Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and neurophysiological features of patients with neuralgic amyotrophy (NA) and explore their neurological function status.Methods:Clinical data and neurophysiological findings of 90 patients diagnosed with NA at Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital from September 2016 to January 2024 were collected and their clinical phenotypes and neurophysiological characteristics were systematically summarized and analyzed.Results:Among the 90 patients, males accounted for 60.0% (54 cases) and females accounted for 40.0% (36 cases). The duration of the disease was 12 (3, 36) months (ranged from 1 week to 5 years). The onset age of the patients was 58 (30, 70) (21-87) years. Unilateral involvement was noted in 94.4% (85/90) of patients, exhibiting a left-to-right ratio of 1∶1.3, while only 5.6% (5/90) had bilateral involvement. The majority of patients demonstrated a monophasic clinical course with a recurrence rate of just 2.2% (2/90). The primary clinical manifestations included upper limb pain in 70.0% (63/90) of patients, which progressed to muscle weakness and atrophy within 1 day to 1 month, whereas 30.0% (27/90) of patients without significant pain symptoms. Lesions predominantly affected the upper trunk of the brachial plexus, which accounted for 64.4% (58/90) of patients. Distal nerve injuries in the upper limb were observed in 14.4% (13/90) of patients, with 6.7% (6/90) demonstrating isolated anterior interosseous nerve involvement and another 6.7% (6/90) exhibiting isolated posterior interosseous nerve involvement; 1 case had concurrent anterior and posterior interosseous nerve damage. Additionally, 1 case presented with bilateral phrenic nerve involvement, and another patient had isolated posterior tibial nerve injury. Electrophysiological evaluations of patients with NA revealed that axonal damage to motor nerve fibers was a hallmark feature of the condition. Among patients undergoing motor nerve conduction studies, 68.8% (55/80) exhibited decreased compound muscle action potential amplitude, and 31.3% (25/80) had prolonged latency. Sensory nerve conduction was normal in 60.0% (48/80) of patients, while abnormalities included prolonged latency in 15.0% (12/80), reduced amplitude in 12.5% (10/80), slowed conduction velocity in 8.8% (7/80), and absent waveforms in 3.8% (3/80) of patients. The rates of abnormal nerve conduction findings in motor nerves were the highest in the suprascapular nerve (70.6%, 36/51), followed by the axillary nerve (58.3%, 35/60), musculocutaneous nerve (50.7%, 35/69), long thoracic nerve (6/17), and both anterior and posterior interosseous nerves (7.5%, 6/80 each). In sensory nerves, abnormalities were predominantly noted in the lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerve (30.0%, 12/40). Needle electromyography demonstrated neurogenic damage, most frequently affecting the infraspinatus muscle (69.2%, 18/26), biceps brachii (68.1%, 49/72), and deltoid muscle (65.3%, 47/72). The positive rate of magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) for NA was 62.1% (41/66), among which 63.4% (26/41) showed localized swelling of the brachial plexus, 51.2% (21/41) exhibited T 2 hyperintensity, and 4.9% (2/41) demonstrated denervated changes in the muscles. The positive rate of ultrasound for NA was 71.1% (59/83), with 91.5% (54/59) showing nerve swelling and 8.5% (5/59) exhibiting hourglass constriction .Conclusions:NA is a peripheral neuropathy characterized by spontaneous pain, limb weakness, and (or) muscle atrophy primarily. Its clinical phenotype predominantly involves damage to the upper trunk of the brachial plexus, which can also manifest as isolated mononeuropathy. Neurophysiological findings most commonly reveal the neurogenic damage to the muscles innervated by the upper trunk of the brachial plexus, mainly characterized by the axonal damage to the motor nerves, and pure motor nerve damage may also be observed. MRN and neuroultrasound can assist in qualitative diagnosis.

Objective:To explore the association between postoperative radiotherapy for bladder cancer and the risk of second primary rectal cancer.Methods:Eligible 75 120 patients with bladder cancer from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result database (SEER) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) (1975-2017) were enrolled in this study. The second primary cancers referred to rectal cancers patients suffered after more than five years post-treatment for bladder cancer, and the cumulative incidence was estimated using Fine-Gray competing risk regression. The relative risk (RR) of rectal cancer in patients treated with or without radiotherapy (the RT group or the NRT group) was evaluated using Poisson regression.Results:Among the 75 120 patients, 70 045 (92.4%) were Caucasian, with a median age of 65.8 years (54-74 years). A total of 2 236 (3%) received postoperative radiotherapy, while 72 884 (97%) received surgery alone. The 30-year follow-up revealed a cumulative incidence of rectal cancer of 0.93% in the RT group and 0.43% in the NRT group ( P = 0.004). The competing risk regression analysis identified a significant association between radiotherapy and rectal cancer ( HR: 1.86; 95% CI 1.26-2.74, P < 0.009). Furthermore, the RR of radiotherapy-associated rectal cancer significantly increased as the diagnosis occurred earlier (1975-1985 vs. 1985-1994: RR 2.59; 95% CI 1.20-4.86, P < 0.001), and a lower age at the time of radiotherapy was associated with a higher probability of second primary tumors (≤50-year old vs. > 50 year old : RR 7.89, 95% CI 2.97-21.30, P < 0.001). As calculated using the Poisson distribution, the RR of second rectal tumors was higher in the RT group ( RR: 2.20, 95% CI 1.45-3.18, P < 0.001), even after adjusting the date of diagnosis ( RR: 1.77, 95% CI 1.17-2.57, P = 0.009). Conclusions:An increased risk of rectal cancer following bladder cancer radiotherapy necessitates aggressive follow-ups for the purpose of early detecting second primary rectal cancer associated with bladder cancer radiotherapy.

Aural vertigo frequently encountered in the otolaryngology department of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） mainly involves peripheral vestibular diseases of Western medicine， such as Meniere's disease， benign paroxysmal positional vertigo， vestibular neuritis， and vestibular migraine， being a hot research topic in both TCM and Western medicine. Western medical therapies alone have unsatisfactory effects on recurrent aural vertigo， aural vertigo affecting the quality of life， aural vertigo not relieved after surgery， aural vertigo with complex causes， and children's aural vertigo. The literature records and clinical practice have proven that TCM demonstrates unique advantages in the treatment of aural vertigo. The China Association of Chinese medicine sponsored the "17th youth salon on the diseases responding specifically to TCM： Aural vertigo" and invited vertigo experts of TCM and Western medicine to discuss the difficulties and advantages of TCM diagnosis and treatment of aural vertigo. The experts deeply discussed the achievements and contributions of TCM and Western medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of aural vertigo， the control and mitigation of the symptoms， and the solutions to disease recurrence. The discussion clarified the positioning and advantages of TCM treatment and provided guidance for clinical and basic research on aural vertigo.

Objective:To explore the prenatal ultrasound phenotype and genetic basis of two fetuses with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the ultrasound imaging data of two fetuses suspected for WHS at the Prenatal Diagnostic Center of Qingyuan People′s Hospital in July 2017 and August 2019, respectively. Amniotic fluid samples of the two fetuses were subjected to chromosomal karyotyping and chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA). This study was approved by Medical Ethics Committee of the Qingyuan People′s Hospital (Ethics No. IRB-2022-064).Results:Prenatal ultrasound examination of the two fetuses had consistently revealed WHS-associated traits including intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), craniofacial abnormalities and cardiovascular anomalies. Karyotyping analysis suggested that both fetuses had harbored cryptic chromosomal translocations involving partial deletion of 4p. And parental verification revealed that it was de novo for fetus 1 and paternal for fetus 2. CMA has confirmed that fetus 1 had an approximately 8.7 Mb deletion at 4p16.3p16.1 and a 6.8 Mb duplication at 8p23.1p23.1, whilst fetus 2 had a 20.05 Mb deletion at 4p16.3p15.31 and a 7.66 Mb duplication at 9p24.3p24.1. The karyotype of fetus 1 was determined as 46, XN, der(4)t(4; 8)(p16.1; p23.1)dn.arr[hg19]4p16.3p16.1(68345_8721580)×1, 8p23.3p23.1(158048_6933745)×3, and that of fetus 2 was determined as 46, XN, der(4)t(4; 9)(p15.3; p24)dpat.arr[hg19]4p16.3p15.31(68345_20116061)×1, 9p24.3p24.1(208454_7868292)×3. Conclusion:The 4p deletion is probably the main cause for the WHS phenotype in both fetuses. WHS should be suspected when IUGR, renal anomalies, craniofacial and cardiovascular abnormalities are detected upon prenatal ultrasound screening.

Objective To determine the optimal conditions for CXCR4 upregulation by comparing the expression levels of chemokine(C-X-C motif)receptor 4(CXCR4)in MSCs cultured with varying concentrations of oxygen and hydrogen peroxide(H2O2).Methods MSCs were cultured with 0.1％,1％,or 3％O2 and 50 μmol/L H2O2 for different lengths of time(3,6,12,and 24 h).The mRNA and protein expressions of CXCR4 in MSCs were measured by real-time quantitative PCR(qPCR),Western blotting,and immunofluorescence staining.The viability and chemotactic ability of MSCs were measured using CCK-8,wound-healing and Transwell migration assays.Results Both hypoxia and H2O2 treatment were found to upregulate MSC expressions of CXCR4 to some extent.The mRNA and protein levels of CXCR4 were higher after 6-12 h of culture of MSCs with 3％O2,and significantly higher when treated with H2O2 for 6 h.Cell viability was significantly increased after culture with 3％O2 compared with the control group and both 3％O2 and H2O2 pretreatment could enhance chemotactic migration in MSCs.Conclusion Culture with 3％O2 and H2O2 pretreatment can upregulate CXCR4 expressions in MSCs and enhance migration in cells,with superior effects observed with 3％O2.Therefore,treatment with 3％O2 represents the best choice for upregulating the chemotactic ability of MSCs.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of standard treatment with or without adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with highly malignant non-metastatic prostate cancer.Methods:In this prospective non-randomized controlled study, consecutive non-metastatic prostate cancer patients with pathologically proven Gleason score of 9-10 or Gleason score of 5 admitted to Peking University First Hospital were enrolled. Four to six cycles of chemotherapy using docetaxel ± carboplatin regimen were added or not after standard radical therapy. The primary end point was 5-year event-free survival (EFS), and the secondary end points were distant metastasis-free survival (MFS), overall survival (OS), and treatment-related adverse events. The survival curve was drawn by Kaplan-Meier method. The differences between two groups were analyzed by log-rank test.Results:A total of 176 patients were consecutively enrolled from November 2019 to January 2022 of which 138 patients received only standard radical therapy (control group), and 38 patients received adjuvant chemotherapy after standard radical therapy (chemotherapy group). The median follow-up time was 13.4 (2.0-34.0) months. All patients survived. The 30-month EFS rates in the chemotherapy and control groups were 100% and 85.6%, respectively ( P=0.064). There were no events in the chemotherapy group, while there were 12 cases of events in the control group, including 6 cases of biochemical recurrence and 6 cases of imaging progression. The 30-month MFS rates in two groups were 100% and 91.9%, respectively ( P=0.205). After the 1 vs. 2 propensity score matching, the EFS and MFS rates in two groups were 100% vs. 85.7% ( P=0.056), and 100% vs. 92.2% ( P=0.209), respectively. The incidence rates of grade 2 and above urinary toxicity in the chemotherapy and control groups were 2.6% and 7.2% ( P=0.354), respectively. The incidence rates of grade 2 and above rectal toxicity were 5.3% and 5.1% ( P=0.711), respectively. Grade 3 and above chemotherapy-related toxicity in the chemotherapy group were leukopenia (31.6%), thrombocytopenia (2.6%) and alopecia (13.2%). Conclusion:The addition of adjuvant chemotherapy after standard radical therapy tends to improve the overall EFS of patients with highly malignant prostate cancer, and the adverse effects are tolerable, which should be confirmed by long-term follow-up results.

Objective : To investigate the protective effect and mechanism of Hudi Enteric capsules in ionizing radiation injury to small intestinal crypt cells (IEC⁃6 cells) in rats. Methods : IEC⁃6 cells were irradiated with 6 mega electron volt X ⁃rays (2 , 4 , 6 , 8 and 10 Gy) , cell clone formation assay was used to detect cell proliferation , and the 6 Gy ionizing radiation was selected to establish a cellular radiation damage model according to the cell survival rate. The effect of each concentration ( 12. 5 , 25 , 50 , 100 and 200 μg/ml) of Hudi enteric extract on the viability of IEC⁃6 cells was examined by cell counting kit⁃8(CCK⁃8) method , and the effect on the viability of IEC⁃6 cells after irradiation at ( 10 , 20 , 40 and 80 μg/ml) concentrations was examined according to the results. After obtaining the optimal irradiation dose and extract concentration , the cells were divided into control group , model group and Hudi extract group (80 μg/ml) , the control group was pseudo⁃irradiated and the other two groups received 6 Gy of ionizing radiation , and the Hudi enteric extract group was pre⁃treated with drugs 2 h before irradiation. Apoptosis was detected by Annexin V ⁃PI double staining; cell senescence was detected by β ⁃galactosidase (β⁃Gal) staining; reactive oxygen species was detected by DCFH⁃DA fluorescent probe ; the corresponding protein expression of p16 , p21 , Catalase (CAT) and Superoxide dismutase ( SOD2) was detected by Western blot. Results : The proliferation of IEC⁃6 cells was inhibited by radiation doses ranging from 4 Gy to 10 Gy(P < 0. 001) ; (P < 0. 001) , and the apoptosis rate , β ⁃Gal positivity rate and DCFH⁃DA fluorescence intensity in the Hudi enteric extract group were lower than those in the model group (P < 0. 05) . The protein expressions of CAT and SOD2 in the Hudi extract group were higher than those in the model group ( P < 0. 05) , and the protein expressions of p16 and p21 were lower than those in the model group (P < 0. 05) . Conclusion The mechanism of action of Hudi enteric capsules that attenuate radiation damage in IEC⁃6 cells may be related to the inhibition of reactive oxygen species production , reduction of oxidative stress , and attenuation of cellular senescence and apoptosis.

The clinical utilization of doxorubicin (Dox) in various malignancies is restrained by its major adverse effect: irreversible cardiomyopathy. Extensive studies have been done to explore the prevention of Dox cardiomyopathy. Currently, ferroptosis has been shown to participate in the incidence and development of Dox cardiomyopathy. Sorting Nexin 3 (SNX3), the retromer-associated cargo binding protein with important physiological functions, was identified as a potent therapeutic target for cardiac hypertrophy in our previous study. However, few study has shown whether SNX3 plays a critical role in Dox-induced cardiomyopathy. In this study, a decreased level of SNX3 in Dox-induced cardiomyopathy was observed. Cardiac-specific Snx3 knockout (Snx3-cKO) significantly alleviated cardiomyopathy by downregulating Dox-induced ferroptosis significantly. SNX3 was further demonstrated to exacerbate Dox-induced cardiomyopathy via induction of ferroptosis in vivo and in vitro, and cardiac-specific Snx3 transgenic (Snx3-cTg) mice were more susceptible to Dox-induced ferroptosis and cardiomyopathy. Mechanistically, SNX3 facilitated the recycling of transferrin 1 receptor (TFRC) via direct interaction, disrupting iron homeostasis, increasing the accumulation of iron, triggering ferroptosis, and eventually exacerbating Dox-induced cardiomyopathy. Overall, these findings established a direct SNX3-TFRC-ferroptosis positive regulatory axis in Dox-induced cardiomyopathy and suggested that targeting SNX3 provided a new effective therapeutic strategy for Dox-induced cardiomyopathy through TFRC-dependent ferroptosis.

Abstract: Objective To analyze the resistance and spatial distribution of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) to six commonly used anti-tuberculosis drugs in Qinghai Province from 2016 to 2019, so as to provide a reference for tuberculosis treatment and drug-resistant tuberculosis control. Methods A total of 1 182 identified strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Qinghai Province from 2016 to 2019 were collected, and 6 anti-tuberculosis drugs were subjected to drug susceptibility tests and strain confirmed by the proportional method. By means of ArcMap10.7 and SaTScan10.1 software, map visualization, spatial autocorrelation analysis and spatial scanning of MTB drug resistance were performed to identify MTB drug resistance clusters in Qinghai Province. Results From 2016 to 2019, the total drug resistance (TDR) rate of 1 182 Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in Qinghai Province was 23.77% (281/1 182), with a mono-resistance (MR) rate of 11.08% (131/1 182), a poly-resistance (PDR) rate of 3.89% (46/1 182), a multi-drug resistance (MDR) rate of 8.80% (104/1 182), and an extensive drug resistance (XDR) rate of 0.85% (10/1 182). The rates of MDR, XDR and TDR all showed a decreasing trend year by year (P<0.01). The drug resistance spectrum displayed 21 combinations. The TDR rate and MDR rate in the retreatment patients were higher than those of the initial treated patients, and the difference was statistically significant (χ2 TDR=22.784, χ2MDR=45.082, P<0.01). In terms of demographic characteristics, the TDR rate in males was higher than that in females, and the middle-aged group was higher than other age groups, and the differences were statistically significant (χ2=7.541, 10.825, P<0.05). The results of global spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that there was no statistical significance in the autocorrelation and obvious spatial clustering of MTB drug resistance in Qinghai Province from 2016 to 2019 (P>0.05), which indicated a random distribution. The results of spatiotemporal scanning showed that there was a kind of clustering area, but the clustering effect was not significant (P>0.05), indicating a random distribution. Conclusions The TDR of MTB in Qinghai Province from 2016 to 2019 showed a downward trend year by year. In comparison with the national average, the rate of multi-drug resistance and extensive drug resistance was still high, and most of the multi-drug resistance resulted from rifampicin and isoniazid. The drugresistant population mainly consisted of retreatment, males, and young and middle-aged pop

Objective:To analyze the detection strategy and basic detection situation of markers of infectious diseases transmitted by transfusion in blood testing laboratories of blood stations in China.Methods:Based on the data of practice comparison working party of Blood Stations in Mainland of China from 2017 to 2021, the data on the testing strategies and the basic detection information of the markers for the transmission of infectious diseases through transfusion in the member laboratories of the practice comparison working party of Blood Stations in Mainland of China from 2017 to 2021 were collected, and the situation of the selection for testing markers, testing strategy and the testing method and other relevant aspects were sorted out and analyzed by charts.Results:The selection of the testing markers was consistent, but HTLV testing item was added in some member laboratories. The detection strategy of using two ELISA reagents and one nucleic acid testing (NAT) reagent simultaneously was adopted in 47 member blood stations; 3) NAT method was dominated by mini pool-NAT in member laboratories. The number of members adopting mini-pools of 8 (MP8)-NAT decreased from 17 in 2017 to 14 in 2021, while the number of members adopting mini-pools of 6 (MP6)-NAT increased from 13 in 2017 to 22 in 2021; Roche NAT system accounted for the largest proportion.Conclusions:In order to ensure blood safety and avoid missing detection, the blood stations still adopt the detection strategy of using two ELISA reagents and one nucleic acid testing (NAT) reagent simultaneously; Meanwhile, in order to increase the NAT positive rate, the proportion of mini pool-NAT mainly decreased year by year despite its dominating role, while the proportion of individual donation-NAT increased year by year; NAT method is transiting from mini-pools of 8 (MP8) to mini-pools of 6 (MP6); The proportion of imported NAT system used in NAT laboratory is relatively large.