Objective To evaluate the clinical characteristics of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients with peripheral lung masses (PLMs), and to assess the diagnostic utility of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in differentiating benign and malignant PLMs. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 69 patients with PLM treated in Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center from January 2020 to December 2023. All patients underwent percutaneous biopsy, and were categorized into benign group (n＝36) and malignant group (n＝33). 25 patients were HIV-positive and 44 patients were HIV-negative. The clinical features and CEUS parameters in patients were compared across these groups. Results Patients with malignant masses were significantly older than those with benign masses (P＜0.05). In the malignant group, HIV-negative patients exhibited significantly larger tumor diameters compared to HIV-positive patients (P＜0.05); in the HIV-positive patients, no significant difference in tumor size was observed between benign and malignant masses. 19 patients underwent CEUS. 10 malignant masses, irrespective of HIV status (10 positive and 9 negative), commonly presented with indistinct margins, delayed enhancement, heterogeneous perfusion, and delayed peak enhancement on CEUS. 9 benign masses showed earlier peak enhancement compared to 10 malignant masses (P＜0.05); no significant differences were observed in the initiation and washout time of enhancement between benign and malignant masses. In HIV-positive patients, 5 benign masses frequently demonstrated discrepancies between CEUS findings and pathological results. Conclusions The clinical and CEUS characteristics were different between benign and malignant PLMs. However, CEUS shows limited accuracy in distinguishing benign and malignant PLMs, underscoring the need for pathological confirmation.

Objective To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of toripalimab plus axitinib compared to sunitinib in the first-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma patients.Methods Based on the RENOTORCH trial,constructed a partitioned survival model to evaluate the long-term costs and health outcomes of toripalimab plus axitiniband sunitinib in the first-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma(RCC)patients from the Chinese healthcare system perspective.The cycle length of the model was 3weeks,simulating the total cost,quality adjusted life years(QALYs),and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio(ICUR)for patients over 25 years.The costs were derived from the average bidding price of Yaozhi database in 2023 and published literature.The health state utility values were derived from clinical trials.The discount rate was 5%,and the willingness to pay(WTP)threshold was 3 times the per capita gross domestic product(GDP)in 2022.One-way and probability sensitivity analyses were used to test the robustness of the model.Results Based on the progression free survival(PFS)evaluated by the Independent Review Committee(IRC)and Investigator(IA),the ICUR values were 239 436.39 yuan/QALY and 175 440.39 yuan/QALY,respectively,both lower than the WTP threshold.One-way sensitivity analysis showed that the health state utility values of PFS status and the price of axitinib had a significant impact on the model.Probability sensitivity analysis showed that the probability of toripalimab plus axitinib being cost-effective was 63.64%and 98.03%according to the IRC and IA assessments,respectively.Conclusion Toripalimab plus axitinib was cost-effective in the first-line treatment of advanced RCC patients.

Objective:Time trade-off was employed to measure health state utilities associated with treatment attributes of hemophilia A patients to provide parameters for economic evaluations.Methods:Patients were recruited through patient organization and blood center of Shandong to measure health state utility values for 10 health states.Results:The utility values of preventive treatments for severe,moderate,and mild hemophilia A were 0.644,0.738,and 0.815,respectively.Compared with injections at 2-day intervals,the utility values were increased by 0.044 and 0.092 at 3-and 4-day intervals,respectively.Taking"severe hemophilia A patients injected every 2 days"as the base state,the disutility values for spontaneous bleeding and traumatic bleeding were 0.226 and 0.172.The disutility values for mild,moderate,and severe bleeding were 0.052,0.159,and 0.476,respectively,and the magnitude of the decrease gradually increased.Conclusion:Treatment attributes have an impact on patient preferences and more attention should be paid in pharmacoeconomic evaluations.

Objective To explore the value of diffusion-weighted imaging(DWI),amide proton transfer-weighted imaging(APTWI)and glucose chemical exchange saturation transfer imaging(glucoCEST)for predicting lymph node metastasis of rectal cancer.Methods Sixty cases of rectal cancer confirmed by pathology were retrospectively enrolled and divided into metastasis group(n=36)and non-metastasis group(n=24)based on the presence or absence of lymph node metastasis.The apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)value,as well as the values of magnetization transfer ratio asymmetry at 3.50 ppm and 1.20 ppm(MTRasym3.50 ppm and MTRasym1.20ppm)of the lesions were respectively obtained based on DWI,APTWI and glucoCEST and then compared between groups.Receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn,the area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to evaluate the efficacy of each parameter alone and their combination for predicting lymph node metastasis of rectal cancer.Results In metastasis group,ADC value of the lesions was lower,while MTRasym3.50 ppm and MTRasym1.20 ppm values were both higher than those in non-metastasis group(all P＜0.05).AUC of the combination of the above parameters for predicting lymph node metastasis of rectal cancer based on ADC,MTRasym3.50ppm and MTRasym1.20 ppm values was 0.970,significantly higher than that of each single parameter(0.858,0.804 and 0.755,respectively;Z=2.442-3.231,all P＜0.05).Conclusion DWI,APTWI and glucoCEST could all be used to predicte lymph node metastasis of rectal cancer.Combination of ADC,MTRasym3.50 ppm and MTRasym1.20 ppm had the highest predictive efficacy.

OBJECTIVE To explore the clinical characteristics of patients with hematologic tumors combined with Fusarium infection and analyze the prevention and control measures.METHODS Six patients with hematologic neo-plasms combined with Fusarium infection diagnosed at the First Medical Center of the People's Liberation Army General Hospital from Apr.2019 to Dec.2023 were selected as research objects.Through retrospective analysis of patients' clinical data,the clinical manifestations,diagnosis,treatment and prevention strategies of Fusarium in-fection in hematologic neoplasms were analyzed.RESULTS All six patients with hematologic neoplasms combined with Fusarium infection were neutropenic or deficient patients,with main symptoms including moderate fever,painful skin nodules,rash,skin broken and crusted,and scrotal swelling and pain.Patients with severe neutrophil deficiency were susceptible to blood-borne Fusobacterium infections.Four patients had a markedly elevated G-test and Fusorium was first detected by microbiome metagenomic next-generation sequencing(mNGS)in blood,earli-er than traditional pathogenic culture methods.Five patients had Fusarium detected in urine or stool cultures.All six patients received empirical antibacterial and antifungal treatments,but the fungal infection treatment effects were poor.Treatment was adjusted according to the pathogenetic findings,mainly using a combination regimen based on liposomal amphotericin B or posaconazole tablets,with three patients cured and three death.Two pa-tients were from the same ward with a sixteen-day interval.Although no evidence of infection transmission was found,there was still a risk of cross-infection in patients with hematological malignancies and severe immunodefi-ciency.Measures for the prevention and control of hospital-acquired infections were implemented for patients with Fusarium infection and the ward.CONCLUSIONS The clinical manifestations of patients with hematological tumors combined with Fusarium infection are complex and varied with high mortality rates.MNGS testing is valuable in the early diagnosis of Fusarium infection,and it is necessary to explore new treatment options and hospital-ac-quired infectious disease prevention and control measures to improve the prognosis.

Objective:To review the Minimal Clinically Important Difference(MCID)of EQ-5D-3L calculated by anchor-based method,evaluate the reliability of existing MCID,and provide reference thresholds for the interpretation of clinical research results.Methods:CNKI,PubMed,Embase and others were searched from inception to June 30,2023.The nonparametric tests were used to analyze the impact of statistical methods and sample size on MCID.Results:A total of 51 studies were eventually included.Studies were primarily prospective in design,32 studies focused on musculoskeletal disorders,37 studies used a single anchor,45 studies adopted patient-perspective anchor,and the Receiver Operating Characteristic(ROC)curve was the main statistical analysis method.A total of 160 MCID were obtained from 51 studies,ranging from 0.003 to 0.540,and only 3 MCID from 2 studies were rated as"high reliability"across all core items of the evaluation instrument.It is found that statistical analysis methods,sample size,and measurement time interval all significantly affect MCID.Conclusion:The disease type in EQ-5D-3L MCID studies were not abundant and unbalanced,and the heterogeneity of MCID measured in the included studies was high.The reliability evaluation results showed that the existing MCID has poor reliability in all items except the first and second items of the evaluation instrument.

Objective:To review the Minimal Clinically Important Difference(MCID)of EQ-5D-3L calculated by anchor-based method,evaluate the reliability of existing MCID,and provide reference thresholds for the interpretation of clinical research results.Methods:CNKI,PubMed,Embase and others were searched from inception to June 30,2023.The nonparametric tests were used to analyze the impact of statistical methods and sample size on MCID.Results:A total of 51 studies were eventually included.Studies were primarily prospective in design,32 studies focused on musculoskeletal disorders,37 studies used a single anchor,45 studies adopted patient-perspective anchor,and the Receiver Operating Characteristic(ROC)curve was the main statistical analysis method.A total of 160 MCID were obtained from 51 studies,ranging from 0.003 to 0.540,and only 3 MCID from 2 studies were rated as"high reliability"across all core items of the evaluation instrument.It is found that statistical analysis methods,sample size,and measurement time interval all significantly affect MCID.Conclusion:The disease type in EQ-5D-3L MCID studies were not abundant and unbalanced,and the heterogeneity of MCID measured in the included studies was high.The reliability evaluation results showed that the existing MCID has poor reliability in all items except the first and second items of the evaluation instrument.

Objective:To explore differences in the clinical and pathological features and postoperative survival after radical resection of biliary tract cancer in different locations such as intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma,perihilar cholangiocarcinoma,distal cholangiocarcinoma,and gallbladder cancer.Methods:This is a retrospective case series study. The clinical and pathological data of 4 852 patients with biliary tract cancer admitted to the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi ′an Jiaotong University from January 2013 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 2 110(43.49%%) patients were male and 2 742(56.51%) patients were female,aged from 26 to 88 years with age of (61.3±10.8) years. Observation indicators: (1) The distribution,diagnosis and treatment of patients with biliary tract cancer; (2) Comparison of clinical and pathological features of patients with biliary tract cancer after curative-intent resection; (3) Survival analysis of patients with biliary tract cancer after curative-intent resection; (4) Analysis of effect on adjuvant therapy for patients with biliary tract cancer after curative-intent resection. One-way analysis of variance,Kruskal-Wallis H test and χ 2 test were used for among-group comparisons,respectively. Survival univariate analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test. Results:Among the 4 852 patients with biliary tract cancer,there were 2 303 cases (47.46%) of gallbladder cancer,952 cases (19.62%) of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma,892 cases (18.38%) of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma,and 705 cases(14.53%) of distal cholangiocarcinoma. From the perspective of the year of diagnosis and treatment,the overall number of patients diagnosed and treated for biliary tract cancer has shown an upward trend. From the perspective of diagnosis and treatment,the curative-intent resection rate was 33.37%(1 619/4 852),and the curative-intent resection rate of distal cholangiocarcinoma was higher than that of other biliary tract cancer ( χ2=23.897, P<0.01). Univariate analysis showed that there were statistical differences in gender,age,bile duct stones,total bilirubin at admission,carcinoembryonic antigen,CA19-9,CA125,the degree of pathological differentiation,vascular invasion,microvascular invasion,perineural invasion,surgical margins,pT staging,and pN staging among patients for biliary tract cancer in different locations (all P<0.05). Survival comparison analysis showed that recurrence-free survival and overall survival of patients with gallbladder cancer after curative-intent resection were significantly better than those of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma,perihilar cholangiocarcinoma,and distal cholangiocarcinoma ( χ 2=87.780,83.717,both P<0.01). Comparing the postoperative prognosis of patients with biliary tract cancer between the two periods of 2013 to 2017 and 2018 to 2022, the results showed that recurrence-free survival and overall survival of patients with biliary tract cancer from 2018 to 2022 were significantly better than those from 2013 to 2017 ( χ 2=31.202,25.615, both P<0.01),and the proportion of early recurrence and short-term death after curative-intent resection was significantly reduced ( χ 2=21.588,9.623, both P<0.01),with gallbladder cancer being the most significant ( P<0.01). Postoperative adjuvant therapy for patients with biliary tract cancer can effectively prolong recurrence-free survival and overall survival ( χ 2=5.033,11.273,both P<0.05). Conclusions:Gallbladder cancer remains the most common biliary tract cancer with a relatively favorable prognosis after radical resection. There are significant differences in the clinical and pathological features of biliary tract cancer in different locations,and patients with adjuvant therapy effectively improving prognosis.

Objective:To evaluate the long-term outcomes and predictors of coronary atherosclerotic lesions deemed functionally non-ischemic (quantitative flow ratio(QFR)>0.80) and deferred from intervention.Methods:This study is a post-hoc analysis of the FAVOR Ⅲ China trial, which enrolled 3 825 patients with stable or unstable angina pectoris or with myocardial infarction occurring at least 72 hours prior to screening, between December 5, 2018 and January 9, 2020 from 26 research centers in China. Coronary vessels with QFR>0.80 and without interventional treatment were analyzed in this study. The primary endpoint was 3-year target vessel revascularization. Vessels with revascularization (revascularized group) during follow-up were matched 1∶1 using propensity score matching to comparable vessels without revascularization (non-revascularized group). Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for target vessel revascularization (TVR).Results:A total of 6 212 functionally negative vessels with deferred intervention were included in the final analysis, among which 153 vessels (2.5%) underwent TVR during a 3-year follow-up. Prior to propensity score matching, 6 059 vessels comprised the non-revascularized group. At the vessel level, compared to the non-revascularized group, the revascularized group exhibited a significantly higher proportion of males (79.1% (121/153) vs. 70.2% (4 253/6 059), P=0.018), higher body mass index ((25.6±4.0) kg/m2 vs. (24.3±5.2) kg/m2, P=0.003), and a higher prevalence of hypertension (73.9% (113/153) vs. 65.1% (3 944/6 059), P=0.025). And 152 pairs of vessels were successfully matched. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified in-stent restenosis lesions ( HR=2.59, 95% CI 1.28-5.23, P=0.008) as an independent risk factor for target vessel revascularization. Conclusions:Coronary lesions classified as functionally non-ischemic at baseline are not entirely stable and may progress to lesions that requiring revascularization over time. In-stent restenosis emerges as a critical independent predictor of revascularization.

Objective:Investigate the impact of calcification on the long-term outcomes of patients with coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Patients who underwent PCI and had at least one CTO lesion at Fuwai Hospital between January 2010 and December 2013 were consecutively enrolled. Calcification was evaluated by coronary angiography, and patients were divided into two groups: moderate/severe calcification group and non/mild calcification group. Clinical follow-up was completed up to 5 years. Incidence of PCI-related complications and immediate procedural outcomes were compared between two groups, and the primary endpoint was the target lesion failure (TLF) at 5 years after PCI. Clinical follow-up endpoint events were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis with log-rank test, and Cox multivariate regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between calcification and TLF.Results:The study included 2 659 CTO patients with an age of (57.2±10.5) years, of whom 442 (16.6%) were female, and among whom 13.5% (360/2 659) had moderate/severe calcification. Compared with the non/mild calcification group, the moderate/severe calcification group had a higher incidence of PCI-related complications (43.2% (156/361) vs. 32.5% (772/2 374), P<0.001) and procedural failure (34.3% (124/361) vs. 24.3% (577/2 374), P<0.001). Additionally, the moderate/severe calcification group showed a higher risk of the primary endpoint event (TLF) during the 5-year follow-up (19.8% vs. 15.3%, log-rank P=0.028). Higher incidence of cardiac death was observed in moderate/severe calcification group (5.7% vs. 2.7%, log-rank P=0.003). Cox multivariate regression analysis revealed that moderate/severe calcified plaques remained an independent risk factor for 5-year TLF after CTO-PCI ( HR=1.34, 95% CI: 1.01-1.79, P=0.043). Conclusion:Compared with CTO patients with non/mild calcification, those with moderate/severe calcification have higher procedural failure and complication rates, as well as poorer long-term prognosis, mainly due to an increase in cardiac death.