Liver transplantation is the standard treatment for end-stage liver disease， but it has long been limited by the shortage of donor livers. In clinical practice， three types of donor liver （domino donor livers， small-for-size grafts， and steatotic donor livers） are limited due to issues such as metabolic defects， insufficient volume， and poor quality. This article systematically reviews the definition， clinical application， and bottlenecks of the above three types of donor livers and elaborates on the unique value and clinical practice advances of auxiliary liver transplantation （a special surgical procedure that retains part or all of the recipient’s own liver and superimposes donor liver function support） in avoiding small-for-size syndrome， compensating for metabolic defects， and expanding the application of marginal livers， in order to provide a targeted clinical practice reference for optimizing liver transplantation strategies for end-stage liver disease and improving donor liver utilization rate.

ObjectiveTo investigate the changes in coagulation system in acute decompensated cirrhosis （ADC） patients with or without sepsis and the association of these changes with short-term prognosis. MethodsA prospective study was conducted among 116 ADC patients who were hospitalized in Nanfang Hospital from January 2021 to July 2023， among whom there were 86 patients with sepsis and 30 patients without sepsis， and 54 patients with sepsis alone who had no chronic liver disease were enrolled as control group. Thromboelastography （TEG） and other conventional coagulation parameters were used to comprehensively evaluate the coagulation function of patients. The data including TEG results and short-term prognosis were collected， and a correlation analysis was performed. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The Spearman correlation coefficient was calculated to investigate the correlation between different variables. The Logistic regression model was used to perform the univariate and multivariate analyses. ResultsFor the ADC patients with sepsis， the lungs and bloodstream were the main infection sites， and bacteria were the main pathogenic microorganism. TEG results showed that compared with the patients with sepsis alone， the patients with ADC and sepsis had a significant reduction in median maximum amplitude （MA）， a significant increase in coagulation time （K time）， and a significant reduction in α angle （all P<0.05）； the patients with ADC and sepsis had a significantly longer reaction time （R time） than those with ADC alone （P=0.02）， and the patients with sepsis alone had a significantly longer R time than those with ADC and sepsis （P=0.04）. There was no correlation between MA and platelet count in the patients with ADC and sepsis （r=-0.133， P=0.057）， while there was a significant correlation between MA and platelet count in the patients with sepsis alone （r=0.595， P=0.001）. SOFA score was negatively correlated with MA in sepsis patients with or without ADC （r=-0.503 and -0.561， both P<0.001）， and for the patients with ADC and sepsis， R time， K time， and α angle were weakly correlated with SOFA score and had a relatively strong correlation with APTT （all P<0.05）. The patients with ADC alone all survived within 90 days， and compared with the death group， the patients with sepsis alone who survived had significantly higher values of MA and α angle （all P<0.05）； there was a significant difference in α angle on day 90 between the survival group and the death group， no matter whether the patients were comorbid with ADC or not （both P<0.01）， while for the patients with ADC and sepsis， there was no significant difference in MA value on day 90 between the survival group and the death group （P>0.05）. ConclusionFor ADC patients comorbid with sepsis， coagulation function assessment and monitoring should be taken seriously in clinical practice， and TEG parameters and SOFA score should be monitored when necessary to develop individualized treatment regimens.

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by radical surgery has been a common practice for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer, but the response rate varies among patients. This study aimed to develop a ResNet-Vision Transformer based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-endoscopy fusion model to precisely predict treatment response and provide personalized treatment. METHODS: In this multicenter study, 366 eligible patients who had undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by radical surgery at eight Chinese tertiary hospitals between January 2017 and June 2024 were recruited, with 2928 pretreatment colonic endoscopic images and 366 pelvic MRI images. An MRI-endoscopy fusion model was constructed based on the ResNet backbone and Transformer network using pretreatment MRI and endoscopic images. Treatment response was defined as good response or non-good response based on the tumor regression grade. The Delong test and the Hanley-McNeil test were utilized to compare prediction performance among different models and different subgroups, respectively. The predictive performance of the MRI-endoscopy fusion model was comprehensively validated in the test sets and was further compared to that of the single-modal MRI model and single-modal endoscopy model. RESULTS: The MRI-endoscopy fusion model demonstrated favorable prediction performance. In the internal validation set, the area under the curve (AUC) and accuracy were 0.852 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.744-0.940) and 0.737 (95% CI: 0.712-0.844), respectively. Moreover, the AUC and accuracy reached 0.769 (95% CI: 0.678-0.861) and 0.729 (95% CI: 0.628-0.821), respectively, in the external test set. In addition, the MRI-endoscopy fusion model outperformed the single-modal MRI model (AUC: 0.692 [95% CI: 0.609-0.783], accuracy: 0.659 [95% CI: 0.565-0.775]) and the single-modal endoscopy model (AUC: 0.720 [95% CI: 0.617-0.823], accuracy: 0.713 [95% CI: 0.612-0.809]) in the external test set. CONCLUSION The MRI-endoscopy fusion model based on ResNet-Vision Transformer achieved favorable performance in predicting treatment response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and holds tremendous potential for enabling personalized treatment regimens for locally advanced rectal cancer patients.
Humans ; Rectal Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy/methods* ; Aged ; Adult ; Chemoradiotherapy/methods* ; Endoscopy/methods* ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:To report the blood group antigen and antibody specificity identification methods for a patient with high-frequency antibodies, and the process of finding and providing compatible blood for the patient.Methods:A patient sent from the Blood Transfusion Department of Shanxi Provincial People′s Hospital to Taiyuan Blood Center in November 2022 was selected for the study. Classical serological methods were used to determine the patient′s blood type, screen for unexpected antibodies, identify antibodies, and perform crossmatching. High-frequency antibody identification was carried out using red blood cells treated with various enzymes. Blood group genotyping was conducted using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) and Sanger sequencing. Multiple strategies were employed to address the patient′s blood source problem. The study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Taiyuan Blood Center [Ethics No. 2024 Ethics Review No.(2)].Results:①The patient′s blood type was B, RhD positive. Initial screening of the patient′s serum with multiple screening cells and antibody identification cells in saline medium was negative, but positive in antiglobulin medium. The patient′s serum showed varying reaction intensities with red blood cells treated with different enzymes. ②MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and Sanger sequencing revealed a homozygous nonsense variant c. 376C>T (p.Gln126Ter) in the ABCG2 gene, resulting in the Jr(a-) phenotype. During family donor selection, the patient′s son was found to have a heterozygous variant c. 376C>T (p.Gln126Ter), and another heterozygous variant c. 421C>A (p.Gln141Lys), which predicted a Jr(a+ w) phenotype. ③Crossmatch tests confirmed the compatibility of blood from the patient′s son, which was used to address the urgent blood requirement. Later, rare blood from a Jr(a-) donor from the Guangzhou Blood Center was used for the patient′s ongoing treatment, saving the patient′s life. Conclusion:Combining classic serological testing with blood group gene typing techniques successfully identified the rare Jr(a-) blood type and high-frequency anti-Jra antibodies. Enzyme-treated red blood cell identification methods confirmed the presence of anti-Jra antibodies. By searching within the family and seeking help from other blood centers, compatible blood was found. This approach may provide insights for resolving similar complex blood matching problems in the future.

Objective:To explore the regulatory mechanisms underlying the weak expression of ABO blood group antigens due to variants in the non-coding regions of the ABO gene. Methods:From June 2014 to October 2023, a total of 29 samples from the Taiyuan Blood Center and local hospitals, which were serologically identified as having weak ABO antigen expression without detectable coding region mutations, were selected for this study. Full-length ABO gene sequencing was performed using third-generation long-read sequencing technology (Pacific Biosciences) to obtain complete haplotype sequences of the ABO gene. Variants in the non-coding regions were compared and identified to infer their regulatory effects on weak antigen expression. The procedures followed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the World Medical Association′s Declaration of Helsinki (2013 revision). The Medical Ethics Committee of Taiyuan Blood Center has granted an exemption from ethical review. Results:18 bp deletions in the -35 to -18 region of the promoter were identified in 7 samples. Variants in intron 1 (+ 5.8 kb) were detected in 7 samples, including ABO* A (28+ 5792_5793delCT (1 case) and ABO* B (28+ 5793T>C) located in the GATA binding region; ABO* B (28+ 5808C>T) (1 case) in the E-box region; and ABO* B (28+ 5875C>T) (4 cases) in the RUNX1 binding region. Nucleotide variants at splice sites were detected in 2 samples, namely ABO* B (C.98+ 1G>A) and ABO* B (C.204-2A>C). Conclusion:Variants in the non-coding regulatory sequences of the ABO gene are a significant factor contributing to weak ABO antigen expression. In clinical ABO sequencing, it is essential to screen not only the conventional coding regions but also the flanking sequences, introns, and splice sites of the ABO gene to facilitate precise blood transfusion.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of antiviral therapy and influencing factors of hepatitis B surface antigen(HBsAg) negative conversion for hepatitis B e antigen(HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B(CHB) in children.Methods:The clinical data of 38 children with CHB who received antiviral treatment in Children's Hospital Affiliated to Xi'an Jiaotong University from January 2019 to August 2024 were collected.All patients were treated with interferon alpha monotherapy or combined with nucleoside analogues for 48 weeks.The patients were divided into HBsAg negative group and HBsAg non-negative group according to the therapeutic results at 48 weeks.Multivariate Logistic regression were used to identify influencing factors of HBsAg negative conversion at 48 weeks.The receiver operator characteristic（ROC）curve was used to analyze the predictive value of each factor to HBsAg negative conversion.Results:The alanine aminotransferase normalization rate，hepatitis B virus DNA negative rate，HBeAg negative rate and HBsAg negative rate were 76.3%，94.7%，39.5% and 47.4%，respectively at 48 weeks.There were 18 cases in HBsAg negative group and 20 cases in HBsAg non-negative group.There were statistical significant differences in age and HBsAg decline level at 12 and 24 weeks of antiviral treatment between HBsAg negative group and HBsAg non-negative group（ P<0.05）.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age and HBsAg decline level at 12 and 24 weeks of antiviral treatment were independent predictors of HBsAg negative conversion at 48 weeks（ OR=0.664，95% CI 0.473-0.932， P=0.018； OR=8.719，95% CI 1.920-39.604， P=0.005； OR=6.182，95% CI 2.083-18.347， P=0.001）.The area under the curve of age and HBsAg decline level at 12 and 24 weeks were 0.737（95% CI 0.576-0.899， P=0.012），0.847（95% CI 0.725-0.969， P<0.001）and 0.939（95% CI 0.811-0.991， P<0.001），respectively.When the age was less than 4.625 years，the sensitivity，specificity，positive predictive value and negative predictive value of HBsAg negative conversion at 48 weeks were 83.3%，65.0%，68.2% and 81.3%，respectively.A decrease in HBsAg level of >1.07 lg IU/mL at 12 weeks of treatment had a sensitivity，specificity，positive predictive value，and negative predictive value of 72.2%，90.0%，86.7%，and 78.3%，respectively，for predicting HBsAg seroclearance at 48 weeks.A reduction in HBsAg of >1.92 lg IU/mL at 24 weeks of treatment showed a sensitivity，specificity，positive predictive value，and negative predictive value of 83.3%，90.0%，88.2%，and 85.7%，respectively，in predicting HBsAg seroclearance at 48 weeks. Conclusion:The children with CHB have a higher rate of HBsAg negative conversion after antiviral therapy at 48 weeks.Age and HBsAg decline level at 12 and 24 weeks of antiviral treatment can serve as early predictors for HBsAg negative conversion in children with CHB.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of non-typhoidal Salmonella（NTS）enteritis in children and the drug resistance of NTS strains.Methods:The clinical data of 138 children who were hospitalized in Children's Hospital Affiliated to Xi'an Jiaotong University from 2022 to 2023 with diarrhea as the main complaint and NTS detected in stool culture were analyzed retrospectively, and the clinical characteristics and drug resistance were summarized.Results:Among 138 children with NTS enteritis，89 were males and 49 were females，with a male-to-female sex ratio of 1.81∶1 and an average age of 1.9（1.0,3.6）years，with a high incidence rate in June,July and August.Seventeen（12.31%）cases had a history of suspected unclean diet before illness.All the children had diarrhea symptoms with changes in fecal frequency and character，including 74 cases of pus and bloody stool，119 cases of mucus stool，and 70 cases of watery stool.One hundred and twenty-five（90.57%）cases had fever.Among 138 cases of fecal culture,there were 47 (34.05%) strains of Salmonella typhimurium,36(26.09%) strains of Salmonella enteritidis,and 55(39.85%) strains of other serotypes of Salmonella .One hundred and twenty-two（88.40%）NTS strains were resistant to more than one antimicrobial agent，and 29（21.01 %）were multi-drug resistant.The resistance rates to ampicillin，ampicillin/sulbactam，ceftriaxone，trimethoprim/sulfamethazole，ceftazidime，cefepime and piperacillin/tazobactam were 73.91%，71.01%，29.71%，29.71%，23.19%，11.59%，and 3.62%，respectively.All strains were sensitive to carbapenem antibiotics（meropenem，imipenem，and ertapenem）.The drug resistance rates of Salmonella typhimurium to ceftazidime and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole were higher than those of Salmonella enteritidis（38.30% vs 8.33%），the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). Conclusion:Infants and young children are the high-incidence group of NTS enteritis，with the peak incidence period being from June to August each year，manifested by mucus-pus-blood stools, abdominal pain, vomiting，fever and other symptoms.Reasonable selection of antibiotics in time according to the local epidemic strains,changes of antimicrobial resistance and the results of drug sensitivity test of strains can effectively resist infection and reduce the production of drug-resistant beads.

Objective To investigate the effect of Shugan Lipi Prescription on patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome(IBS-D)of liver stagnation and spleen deficiency type from the perspective of bile acid-intestinal flora axis imbalance.Methods From May 2022 to May 2023,a total of 122 patients with IBS-D of liver stagnation and spleen deficiency type admitted to the Xi'an No.9 Hospital were enrolled into the investigation.The patients were randomly divided into the control group and the observation group by random number table method,with 61 patients in each group.The control group was given conventional western medicine treatment with oral administration of Dicetel plus Compound Diphenoxylate Tablets and Bifidobacterium Quadruple Viable Tablets,and the observation group was treated with Shugan Lipi Prescription on the basis of treatment for the control group.One course of treatment covered seven days,and both groups were treated for four courses in total.The changes of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptom Severity Scale(IBS-SSS)score,levels of serum bile acid and the fecal levels of intestinal flora such as Bifidobacterium,Lactobacillus,and Enterococcus in the two groups of patients before and after treatment were observed.Moreover,the clinical efficacy and the incidence of adverse reactions during the treatment of the two groups were compared.Results(1)After four courses of treatment,the total effective rate of the observation group was 96.72%(59/61)and that of the control group was 83.61%(51/61),and the intergroup comparison(tested by chi-square test)showed that the efficacy of the observation group was significantly superior to that of the control group(P<0.05).(2)After treatment,the scores of IBS-SSS items such as abdominal pain,abdominal pain duration,abdominal distension,defecation satisfaction and life interference in the two groups were all decreased when compared with those before treatment(P<0.05),and the decrease in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P<0.01).(3)After treatment,the levels of serum taurodeoxycholic acid(TDCA),taurocholic acid(TCA)and taurolithocholic acid(TLCA)in the two groups were decreased when compared with those before treatment(P<0.05),and the decrease in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P<0.01).(4)After treatment,the fecal level of Enterococcus,a kind of pathogenic bacterium,in both groups was decreased when compared with that before treatment(P<0.05),and the fecal levels of probiotics of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in both groups were increased when compared with those before treatment(P<0.05).The effects on the decrease of fecal Enterococcus level and on the increase of fecal Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus levels in the observation group were significantly superior to those in the control group(P<0.05 or P<0.01).(5)The incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was 8.20%(5/61)and that in the control group was 6.55%(4/61),and the intergroup comparison showed that the difference was not statistically significant(P>0.05).Conclusion Shugan Lipi Prescription exerts certain therapeutic effect for IBS-D patients of liver stagnation and spleen deficiency type,and is with higher safety.Its therapeutic mechanism may be related to the restoration of the function of bile acid-intestinal flora axis.

Objective The prediction model of recurrence within two years after complete remission of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL)patients was constructed based on frienemy indecision region dynamic ensemble selection(FIRE-DES)to provide decision-making basis for the treatment of patients.Methods To collect data of 498 patients who achieved complete response after treatment from January 2010 to January 2020 in a Grade-A hospital in Shanxi Province.A FIRE-DES combination prediction model based on four common category-disequilibrium treatment methods was constructed and compared with five traditional single classifiers and two integrated classifiers.Results Among the four categories of unbalance algorithms,synthetic minority oversampling technique and edited nearest neighbor(SMOTE-ENN)algorithm has obtained the optimal classification performance.On this basis,the classification effect of dynamic ensemble selection performance(DESP),K-nearest oracle union(KNORAU)and meta-learning for dynamic ensemble selection(META-DES)dynamic integration selection algorithms is obviously superior to the traditional single classifier and ensemble classifier model.The classification effect of the improved DESP,KNORAU and META-DES dynamic selection algorithms based on Frienemy Indecision Region is further improved.The classification performance of FIRE-META-DES was the best(Accuracy=0.909,Precision=0.906,Recall=0.967,AUC=0.879,F1-Score=0.936,Brier Score=0.088).Conclusion Aiming at the actual DLBCL data set,SMOTE-ENN+FIRE-META-DES combined prediction model for recurrence used in this paper achieves the optimal performance and low computational complexity,which can provide a strong reference for DLBCL recurrence prediction.

Hypoxia inducible factors(HIFs)are core molecules that enable the body to adapt to hypoxia environments.By sensing changes in intracellular oxygen pressure,HIFs regulate gene expression related to hypoxia adaptation,thereby enhancing the body's hypoxia tolerance at cellular,tissue and organ levels.On the other hand,HIFs promote the generation of red blood cells,angiogenesis,and regulate the body's energy metabolism,thereby improving its hypoxia tolerance.The enhancement of hypoxia tolerance is of great significance for the prevention and treatment of hypoxia-related diseases,upgrading of athletes'performance,enhancement of workers'efficiency at high-altitudes,and the improvement of individu-als'quality of life.This article reviews the relationships between HIFs and hypoxia tolerance as well as related mechanisms in order to provide strategies for enhancing hypoxia tolerance in the body.