Objective:To observe the pregnancy outcomes of patients with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA) after interventional treatment or expectant treatment.Methods:This prospective study followed up 398 patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion from March 2017 to September 2022 in seven hospitals. Among them, 267 patients were diagnosed with URSA, including 124 patients who were initially diagnosed in the interventional treatment hospital and 143 patients who were initially diagnosed in the expectant treatment hospital. All URSA patients were followed up for 33 months. Ongoing pregnancy rates were observed as main outcome indicators.Results:A total of 127 patients became pregnant, and 107 of them had sustained pregnancies, the ongoing pregnancy rate was 84.25% (107/127). The ongoing pregnancy rate was 86.11% (31/36) in the interventional treatment group and 83.52% (76/91) in the expectant treatment group, with no significant difference ( P>0.05). During the follow-up, the ongoing pregnancy rates in the interventional treatment hospital and the expectant treatment hospital were 75.71% (53/70) and 94.74% (54/57), respectively, with a significant difference ( P<0.05). The ongoing pregnancy rate after interventional treatment in the interventional treatment hospital was 82.76% (24/29), which was similar to the 94.00% (47/50) after expectant treatment in the expectant treatment hospital ( P>0.05). Conclusion:The ongoing pregnancy rate of interventional treatment for URSA patients has not been significantly improved, suggesting that it may not be necessary to carry out this treatment.

Objective To explore the association between the relative expression level of SNORD55 in peripheral blood and the outcomes of all-cause mortality and stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation(AF),and to evaluate the predictive value of SNORD55 for prognosis.Methods A total of 133 patients with non-valvular AF admitted in Department of Cardiology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University from January 2014 to December 2017 were enrolled in this study.Their baseline information was collected,and the relative expression level of plasma SNORD55 was detected.Cox proportional hazards model was used to explore the association between the relative expression level of SNORD55 in peripheral blood and all-cause mortality as well as stroke in the patients.The predictive performance of CHA2DS2-VASc score for all-cause mortality and stroke was compared with the score combined with the relative expression level of SNORD55 in the AF patients.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC)was utilized to evaluate the discrimination,and the net reclassification index(NRI)and comprehensive discriminant improvement index(IDI)were calculated to evaluate the improvement of reclassification ability.Decision curve analysis(DCA)was applied to analyze the change in clinical net benefit.Results The results of multivariate Cox regression showed that high expression of SNORD55 in peripheral blood was an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality and stroke in the AF patients.In predicting the outcomes of all-cause mortality and stroke,the addition of relative expression SNORD55 level with the CHA2DS2-VASc score obtained higher AUC value[0.80(95％CI:0.67～0.93)vs 0.67(95％CI:0.53～0.81),P＜0.05].In predicting the outcome of all-cause death and stroke,combination of the relative expression level of SNORD55 with CHA2DS2-VASc score increased both NRI[54.3(95％CI:10.6～61.9)vs 31.9(95％CI:2.8～47.5),P＜0.05]and IDI[16.1(95％CI:2.4～27.0)vs 7.9(95％CI:0.5～14.8),P＜0.05].The results of DCA showed that our combination of CHA2DS2-VASc score relative expression level of SNORD55 had higher clinical net benefits than the foreign ABC score in the prediction of the outcomes.Conclusion Peripheral blood SNORD55 level is an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality and stroke in AF patients,and has good predictive performance for all-cause mortality and stroke in the patients.

Objectives To explore the association of peripheral blood PIWI-interacting RNA,piR-hsa-2700592,with all-cause mortality and stroke outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation(AF),and to determine whether piR-hsa-2700592 has the potential to be an AF biomarker.Methods A total of 127 patients with non-valvular AF were enrolled,and the relative expression level of plasma piR-hsa-2700592 was detected.Cox proportional hazard regression was used to analyze the correlation between the expression of piR-hsa-2700592 and all-cause death as well as stroke outcome in the patients.Then the molecule expression level was combined with CHA2DS2-VASc score and ABC stroke(or death)score to establish 2 new prediction models,the improvement of the predictive performance was compared and analyzed.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis(area under the curve,AUC),net reclassification index(NRI),and comprehensive discriminant improvement index(IDI)were used to evaluate the predictive performance,and decision curve analysis(DCA)was employed to assess the clinical benefit.Results Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the patients with higher expression level of piR-hsa-2700592 in peripheral blood had a higher risk of stroke(HR:2.203,95%CI:1.120～4.332;P=0.022).In the stroke outcome,combination of plasma piR-hsa-2700592 expression level with CHA2DS2-VASc score and ABC stroke score obtained an AUC of 0.70(95%CI:0.55～0.85,P＜0.001)and 0.84(95%CI:0.73～0.96,P=0.02),respectively.But,no significant association was observed between high plasma piR-hsa-2700592 level and all-cause mortality in the AF patients(HR:1.997;95%CI:0.884～4.509;P=0.096).Combination of plasma piR-hsa-2700592 level improved the discriminative capability than the single CHA2DS2-VASc score and ABC stroke score models,with an NRI and IDI value of 44.20%(95%CI:3.40～59.90,P＜0.001)and 8.20%(95%CI:0.60～15.40,P＜0.001),respectively for the new CHA2DS2-VASc score model,and an NRI and IDI value of 44.20%(95%CI:9.80～58.90,P＜0.001)and 10.40%(95%CI:0.70～21.40,P＜0.001),respectively for the new ABC stroke score model.The DCA curve showed that both new prediction models obtained better net clinical benefits.Conclusion High peripheral blood expression of piR-hsa-2700592 is an independent risk factor for stroke in the AF patients,and the indicator has a good predictive value for prognosis of the patients.piR-hsa-2700592 might be used as a potential biomarker in the diagnosis and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

In December 2024, the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) released the 2024 edition of EASL clinical practice guidelines: management of hepatocellular carci-noma (HCC). Compared to the 2018 edition, the 2024 edition includes significant updates in several areas, such as personalized surveillance strategies based on individual risk assessment, standardiza-tion of liver imaging protocols and diagnostic criteria, the use of minimally invasive surgical approaches in complex cases, an updated approach to liver transplantation integration, transitions between surgery, locoregional, and systemic therapies, as well as the positioning of radiotherapy and the use of combination immunotherapy at various stages of the disease. The authors systematically interpret the main updates related to treatment strategies in the new guidelines, aiming to provide clinicians with clear decision-making references for treatment.

Objective:To observe the pregnancy outcomes of patients with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA) after interventional treatment or expectant treatment.Methods:This prospective study followed up 398 patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion from March 2017 to September 2022 in seven hospitals. Among them, 267 patients were diagnosed with URSA, including 124 patients who were initially diagnosed in the interventional treatment hospital and 143 patients who were initially diagnosed in the expectant treatment hospital. All URSA patients were followed up for 33 months. Ongoing pregnancy rates were observed as main outcome indicators.Results:A total of 127 patients became pregnant, and 107 of them had sustained pregnancies, the ongoing pregnancy rate was 84.25% (107/127). The ongoing pregnancy rate was 86.11% (31/36) in the interventional treatment group and 83.52% (76/91) in the expectant treatment group, with no significant difference ( P>0.05). During the follow-up, the ongoing pregnancy rates in the interventional treatment hospital and the expectant treatment hospital were 75.71% (53/70) and 94.74% (54/57), respectively, with a significant difference ( P<0.05). The ongoing pregnancy rate after interventional treatment in the interventional treatment hospital was 82.76% (24/29), which was similar to the 94.00% (47/50) after expectant treatment in the expectant treatment hospital ( P>0.05). Conclusion:The ongoing pregnancy rate of interventional treatment for URSA patients has not been significantly improved, suggesting that it may not be necessary to carry out this treatment.

In December 2024, the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) released the 2024 edition of EASL clinical practice guidelines: management of hepatocellular carci-noma (HCC). Compared to the 2018 edition, the 2024 edition includes significant updates in several areas, such as personalized surveillance strategies based on individual risk assessment, standardiza-tion of liver imaging protocols and diagnostic criteria, the use of minimally invasive surgical approaches in complex cases, an updated approach to liver transplantation integration, transitions between surgery, locoregional, and systemic therapies, as well as the positioning of radiotherapy and the use of combination immunotherapy at various stages of the disease. The authors systematically interpret the main updates related to treatment strategies in the new guidelines, aiming to provide clinicians with clear decision-making references for treatment.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of moderately severe acute pancreatitis (MSAP) and severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) complicated with pancreatogenic portal hypertension (PPH) and to establish a prediction model.Methods:From January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2022, a total of 1 095 patients diagnosed with MSAP or SAP at the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University were enrolled and divided into PPH group (145 cases) and non-PPH group (950 cases) according to the presence or absence of concomitant PPH. The general data (gender, etiology of acute pancreatitis, days of hospitalization, etc.), complications (portal vein thrombosis, pancreatic pseudocyst, pancreatic encapsulated necrosis, etc.), laboratory indicators (albumin, D-dimer, etc.), and scores of modified computed tomography severity index (MCTSI) were collected in the two groups. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO) and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to analyze the independent risk factors of MSAP and SAP complicated with PPH, and the nomogram prediction model was established. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve was calculated to evaluate the discrimination of the calibration curve and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test were used to assess the predictive accuracy of the model, and clinical decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the clinical practicability of the model.Results:The results of LASSO and multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that portal vein thrombosis, pancreatic pseudocyst, pancreatic encapsulated necrosis, days of hospitalization, MCTSI and decreased albumin were independent risk factors of MSAP and SAP complicated with PPH ( OR=7.013, 2.085, 1.846, 1.030, 1.235 and 0.955; 95% confidence interval 4.061 to 12.112, 1.255 to 3.463, 1.066 to 3.199, 1.013 to 1.047, 1.123 to 1.357 and 0.927 to 0.983; all P<0.05). The area under the curve of the model was 0.820 (95% confidence interval 0.780 to 0.859), the calibration curve was close to the reference curve, and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-fit test showed that the model had a good fit ( χ2=9.82, P=0.278). The result of DCA indicated that the model had a high net benefit in a wide range of risk threshold (threshold probability 0.1 to 0.9), and had certain clinical practicability. Conclusions:Portal vein thrombosis, pancreatic pseudocyst, pancreatic encapsulated necrosis, days of hospitalization, MCTSI and decreased albumin are the independent risk factors of MSAP and SAP complicated with PPH. The established nomogram model has good differentiation, calibration and clinical practicability.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of moderately severe acute pancreatitis (MSAP) and severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) complicated with pancreatogenic portal hypertension (PPH) and to establish a prediction model.Methods:From January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2022, a total of 1 095 patients diagnosed with MSAP or SAP at the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University were enrolled and divided into PPH group (145 cases) and non-PPH group (950 cases) according to the presence or absence of concomitant PPH. The general data (gender, etiology of acute pancreatitis, days of hospitalization, etc.), complications (portal vein thrombosis, pancreatic pseudocyst, pancreatic encapsulated necrosis, etc.), laboratory indicators (albumin, D-dimer, etc.), and scores of modified computed tomography severity index (MCTSI) were collected in the two groups. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO) and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to analyze the independent risk factors of MSAP and SAP complicated with PPH, and the nomogram prediction model was established. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve was calculated to evaluate the discrimination of the calibration curve and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test were used to assess the predictive accuracy of the model, and clinical decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the clinical practicability of the model.Results:The results of LASSO and multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that portal vein thrombosis, pancreatic pseudocyst, pancreatic encapsulated necrosis, days of hospitalization, MCTSI and decreased albumin were independent risk factors of MSAP and SAP complicated with PPH ( OR=7.013, 2.085, 1.846, 1.030, 1.235 and 0.955; 95% confidence interval 4.061 to 12.112, 1.255 to 3.463, 1.066 to 3.199, 1.013 to 1.047, 1.123 to 1.357 and 0.927 to 0.983; all P<0.05). The area under the curve of the model was 0.820 (95% confidence interval 0.780 to 0.859), the calibration curve was close to the reference curve, and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-fit test showed that the model had a good fit ( χ2=9.82, P=0.278). The result of DCA indicated that the model had a high net benefit in a wide range of risk threshold (threshold probability 0.1 to 0.9), and had certain clinical practicability. Conclusions:Portal vein thrombosis, pancreatic pseudocyst, pancreatic encapsulated necrosis, days of hospitalization, MCTSI and decreased albumin are the independent risk factors of MSAP and SAP complicated with PPH. The established nomogram model has good differentiation, calibration and clinical practicability.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary hepatic malign-ancy in clinic. The prognosis of patients remains extremely poor because of the high malignancy and easy recurrence and metastasis of HCC. In recent years, the roles of platelets in promoting the malignant progression of HCC have increasingly attracted much attention. It is known that platelets could promote HCC cells proliferation and invasion through tumor microenvironment. On the other hand, platelets are capable to promote HCC cells distant metastasis by facilitating tumor cells evasion of immune surveillance. Besides, the platelet-derived growth factors and proangiogenic factors are also involved in the proliferation, invasiveness, and neovascularization of HCC. In addition, patients with HCC normally have a background of cirrhosis, and it is still controversial that whether the thrombocytopenia by portal hypertension and hypersplenism can promote the malignant progress of HCC. In view of this, the diagnostic and prognostic value of platelet levels, as well as platelet-associated scores in HCC have increasingly become research focus. The authors elaborate the detailed mechanisms of platelets in malignant progression of HCC, and discuss the recent research progress of platelets as effective diagnostic or prognostic tools for the assessment of HCC, which is of great importance to optimize the current treatment regimen and explore novel therapeutic strategies against HCC.

Reynoutria japonica Houtt., belonging to Polygoneae of Polygonaceae, is a Chinese medicinal herb with the functions of draining dampness and relieving jaundice, clearing heat and detoxifying, dispersing blood stasis and relieving pain, and relieving cough and resolving phlegm. In this study, we carried out high-throughput sequencing for the chloroplast genome sequences of five cultivars of R. japonica and analyzed the genome structure and variations. The chloroplast genomes of the five R. japonica cultivars had two sizes (163 376 bp and 163 371 bp) and a typical circular tetrad structure composed of a large single-copy (LSC) region of 85 784 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18 616 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions (IRa/IRb) which are spaced apart. A total of 161 genes were obtained by annotation, which consisted of 106 protein-coding genes, 10 rRNA-coding genes, and 45 tRNA-coding genes. The total GC content was 36.7%. Specifically, the GC content in the LSC, SSC, and IR regions were 34.8%, 30.7%, and 42.7%, respectively. Comparison of the whole chloroplast genome among the five cultivars showed that trnk-UUU, rpoC1, petD, rpl16, ndhA, and rpl12 in coding regions had sequence variations. In the phylogenetic tree constructed for the 11 samples of Polygoneae, the five cultivars of R. japonica clustered into one clade near the root and was a sister group of Fallopia multiflora (Thunb.).
Base Composition ; Genome, Chloroplast/genetics* ; Open Reading Frames ; Phylogeny ; Reynoutria