome indicators of urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy. Urinary incontinence rehabilitation, biofeedback, local therapy, robot-assisted radical prostatectomy, and patient reported outcomes have been active topics in recent years. Conclusion Urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy has attracted more and more attention from scholars. However, compared with the developed countries such as the United States, the total number of papers published in China is less, and the academic influence and exchanges between scholars are weak. In the future, it is advisable to learn from relevant research results of foreign countries, strengthen international scientific research exchange and cooperation, and promote the development of related research on urinary incontinenceafter radical prostatectomy in China.

Objective:To analyze the disease characteristics and hospitalization burden of elderly inpatients with cerebrovascular disease, so as to provide basis for disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions.Methods:The data of the first page of medical records of elderly inpatients with cerebrovascular disease from 2015 to 2020 in a comprehensive tertiary hospital in Jiangsu Province were retrospectively collected.Descriptive analysis, variance analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were carried out for the research objects using SPSS statistics and Python complex network methods.Results:A total of 14 657 elderly inpatients with cerebrovascular disease were included.From 2015 to 2020, the number of hospitalizations increased from 1 268 to 4 733, the average number of hospitalizations increased from 2.0 to 2.9, the average length of stay decreased from 11.9 days to 9.1 days, and the average number of illnesses increased from 1.9 to 4.9.The five most common comorbidities associated with cerebrovascular diseases were hypertension, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, other types of heart disease and other respiratory diseases.From 2015 to 2020, the average hospitalization costs of elderly cerebrovascular inpatients decreased from 20588.1 Chinese yuan(CYN)to 15580.9 Chinese yuan(CYN). The hospitalization cost was mainly composed of drug cost(46.6%), diagnosis cost(28.2%)and treatment cost(20.2%). There were significant differences in the average hospitalization expenses among patients with different gender, age, number of admissions, length of stay and number of diseases( P<0.05 for all). Gender, age, number of hospitalizations and length of stay had an impact on hospitalization expenses. Conclusions:The number of inpatients, comorbidities, and hospitalized times of elderly patients with cerebrovascular disease showed an increasing trend, while the number of hospitalization days and the average hospitalization cost showed a downward trend.Comorbidities associated with cerebrovascular diseases should be one of the concerns of chronic disease management in the elderly.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy in one stage reconstruction of composite defects of Achilles tendon and surrounding soft tissues with a flap transfer combined with allogeneic tendon transplantation.Methods:From July 2018 to August 2022, a total of 12 patients, including 9 males and 3 females, with a mean age of 31.5(ranged 8 to 56) years old, had surgery with flap transfer combined with transplantation of allogeneic tendon in one stage reconstruction for compound defects of Achilles tendon and soft tissue at the Department of Orthopaedics of First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University. The defects of Achilles tendons ranged from 4.0 to 9.0 cm, and the soft tissue defects sized from 3.0 cm × 4.0 cm to 14.0 cm × 6.0 cm. Of the 12 patients, 6 received transfers of sural neurovascular flaps, 3 with peroneal perforator flaps and 3 with free anterolateral thigh flaps(ALTF). The flaps sized from 4.0 cm × 4.5 cm to 15.0 cm×7.0 cm, and in addition, allogeneic tendon grafts were used to reconstruct the defects of Achilles tendons in all patients. All the flap donor sites were either directly sutured or covered with skin grafts. Follow-up was carried out by visits of outpatient clinic or telephone or WeChat distant interviews. The flap survival and recovery of ankle function and Achilles tendon were observed.Results:During the 3 months to 2 years of follow-up, none of the patient showed obvious immunological rejection against the transplanted allogeneic tendon. All 12 flaps survived well with the colour and texture close to the surrounding skin. No ulceration occurred in both of the donor and recipient sites. There was no re-rupture of the transplanted allogeneic tendon. At the final follow-up, ankle movement was measured at 13.4°±2.6° in dorsal extension and 33.6°±3.2° in plantar flexion. According to American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle and hind foot function score, a score of 88.7±5.6 was achieved with 7 patients in excellent, 4 in good and 1 was acceptable.Conclusion:In patients with a composite defect of Achilles tendon and surrrounding soft tissue, the application of a flap transfer combined with a homogeneous allograft tendon transplantation in an one stage surgery is a feasible surgical procedure. It can achieve a satisfactory outcome with less trauma and fewer complications.