AIM:To analyze the efficacy of modified Zhujing formula combined with intravitreal ranibizumab(IVR)injection in the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration(wARMD).METHODS: A prospective study was conducted on wARMD patients at the Ophthalmology Department of Yulin Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from September 2022 to October 2024. The study subjects were divided into the experimental group and the control group according to the random number table method. The control group received IVR treatment, while the experimental group was treated with modified Zhujing formula in addition to IVR injection. The clinical efficacy, TCM symptom scores, central retinal thickness(CRT), best corrected visual acuity(BCVA), macular hemorrhage area, choroidal neovascularization area(CNV), ocular hemodynamic parameters [resistance index(RI), maximum diastolic blood flow(EDV), maximum systolic blood flow(PSV)], and 1-year recurrence rate were compared between the two groups.RESULTS: This study included 60 eyes from 60 wARMD patients. Among them, the control group consisted of 30 patients and 30 eyes, while the experimental group consisted of 30 patients and 30 eyes. The age of the control group was 67.52±3.12 y, with 17 males and 13 females. The age of the experimental group was 67.62±3.04 y, with 18 males and 12 females.The clinical efficacy of the experimental group(97%)was higher than that of the control group(73%)(P<0.05). After treatment, the scores of blurred vision, soreness and weakness of the waist and knees, restlessness and insomnia, dizziness and tinnitus in the experimental group were all lower than those in the control group(all P<0.05); the EDV and PSV in the experimental group were both higher than those in the control group(both P<0.05); the BCVA, CRT, macular hemorrhage area, CNV and RI of the experimental group were all lower than those of the control group(all P<0.05), and the 1-year recurrence rate in the experimental group(3%)was lower than that in the control group(27%)(P<0.05). CONCLUSION:The combined use of modified Zhujing formula and IVR can effectively alleviate symptoms such as blurred vision and retinal hemorrhage in wARMD patients, improve vision and ocular hemodynamic conditions, and reduce the recurrence rate. This suggests that there may be a synergistic enhancing effect.

This article aimed to summarize the clinical experience of treating sjögren's syndrome of yin-deficiency and heat-toxin type based on the theory of exuberance of shaoyang ministerial fire accumulating to heat toxin. It is believed that sjögren's syndrome of yin-deficiency and heat-toxin type is attributed to dysfunction of shaoyang gallbladder， disruption in the circulation of sanjiao， stagnation of qi leading to fire， and prolonged accumulation of toxins causing damage. The core disease mechanism involves shaoyang dysfunction， hyperactivity of ministerial fire， and accumulation of heat toxins. In clinical practice， the therapeutic principles focus on regulating shaoyang， stabilizing and subduing ministerial fire， enriching yin and resolving toxins. For shaoyang dysfunction with internal stagnation of heat toxins， treatment should aim to unblock shaoyang， clear fire and expel toxins， using modified Sangchai Decoction （桑柴饮）； for shaoyang transformation into fire with symptoms of wood （the gallbladder） disease， the approach involves soothing and regulating gallbladder， clearing heat and resolving toxins， using modified Chaihu Shaoyao Decoction （柴胡芍药汤）； for disordered ministerial fire with excessive heat toxins， the strategy is to rescue the sovereign fire and stabilize the ministerial fire， employing modified Xinshen Liangjiao Decoction （心肾两交汤）； for unregulated ministerial fire with disordered distribution， treatment focuses on increasing body fluids and nourishing yin， stabilizing the ministerial fire， using modified Buyin Decoction （补阴汤）.

CT simulator has the functions such as original coordination positioning and radiotherapy resetting,and it can provide image and cooridiate information for radiotherapy.Through electronic density calibration,tissue inhomogeneity correction is carried out for supporting dose calculation in treatment planning system.With reference to relevant national standards,international guidelines,clinical functions of CT simulator and the practical experience of the center,a set of acceptance and commissioning testing scheme suitable for big bore CT simulator is presented,aiming to guide and assist the newly opened department in conducting comprehensive,safe and feasible acceptance and commissioning tests.The scheme includes the reference methods and tolerance standards of CT simulator machinery,image quality,radiation dose,radiotherapy related items and safety,so as to ensure the safety and accuracy of CT simulation and survival benefits.

CT simulator has the functions such as original coordination positioning and radiotherapy resetting,and it can provide image and cooridiate information for radiotherapy.Through electronic density calibration,tissue inhomogeneity correction is carried out for supporting dose calculation in treatment planning system.With reference to relevant national standards,international guidelines,clinical functions of CT simulator and the practical experience of the center,a set of acceptance and commissioning testing scheme suitable for big bore CT simulator is presented,aiming to guide and assist the newly opened department in conducting comprehensive,safe and feasible acceptance and commissioning tests.The scheme includes the reference methods and tolerance standards of CT simulator machinery,image quality,radiation dose,radiotherapy related items and safety,so as to ensure the safety and accuracy of CT simulation and survival benefits.

Objective:To investigate the performance of chromosome karyotype, chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in prenatal diagnosis of true fetal chromosome mosaicism. Methods:This retrospective study enrolled 40 women with true fetal chromosome mosaicism from 4 071 singleton pregnant women who were indicated for and underwent amniocentesis or/and cordocentesis in the the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from April 2018 to August 2021. The results of chromosome karyotyping, CMA and FISH, the types of chromosomal mosaicism, mosaicism ratio and pregnancy outcomes were analyzed using Chi-square test. Results:(1) The detection rate of true fetal mosaicism was 0.98% (40/4 071). (2) Sex chromosome mosaicism accounted for 42.5% (17/40). Other chromosomal mosaicism involved chromosomes 21, 22, 18, 16, 7, 12, 15, 17 and 20, as well as balanced chromosomal translocation. (3) The detection rate of true fetal mosaicism by chromosome karyotyping was 77.4% (24/31) from amniotic fluid samples and 10/19 from umbilical cord blood samples, while that data by CMA was 76.7% (23/30) and 7/11,respectively. (4) Of the 40 pregnant women with fetal chromosome mosaicism, FISH test was performed on 20 cases (14 cases were verified with both amniotic fluid and umbilical cord blood samples, five with amniotic fluid samples and one with umbilical cord blood sample), and all of the diagnosis of mosaicism were confirmed. For those with mosaicism ratio <30%, the detection rate by FISH was higher than that by CMA among amniotic fluid samples [14/19 vs 43.5% (10/23), χ2=3.88, P=0.049]. (5) Among the 40 pregnant women, five were lost to follow-up; 18 chose to terminate the pregnancy; and 17 continued the pregnancy to delivery. No abnormalities in mental or physical development were reported in the 17 neonates after birth or during on-line follow-up between 6 to 24 months old. Of the 14 pregnant women with mosaicism ratio <30% which confirmed by FISH, eight chose to continue the pregnancy, and no abnormalities in mental development or growth were found in the neonates. Conclusions:In prenatal diagnosis of true fetal choromosome mosaicism, the incidence of sex chromosome mosaicism is the highest. FISH may improve the prenatal diagnosis rate of mosaicism and is more accurate in determining the mosaicism ratio. The combination of FISH, CMA and chromosome karyotyping would significantly improve the detection rate of chromosomal mosaicism and assess the mosaicism ratio more accurately, which is of great value in clinical consultation and evaluation of fetal prognosis.

Abstract OBJECTIVE To investigate the specific binding of nucleic acid aptamers(k-α2ct) with plasminogen Kringle 5(K5) on the function of K5 in inhibiting proliferation and migration of vascular endothelial cells and promoting their apoptosis. METHODS The cloning and expression of recombinant K5 protein were performed by using a prokaryotic system, and the isolation and purification of the expressed K5 protein were performed by affinity chromatography. The affinity and specificity of K-a2ct and K5 were verified using isothermal titration calorimetry(ITC) and enzyme-linked oligonucleotide adsorption assay(ELONA). The effect of K-a2ct on the function of K5 in inhibiting the proliferation and migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVEC) was investigated by CCK-8 and cell scratch assay. The apoptotic morphology of HUVEC cells stained with Hoechst 33342 was observed by laser confocal microscopy, and the effect of K-a2ct on the apoptosis- promoting function of K5 in HUVEC cells was also examined by Annexin V/PI double-stained flow cytometry. RESULTS Recombinant protein K5 was efficiently expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by affinity chromatography, identified as having a relative molecular weight of 12 kDa and a concentration of 0.32 mg·mL-1. ITC and ELONA results demonstrated that K-a2ct had a strong affinity and good selectivity for K5, showing the affinity specificity of a typical nucleic acid aptamer. CCK-8 and cell scratching assays showed that K-a2ct could inhibit the anti-proliferation and anti-migration effects of K5 on HUVEC cells in a dose-dependent manner. The laser confocal and flow cytometry results showed that K-a2ct inhibited the apoptosis-promoting function of K5 on HUVEC cells, mainly affecting late apoptosis of HUVEC cells effected by K5 but having little effect on early apoptosis. CONCLUSION The nucleic acid aptamers K-a2ct binds to K5 with high affinity and specificity, and inhibits its anti angiogenic function in a dose-dependent manner. It has great potential in targeting the regulation of K5 concentration and function in vivo and promoting angiogenesis.

Objective:To propose a markless patient setup workflow based on the optical surface monitoring system (AlignRT) and open-face mask immobilization for whole-course head tumor radiotherapy, assess the setup time and repositioning frequency of the proposed workflow, and conduct a comparative analysis of the differences, correlation, and consistency of the setup errors of the AlignRT and cone beam CT (CBCT) systems.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted for the data on the errors of 132 fractionated setup based on open-face mask immobilization of 33 head tumor patients. AlignRT-guided markless patient setup workflow was applied throughout the radiotherapy. Meanwhile, the body structures automatically generated by the treatment planning system were used as body references. The 6-degree-of-freedom (6DoF) setup errors (lateral, vertical, longitudinal, rotation, pitch, roll, and yaw directions), setup time, and repositioning frequency of the AlignRT and CBCT systems were recorded and analyzed. The Wilcoxon and Spearman analyses were used to statistically assess the differences and correlation of the setup errors of the two systems. Moreover, the Bland-Altman analysis was employed to evaluate the consistency of the two systems.Results:The 6DoF setup errors of CBCT were within the clinical tolerance (linear motions: -0.30 to 0.30 cm; rotational motions: -2.0° to 2.0°). The setup time and repositioning frequency of CBCT were (98 ± 31) s and 1.51% (2/132), respectively. There was no significant difference in setup errors between the two systems except those in x-axis ( Z = -3.11, P= 0.002), y-axis ( Z = -7.40, P<0.001), and Pitch ( Z= -4.48, P<0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between the setup errors along lateral ( rs = 0.47, P<0.001) and vertical ( rs = 0.29, P = 0.001) directions, rotation (Rtn; rs = 0.47, P<0.001), pitch (Pitch; rs = 0.28, P = 0.001) and roll (Roll; rs = 0.45, P<0.001) of the two systems. The 95% limits of agreement (95% LoA) of 6DoF setup errors were -0.12 to 0.09 cm, -0.07 to 0.17 cm, -0.19 to 0.20 cm, -1.0° to 0.9 °, -1.0° to 1.5°, and -0.9° to 1.0°, respectively. The 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of 95% LoA was -0.14 to 0.11 cm, -0.09 to 0.19 cm, -0.23 to 0.23 cm, -1.2° to 1.1°, -1.2° to 1.7°, and-1.0° to 1.1°, respectively, all of which were within the permissible error ranges. The 6DoF setup error difference of 3.41% (27/792< 5%) was beyond the 95% LoA. The maximum absolute differences of 6DoF setup errors within the 95% LoA were 0.12, 0.16, 0.19 cm, 0.9°, 1.5°, and 1.0°, respectively. Conclusions:The proposed markless setup workflow based on AlignRT combined with open-face mask immobilization for whole-course head tumor radiotherapy exhibits reasonable agreement and consistency with the patient setup using CBCT, with acceptable clinical efficiency. It can be applied to the first radiotherapy and the real-time monitoring of therapy to improve the safety and thus is of value in clinical applications.

OBJECTIVE: To carry out genetic testing for 3 fetuses with abnormal prenatal screening. METHODS: Fetal ultrasound, karyotype analysis, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array and fluorescence in situ hybridization were performed. RESULTS: Abnormalities of chromosome 22 were found with all 3 fetuses. Fetus 1 harbored a 7.1 Mb deletion in 22q13.2q13.33 region, which involved 54 OMIM genes including SHANK3 and FBLN1. Fetus 2 had a mosaicism karyotype, with 12% of cells harboring a 6.6 Mb deletion in 22q13.31q13.33, covering 48 OMIM genes such as SHANK3 and PPARA, and 5% of cells harboring a 26.1 Mb duplication in 22q11.1q13.2 involving 285 OMIM genes. Fetus 3 carried a tandem duplication of 1.7 Mb in 22q11.1q11.21, which involved 10 OMIM genes including CECR1, CECR2 and ATP6V1E1. No abnormality was found in the three couples by chromosomal karyotyping and SNP array analysis. CONCLUSION The severity of diseases caused by chromosome 22 abnormalities not only depends on the range of the deletion or duplication, but is also closely related to chromosome structure, gene dose and genetic environment. Combined ultrasonography and various genetic testing techniques in prenatal diagnosis can greatly increase the detection rate of genetic diseases with substantial phenotypic variation.
Chromosome Aberrations ; Chromosome Deletion ; Chromosome Disorders ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 22 ; genetics ; Female ; Fetus ; Genetic Testing ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Karyotyping ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Transcription Factors ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal

Objective:To develop a new method to set up patients using optical surface monitoring system and to compare it with the conventional method in head radiotherapy.Methods:A total of 358 set-ups (130 with the conventional method and 228 with the new method ), which were from 99 head tumor patients in Beijing Cancer Hospital treated between May 2018 to April 2019, obtained by using Image Guided Radiotherapy were retrospectively analyzed. The distributions of set-up errors, the number of abnormal positions, and the set-up time were compared to evaluate the potential advantages of the new method .Results:The mean (± standard deviation) absolute values of setup errors of the new method were (0.07±0.07) , (0.08±0.06) and (0.06±0.06) cm for the vertical, lateral, and longitudinal, (0.53±0.41)°, (0.59±0.44)° and (0.59±0.46)° for the rotation, pitch and roll, respectively. In the new method , the setup accuracy was improved( t=3.24-6.10, P<0.001)and the number of abnormal positions was greatly reduced(χ 2=60.66, P<0.001). Compared with the conventional method, the patient setup time was slightly reduced by the new method , but the difference was not statistically significant ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The new high-precision method to set up patients using optical surface monitoring system improves the accuracy of patients′ position, decreases the corrections applied by 6DoF couch, reduces the probability of abnormal positions, and suggests the potential benefit in head radiotherapy.

Objective: To explore the clinical significance of a prenatal case with two small supernumerary marker chromosomes (sSMC) through identification of their origins. Methods: G-banding chromosomal karyotyping analysis were carried out on fetal amniotic fluid sample and peripheral blood samples from both patients. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and single nucleotide polymorphism-array (SNP-array) were used to analyze the component and size of the sSMCs. Results: The karyotype of the fetus was determined as 47, XX, + mar[53]/48, XX, + 2 mar[31]/46, XX[14]. SNP-array has revealed four copies of chromosome 2q11.1q11.2 with a size of 2.6 Mb and three copies of 10p11.23q11.23 with a size of 20.6 Mb. The results was confirmed by FISH. Conclusion A rare chromosomal abnormality with two sSMCs was identified by combined karyotype analysis, SNP-array and FISH, which provided valuable information for prenatal diagnosis.