Objective:To develop an artificial intelligence system using fully convolutional neural networks（FCN）to assist echocardiographers in the quantitative assessment of mitral regurgitation（MR）severity.Methods:From August 2021 to June 2024，echocardiographic images of 441 patients with MR were prospectively collected from Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University and the Central Hospital of Wuhan. After screening，a total of 269 patients（4 917 frames）were included in the study. Of these，3 644 frames（128 patients）of apical four-chamber color Doppler MR flow convergence images from Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University were selected as the training/validation set，while images from 121 patients（813 frames）were used as the internal test set. Additionally，images from 20 patients（460 frames）from the Central Hospital of Wuhan were selected as the external test set. The FCN algorithm was employed to capture features and segment the MR color region on the left atrial side，simultaneously outputting the regurgitant radius（r）for the calculation of the effective regurgitant orifice area and regurgitant volume. The severity of MR was then classified according to the 2017 guidelines of the American Society of Echocardiography. The segmentation and classification performance of the model was evaluated，and the measurement results of the AI system was compared with that of both senior and junior physicians.Results:In the internal test set，the accuracy of r identification for cases classified as Grade Ⅰ to Ⅳ was 0.48，0.81，0.86，and 0.87，respectively. In the external test set，the accuracy of r identification for cases classified as Grade Ⅰ to Ⅳ was 0.60，0.77，0.64，and 0.77，respectively. The average accuracy of MR classification in the internal and external test sets was 0.91 and 0.88，respectively.Conclusions:The FCN model is capable of segmenting the left atrial side regurgitant areas in apical four-chamber heart color Doppler images，aiding physicians in obtaining quantitative assessment parameters for MR，and assisting junior physicians in accurately assessing the severity of MR.

Objective:To investigate lymph node metastasis(LNM)in the prostatic anterior fat pad(PAFP)of PCa patients after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy(RARP),and analyze the clinicopathological features and prognosis of LNM in the PAFP.Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological data on 1 003 cases of PCa treated by RARP in the Department of Urolo-gy of PLA General Hospital from January 2017 to December 2022.All the patients underwent routine removal of the PAFP during RARP and pathological examination,with the results of all the specimens examined and reported by pathologists.Based on the pres-ence and locations of LNM,we grouped the patients for statistical analysis,compared the clinicopathological features between different groups using the Student's t,Mann-Whitney U and Chi-square tests,and conducted survival analyses using the Kaplan-Meier and Log-rank methods and survival curves generated by Rstudio.Results:Lymph nodes were detected in 77(7.7％)of the 1 003 PAFP samples,and LNM in 11(14.3％)of the 77 cases,with a positive rate of 1.1％(11/1 003).Of the 11 positive cases,9 were found in the upgraded pathological N stage,and the other 2 complicated by pelvic LNM.The patients with postoperative pathological stage≥T3 constituted a significantly higher proportion in the PAFP LNM than in the non-PAFP LNM group(81.8％[9/11]vs 36.2％[359/992],P=0.005),and so did the cases with Gleason score ≥8(87.5％[7/8]vs 35.5％[279/786],P=0.009).No statisti-cally significant differences were observed in the clinicopathological features and biochemical recurrence-free survival between the pa-tients with PAFP LNM only and those with pelvic LNM only.Conclusion:The PAFP is a potential route to LNM,and patients with LNM in the PAFP are characterized by poor pathological features.There is no statistically significant difference in biochemical recur-rence-free survival between the patients with PAFP LNM only and those with pelvic LNM only.Routine removal of the PAFP and inde-pendent pathological examination of the specimen during RARP is of great clinical significance.

Objective:To investigate the differences between high-frequency ultrasound-guided manual detorsion combined with surgery(MD+S)and surgery alone in the treatment of testicular torsion,and to provide some new evidence for the timely diagno-sis and treatment of the disease.Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data on 134 cases of unilateral testicular torsion within 48 hours treated in our hospital by MD+S or by surgery alone from January 2015 to May 2022.We statistically analyzed the age distribution,and duration and degrees of testicular torsion,followed by comparison between the two groups.Results:In the 134 ca-ses,the median age of onset was 15(13-19)years old,the median onset-to-visit time was 15(8-25)hours,and the median de-gree of torsion was 360°(180°-1080°).Of the total number of patients,21 underwent testicular excision and the other 113 were treated with the testis preserved,with no statistically significant difference in age distribution between the two groups(P＞0.05),and a higher rate of testis resection in those with longer duration and greater angle of torsion(P＜0.05).Totally,33 of the patients were assigned to the MD+S group and 101 to the surgery alone group.According to the actual clinical conditions and excluding those with torsion time longer than 24 hours and torsion angle greater than 720 °,28 of the patients underwent ultrasound-guided MD+S(with 1 case of testis resection,3.6％),and 68 received surgery alone(with 7 cases of testis resection,10.3％).The rate of testis resection was higher in the surgery alone than that in the MD+S group,but with no statistically significant difference between the two groups(P＞0.05),which was considered to be related to the small sample size in this study.Conclusion:The popularization of testicular torsion knowledge can shorten the onset-to-visit time,and reasonable manual detorsion before emergency surgery can reduce the rate of testis resection.

Objective:To explore the optimal cut-off value of aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) for primary aldosteronism screening in hypertensive populations stratified by sex and age.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. Patients who were diagnosed with hypertension from November 2016 to December 2023 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University were included. Upright direct renin concentration (DRC) and plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) were measured using chemiluminescence, and the ARR was calculated as PAC/DRC. Patients were divided into primary aldosteronism and primary hypertension groups based on the results of comprehensive screening tests and confirmatory tests (saline infusion test and/or captopril challenge test). Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between ARR and age. Patients were stratified by age (≤40, >40 to 50, >50 to 60, and >60 years) and sex. The efficacy of ARR for primary aldosteronism screening was assessed by drawing the receiver operating characteristic curve and calculating the area under curve ( AUC), and to explore the optimal cut-off values for different ages and sexes. Results:A total of 1 282 hypertensive patients were enrolled, aged 46.0 (37.0, 56.0) years with 746 males. ARR showed a positive correlation with age in both primary aldosteronism ( r=0.168, P=0.007) and primary hypertension patients ( r=0.327, P<0.001). In the general population, male patients, and female patients, the AUC values of ARR screening for primary aldosteronism were 0.975 (95% CI 0.967-0.982), 0.989 (95% CI 0.983-0.995), 0.957 (95% CI 0.942-0.972), respectively. In the four groups of patients ≤40, >40 to 50, >50 to 60, and >60 years, the AUC values of ARR screening for primary aldosteronism were 0.990 (95% CI 0.983-0.997), 0.973 (95% CI 0.958-0.988), 0.965 (95% CI 0.947-0.982), 0.958 (95% CI 0.933-0.984), respectively. In the four groups of patients aged ≤40, >40 to 50, >50 to 60, and >60 years, the optimal ARR cut-off values for primary aldosteronism screening were 2.31, 2.67, 2.94, and 3.68 (ng·dl -1)/(mU·L -1)(1 ng/dl=27.7 pmol/L), respectively. The optimal ARR cut-off values for primary aldosteronism screening were 2.37 and 2.94 (ng·dl -1)/(mU·L -1) in male and female patients, respectively. Conclusion:The optimal cut-off value of ARR in the screening of primary aldosteronism increases with age, and the optimal cut-off value of ARR in female patients is higher than that in male patients. The ARR cut-off value should be selected individually based on the patient′s characteristics in clinical practice.

Objective:To develop an artificial intelligence system using fully convolutional neural networks（FCN）to assist echocardiographers in the quantitative assessment of mitral regurgitation（MR）severity.Methods:From August 2021 to June 2024，echocardiographic images of 441 patients with MR were prospectively collected from Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University and the Central Hospital of Wuhan. After screening，a total of 269 patients（4 917 frames）were included in the study. Of these，3 644 frames（128 patients）of apical four-chamber color Doppler MR flow convergence images from Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University were selected as the training/validation set，while images from 121 patients（813 frames）were used as the internal test set. Additionally，images from 20 patients（460 frames）from the Central Hospital of Wuhan were selected as the external test set. The FCN algorithm was employed to capture features and segment the MR color region on the left atrial side，simultaneously outputting the regurgitant radius（r）for the calculation of the effective regurgitant orifice area and regurgitant volume. The severity of MR was then classified according to the 2017 guidelines of the American Society of Echocardiography. The segmentation and classification performance of the model was evaluated，and the measurement results of the AI system was compared with that of both senior and junior physicians.Results:In the internal test set，the accuracy of r identification for cases classified as Grade Ⅰ to Ⅳ was 0.48，0.81，0.86，and 0.87，respectively. In the external test set，the accuracy of r identification for cases classified as Grade Ⅰ to Ⅳ was 0.60，0.77，0.64，and 0.77，respectively. The average accuracy of MR classification in the internal and external test sets was 0.91 and 0.88，respectively.Conclusions:The FCN model is capable of segmenting the left atrial side regurgitant areas in apical four-chamber heart color Doppler images，aiding physicians in obtaining quantitative assessment parameters for MR，and assisting junior physicians in accurately assessing the severity of MR.

Objective:To explore the potential categories and influencing factors of medication compliance in patients with cardiometabolic multimorbidity, and provide a reference for formulating targeted intervention measures.Methods:A cross-sectional study design was adopted. From March to October 2024, the patients with cardiometabolic multimorbidity in the First Hospital Affiliated with Hunan Normal University (Hunan Provincial People′s Hospital) were selected by convenience sampling method as research objects. Data were collected using a general information questionnaire, Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS), Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), and Medication Literacy Questionnaire. The latent class analysis was used to explore the characteristics and classifications of medication compliance in cardiometabolic multimorbidity, and unordered multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of different latent classes.Results:A total of 421 subjects were included, consisting of 291 males and 130 females, aged (64.28±9.74) years old. The overall medication adherence score was 6.00 (5.00, 8.00) points, which could be divided into four categories: overall good adherence group (24.47%, 103/421), subjective perception-poor adherence group (15.91%, 67/421), forgetfulness-poor adherence group (37.53%, 158/421), and overall poor adherence group (22.09%, 93/421). The results showed that when taking the overall good adherence group as a reference, the inability to obtain pharmaceutical information from social media, medication literacy scores, social support scores were the influencing factors for the subjective perception-poor adherence group ( OR=4.210, 0.516, 0.733, all P<0.05). Occupational characteristics (employees in public institutions or government-affiliated institutions), age, social support scores were the influencing factors for the forgetfulness-poor adherence group( OR=0.173, 1.155, 0.781, all P<0.05). Occupational characteristics (employees in public institutions or government-affiliated institutions), failure to receive medication guidance from medical staff, medication literacy scores and social support scores were the influencing factors for the overall poor adherence group( OR values were 0.136-5.275, all P<0.05). When taking the overall poor adherence group as a reference, failure to receive medication guidance from medical staff and medication literacy scores were the influencing factors for the subjective perception-poor adherence group ( OR=0.310, 1.752, both P<0.05). Failure to receive medication guidance from medical staff, age, medication literacy scores and social support scores were the influencing factors for the forgetfulness-poor adherence group ( OR values were 0.315-2.554, all P<0.05). Conclusions:There is significant heterogeneity in medication adherence among patients with cardiometabolic multimorbidity. Healthcare professionals should consider individual characteristics in clinical practice and provide targeted, precise interventions to improve adherence in different patient categories.

Objective:To summarize the current status and research hotspots in volume management among patients with heart failure, and to predict future research trends.Methods:Literature related to volume management in heart failure patients published between January 1, 2004 and August 1, 2024 was retrieved from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Web of Science Core Collection databases. CiteSpace software was used to perform visual analysis of publication volume, authors, institutions, countries, and keywords.Results:A total of 5 008 articles were retrieved, of which 145 were Chinese and 202 were English publications. The overall publication trend showed a steady increase over the past two decades. The most prolific author was Fudim (7 publications), the leading institution was Mayo Clinic (14 publications), and the country with the highest output was the United States (91 publications). Keyword co-occurrence, clustering, and burst detection analyses revealed that current research hotspots in both Chinese and English literature mainly focus on the management and control of volume overload, exploration of nursing strategies, and patient self-management and home-based rehabilitation. Emerging trends include out-of-hospital volume overload control and intelligent volume management technologies.Conclusions:Research on volume management in heart failure patients is evolving toward diversification and integration. Clinical interventions and standardized guidelines have gained increasing attention. Home-based volume management and overload control continue to be key areas of interest. In the future, the integration of artificial intelligence and the development of individualized home self-management programs will likely become important directions to improve the quality of life in patients with heart failure.

Objective:To analyze the risk factors associated with future exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who have no history of exacerbation in the past year.Methods:COPD patients with no exacerbation history in the past year, registered in the RealDTC study from January 2018 to December 2023, were enrolled. Demographic data, COPD Assessment Test (CAT) scores, modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea questionnaire scores, forced expiratory volume in the first second predicted of percentage (FEV 1%pred), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV 1) to forced vital capacity (FVC), Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) classification, GOLD groups, and inhaled medication regimens were collected. All patients were followed up for one year, and the number of exacerbations was recorded. Patients were divided into an exacerbation group and a non-exacerbation group based on the occurrence of exacerbations during the follow-up period. Logistic regression analysis was used to screen the influencing factors for exacerbations in COPD patients. Results:A total of 2 901 COPD patients were included, among which 633 patients (21.8%) experienced exacerbations during the follow-up period. Compared with the non-exacerbation group, patients in the exacerbation group were older, with higher CAT and mMRC scores, lower body mass index (BMI), FEV 1%pred, and FEV 1/FVC. The proportions of patients with high school education or above and those using long-acting β 2-agonist (LABA) + long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) medications were also lower (all P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that age ( OR=1.010, 95% CI: 1.000-1.021), CAT score ≥20 ( OR=1.415, 95% CI: 1.074-1.865), education level of junior high school or below ( OR=1.243, 95% CI: 1.003-1.540), LABA + LAMA inhalation ( OR=0.605, 95% CI: 0.432-0.848), and BMI ( OR=0.969, 95% CI: 0.943-0.995) were independent risk factors for future exacerbations in COPD patients with no exacerbation history in the past year (all P<0.05). Conclusions:The risk of future exacerbations remains high in COPD patients with no exacerbation history in the past year. High CAT scores, low education levels, and low BMI are associated with future exacerbations. Clinicians should pay close attention to the management of such patients and implement appropriate interventions.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS)is a common respiratory emergency,but current clinical treatment remains at the level of symptomatic support and there is a lack of effective targeted treatment measures.Our previous study confirmed that inhalation of hydrogen gas can reduce the acute lung injury of ARDS,but the application of hydrogen has flammable and explosive safety concerns.Drinking hydrogen-rich liquid or inhaling hydrogen gas has been shown to play an important role in scavenging reactive oxygen species and maintaining mitochondrial quality control balance,thus improving ARDS in patients and animal models.Coral calcium hydrogenation(CCH)is a new solid molecular hydrogen carrier prepared from coral calcium(CC).Whether and how CCH affects acute lung injury in ARDS re-mains unstudied.In this study,we observed the therapeutic effect of CCH on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)induced acute lung injury in ARDS mice.The survival rate of mice treated with CCH and hydrogen inhalation was found to be comparable,demonstrating a significant improvement compared to the untreated ARDS model group.CCH treatment significantly reduced pulmonary hemorrhage and edema,and improved pulmonary function and local microcirculation in ARDS mice.CCH promoted mitochon-drial peripheral division in the early course of ARDS by activating mitochondrial thioredoxin 2(Trx2),improved lung mitochondrial dysfunction induced by LPS,and reduced oxidative stress damage.The results indicate that CCH is a highly efficient hydrogen-rich agent that can attenuate acute lung injury of ARDS by improving the mitochondrial function through Trx2 activation.

With the rapid development of competitive sports, the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is on the rise. Such injuries may shorten athletes′ career and lead to other long-term adverse consequences. Although athletes generally recover well after ACL reconstruction, many still struggle to return to their pre-injury performance levels. Advances in the understanding of ACL anatomy and injury mechanisms, along with the evolution of surgical techniques and rehabilitation methods, have provided more individualized and tailored options for athletes following ACL injuries. However, there is currently no consensus in China regarding surgical and rehabilitation strategies for competitive athletes aiming to return to sports after ACL injuries. To this end, the Sports Medicine Committee of the Chinese Research Hospital Association and the Editorial Board of the Chinese Journal of Trauma jointly formulated the Expert consensus on surgical treatment and rehabilitation for competitive sports athletes returning to sports after anterior cruciate ligament injury ( version 2025), and presented 14 recommendations covering surgical indications, preoperative rehabilitation, surgical timing, surgical strategies and postoperative rehabilitation strategies, aiming to improve the surgical treatment and rehabilitation system for ACL injuries in competitive athletes and facilitate their return to high-level sports performance after injury.