OBJECTIVE: To explore the morphological characteristics of the postero-superior protuberance of the calcaneus and to explore its relationship with Haglund malformation. METHODS: Ankle lateral X-ray films of 391 hospitalized patients between May 2021 and June 2024 were retrospectively collected. The morphological parameters of the postero-superior protuberance of the calcaneus were measured, including the length of the base, the height of the base, and the tip angle of the postero-superior protuberance of the calcaneus, and the morphological types were classified according to the above parameters, including the peak type, the hill type, and the flat type. The related parameters of Haglund malformation were measured, including Fowler-Philipp angle (FPA), calcaneal pitch angle (CPA), parallel pitch line (PPL), Chauveaux-Liet angle (CLA), and X/Y ratio (total calcaneal length/length of greater tuberosity of calcaneus). The differences of the morphological parameters of the postero-superior protuberance of the calcaneus and the related indicators of Haglund deformity among the three types and between the males and the females were compared and analyzed, and the differences of the positive numbers of the related indicators of Haglund deformity among the three types were compared. RESULTS: According to the morphological parameters of the postero-superior protuberance of the calcaneus, there were 64 cases of peak type, 245 cases of hill type, and 82 cases of flat type. There was no significant difference in the length of the base of the postero-superior protuberance of the calcaneus, CPA, CLA, and X/Y ratio among the three types ( P>0.05). Among the three types, the peak type had the largest FPA and the flat type had the smallest ( P<0.05); the peak type had the smallest tip angle of the postero-superior protuberance of the calcaneus and the flat type had the largest ( P<0.05); the positive rate of PPL in the hill type was significantly higher than that in the peak type and flat type ( P<0.05); the height of the base of the postero-superior protuberance of the calcaneus in the flat type was the smallest ( P<0.05). FPA, CPA, CLA, PPL, and X/Y ratio were positive in 2, 42, 172, 142, and 77 patients, respectively. There was no significant difference in the number of positive Haglund deformity indicators among the three types ( P>0.05). There was no significant difference between male and female patients in the tip angle of the postero-superior protuberance of the calcaneus, FPA, the positive rate of PPL, and X/Y ratio ( P>0.05). The length and the height of the base of the postero-superior protuberance of the calcaneus, CPA, and CLA in male patients were significantly higher than those in female patients ( P<0.05). CONCLUSION The postero-superior protuberance of the calcaneus can be divided into three types: the peak type, the hill type, and the flat type. The peak type is more likely to suffer from Haglund deformity, and the males are more likely to suffer from Haglund deformity than the females.
Humans ; Calcaneus/anatomy & histology* ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Radiography ; Child ; Aged

In recent years,a growing body of research has demonstrated that acupuncture can be used to effectively treat a diverse range of diseases,including functional gastrointestinal disorders,cardiovascular diseases,as well as anxiety and depression,through the modulation of the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus(PVN).Acupuncture may exert its therapeutic effect either by modulating specific neurons within the PVN,such as corticotropin releasing hormone(CRH)neurons,or by regulating the release of hormones,such as oxytocin(OXT)and vasopressin(VP),and the activity of neural circuits associated with the PVN.This review summarizes the mechanisms by which PVN is involved in acupuncture treatment,including its regulatory mechanisms in gastrointestinal diseases,cardiovascular diseases,and negative emotions and pain.Future research should be conducted to further explore the precise mechanisms by which acupuncture regulates PVN to treat diseases,focusing on clarifying the specific processes of signaling pathway transduction,and exploring the specific effects of acupunture of different acupoint combinations and stimulation frequencies and intensity on PVN.

Objective To compare the diagnostic values of different detection methods for respir-atory pathogens in children with acute respiratory infections.Methods A total of 862 children with a-cute respiratory infections were enrolled,and their throat swab samples were tested for seven common respiratory pathogens by the dual amplification method and a self-built nucleic acid detection system.For samples with inconsistent results between the two methods,nested polymerase chain reaction(PCR)was performed for verification.Results The positive detection rate of the dual amplification method was 57.75％,which was significantly higher than 30.14％of the self-built nucleic acid detec-tion system,and the detection rate of mixed infections was 10.14％,which was also significantly high-er than 1.97％of the self-built nucleic acid detection system(P＜0.05).The sensitivity of the dual amplification method was 91.63％,which was significantly higher than 72.61％of the self-built nu-cleic acid detection system,and the specificity was 92.31％,which was also significantly higher than 75.62％of the self-built nucleic acid detection system(P＜0.05).Conclusion The dual amplifica-tion method can simultaneously detect the ribonucleic acid of seven respiratory pathogens with high sensitivity and specificity,demonstrating significant clinical application value.

Objective:To investigate the application of endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy (EUS-LB) to liver transplant recipients.Methods:In this retrospective cohort study, a total of 12 liver transplant recipients who underwent EUS-LB by the same endoscopist and specimens were diagnosed and reported by the same pathologist due to abnormal liver function or need to be evaluated for graft fibrosis in the Organ Transplantation Center of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University were enrolled into the EUS-LB group from December 2021 to March 2022, meanwhile, a total of 23 patients whose PLB was completed by the same hepatologist and specimens were diagnosed by the same pathologist during the same period were enrolled in the PLB group. Acquisition of liver specimens and postoperative adverse events of the two groups were compared.Results:Patients in both groups were punctured 1-2 times on average, and the median total length of liver specimens in the EUS-LB group was significantly longer than that in the PLB group (61 mm VS 17 mm, Z=11.362, P=0.002). There was no significant difference in the length of the longest liver specimens between the two groups (17.6±6.9 mm VS 13.7±3.5 mm, t=2.382, P=0.086), while the number of liver specimens in the EUS-LB group was more than that in the PLB group (4.8±2.1 VS 2.3±1.2, t=9.271, P=0.001). The number of complete portal tracts was 11.3±4.6 in the EUS-LB group and 6.2±3.3 in the PLB group ( t=8.457, P=0.003). Abdominal pain was the only postoperative adverse event, and only 1 patient in the EUS-LB group had postoperative abdominal pain, which was fewer than that in the PLB group [8.3% (1/12) VS 43.5% (10/23), χ2=4.893, P=0.036]. Conclusion:Compared with PLB, EUS-LB delivers longer liver biopsy specimens with more complete portal tracts in liver transplant recipients, and fewer recipients complain about postoperative pain in EUS-LB group. Therefore, EUS-LB is a safer, more effective and more comfortable liver biopsy method.

Objective:To explore the value of 18F-fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI) PET/CT in the assessment of early-stage graft fibrosis (S1-S2) after liver transplantation (LT). Methods:From November 2021 to April 2022, 17 adult liver transplant recipients (12 males and 5 females; age (52.6±7.9) years) in the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University were enrolled retrospectively in this study. All 17 patients received laboratory examinations, FibroScan, 18F-FAPI PET/CT and liver biopsy. According to the Scheuer scoring system, hepatic tissue was divided into no fibrosis (S0) and early fibrosis (S1-S2). Independent-sample t test was used to compare SUV max between two groups, and Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare liver stiffness measurement (LSM). ROC curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of LSM and SUV max in the early fibrosis of liver grafts. Delong test was used to compare the difference of AUCs. Results:Among 17 adult LT recipients, 11 were in stage S0, 5 were in stage S1, and 1 was in stage S2. There were significant differences in LSM and SUV max between no fibrosis group and early fibrosis group (LSM: 5.4(4.7, 6.6) vs 12.9(5.6, 19.9) kPa, z=-2.01, P=0.044; SUV max: 1.7±0.8 vs 3.9±1.6, t=-3.14, P=0.019). The threshold value of LSM in predicting early-stage graft fibrosis was 8.2 kPa and the AUC was 0.80 (95% CI: 0.54-0.95), which was 2.0 and 0.92 (95% CI: 0.78-1.00) for SUV max respectively. There was no significant difference in AUC between the two tools ( z=0.80, P=0.421). Conclusion:18F-FAPI PET/CT can precisely evaluate the early fibrosis of allografts, with the similar diagnostic efficacy with FibroScan (LSM), which is expected to be a new non-invasive diagnostic tool for predicting the early-stage of graft liver fibrosis.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with de-novo non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (de-novo NAFLD) and patients with de-novo NAFLD combined with metabolic syndrome (MS) after liver transplantation (LT) , and to determine the related risk factors.Methods:Patients who underwent LT at the Organ Transplantation Center, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, from Jan. 2016 to Oc. 2020 and were monitored until Oct. 2021 were gathered. The recipients were divided into the group with/without de-novo NAFLD, and LT recipients with de-novo NAFLD were divided into the group with/without combined MS. Clinical characteristics of the LT recipients with de-novo NAFLD combined with MS were analyzed. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for LT recipients with de-novo NAFLD and those with combined MS.Results:A total of 324 LT recipients with a median follow-up of 2.9 years (range: 2.0-4.3 years) were included in the study. De-novo NAFLD was diagnosed in 21.0% (68/324) of the LT recipients, and MS was diagnosed in 44.1% (30/68) of these patients. Compared with LT recipients without de-novo NAFLD, those with de-novo NAFLD had higher preoperative body mass index (BMI) , blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin levels and lower platelet levels, and longer postoperative follow-up, higher BMI, waist circumference, albumin, triglycerides (TG) , low-density lipoprotein (LDL) , blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin levels, and the incidence of MS (all P<0.05) . Preoperative platelets, glucose, postoperative albumin, LDL and BMI were independent risk factors for predicting de-novo NAFLD after LT (all P<0.05) . Preoperative glucose performed well in predicting the occurrence of de-novo NAFLD (threshold: 5.5mmol/L, P<0.001, AUC=0.678) . The differences in Pre-LT blood glucose, post-LT BMI, waist circumference, prevalence of prediabetes or diabetes, fatty liver index (FLI) , and NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS) between de-novo NAFLD LT recipients with and without combined MS were significantly different (all P<0.05) . Conclusions:The incidence of de-novo NAFLD after LT is noteworthy, and LT recipients with de-novo NAFLD are more likely to have a combination with MS. In preoperative treatment, keeping blood glucose to 5.5 mmol/L or below trends helps to lower the risk of de-novo NAFLD following LT. LT recipients’ nutritional state and lipid levels require prompt care. High albumin levels might not be a desirable thing. De-novo NAFLD LT recipients with concomitant prediabetes or diabetes may imply an increased risk of developing comorbid MS during the post-LT follow-up. Controlling FLI levels in LT recipients with de-novo NAFLD may reduce the risk of developing comorbid MS.

Objective:To explore the clinical applications and therapeutic outcomes of immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)on liver transplantation(LT)recipients after tumor development.Methods:Eight databases including PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, CQVIP, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Google scholar were accessed for searching the relevant literature articles in both Chinese and English from the establishment of databases to December 31, 2021. Disease response, adverse reactions and prognoses of patients with malignant tumors after LT and receiving ICIs were analyzed.Results:The patient was diagnosed as chronic rejection plus drug-induced liver injury by liver biopsy. After intermittent treatment with DPMAS plus plasma exchange and immunosuppressants, he finally died of tumor recurrence at 37 months after LT. After screening, a total of 28 articles on the application of ICIs after LT were retrieved. In these articles, there were 47 patients(37 males and 10 females)with a median age of 57(14-71)years and the predominant type of tumor after LT was hepatocellular carcinoma(28/47, 59.6%), followed by malignant melanoma in 11 cases (23.4%), non-small cell lung cancer in 3 cases(6.4%), colorectal cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and post transplant lymphoproliferative disease(PTLD) in 1 case(2.1%). The overall remission rate after ICI treatment was 29.8%(14/47)and the disease progression rate 68.1%(32/47). Among them, 31.9%(15/47)had immune rejection. Case fatality rate was 61.7%(29/47)and median survival time 6.5(0.3-48.0)months.Conclusions:Depending on existing publications, among those LT recipients with malignant tumors treated by ICIs, the rate of graft rejection and patient mortality are higher. ICIs should be carefully considered for LT patients and further researches are required.