Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Buyang Huanwu Decoction combined with medium-frequency pulsed electrical stimulation in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP).Methods:A randomized controlled trial study was conducted. A total of 86 patients with DPNP in the endocrinology department of Xi'an Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from September 2020 to September 2023 were selected as the observation objects and divided into 2 groups through the random number table method, with 43 cases in each group. The control group was combined with medium-frequency pulsed electrical stimulation on the basis of conventional Western medical treatment, while the observation group was supplemented with Buyang Huanwu Decoction on the basis of the control group. Both groups were treated for 12 weeks. TCM syndrome scores were conducted before and after the treatment respectively. The Toronto Clinical Scoring System (TCSS) was used to grade the severity of neuropathy. The motor nerve conduction velocity (MCV) and sensory nerve conduction velocity (SCV) of the median nerve and common peroneal nerve were detected by electromyography evoked potential tester. Adverse reactions during the treatment were recorded to evaluate the clinical efficacy.Results:The total effective rate was 93.02% (40/43) in the observation group and 74.42% (32/43) in the control group, with statistical significance between the two groups ( χ2=5.46, P=0.019). After treatment, the scores of shortness of breath and fatigue, end-limb pain, listlessness, dull tongue and the total score in the observation group were lower than those in the control group ( t values were 3.06, 3.42, 3.09, 3.57 and 3.98 respectively, P<0.05); the scores of neurological symptoms, neural reflexes and sensory function examinations were lower than those in the control group ( t values were 4.54, 6.28 and 5.16 respectively, P<0.01). After treatment in the observation group, MCV of the median nerve [(47.96±5.98) m/s vs. (42.02±5.74) m/s, t=4.70] and SCV [(54.90±6.29) m/s vs. (48.04±6.16) m/s, t=5.11] were higher than those in the control group. The MCV of the common perbular nerve [(41.76±6.27) m/s vs. (37.04±6.18) m/s, t=3.52] and SCV [(50.35±6.41) m/s vs. (46.14±6.13) m/s, t=3.12] were higher than those in the control group ( P<0.01 or P<0.05). During the treatment period, the incidence of adverse reactions was 11.63% (5/43) in the observation group and 9.30% (4/43) in the control group, without statistical significance between the two groups ( χ2=0.12, P=0.725). Conclusion:Buyang Huanwu Decoction combined with medium-frequency pulsed electrical stimulation can effectively improve the degree of neuropathy in patients with DPNP, increase nerve conduction velocity, alleviate TCM syndromes, enhance clinical efficacy and has good safety.

Objective:To develop an artificial intelligence（AI）-based sequential ultrasound-magnetic resonance imaging（US-MRI）diagnostic strategy to optimize the imaging workflow for ovarian masses.Methods:A total of 1 120 patients with pathologically confirmed ovarian masses who underwent both preoperative pelvic ultrasound and MRI between January 2021 and December 2023 at Women's Hospital，Zhejiang University School of Medicine were retrospectively included. Patients were randomly divided into the training（ n=672）and internal test set（ n=448）at a ratio of 6∶4. An external test set（ n=128）was established at the Forth Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine. Deep learning was used for automated segmentation of MRI lesions，followed by radiomic feature extraction and machine learning classification to construct both a US-MRI multimodal model and sequential US-MRI strategy. Diagnostic performance and potential healthcare cost-saving effects were evaluated across strategies. Results:In the internal test set（ n=448），the AI-based sequential US-MRI strategy achieved a F1 score of 0.863 and a diagnostic accuracy of 82.14%，with no significant difference compared to the US-MRI multi-modal model（ P>0.05）. The sequential strategy identified 82 cases（18.30%，82/448）of patients as low-risk true negatives during initial ultrasound screening，suggesting a potential to reduce the need for MRI examinations in future clinical practice. In the external test set（ n=128），the strategy achieved an F1 score of 0.800 and a confirmed diagnosis rate of 85.94%，with a theoretical reduction of 26.56%（34 cases）in MRI utilization while maintaining a diagnostic accuracy rate higher than that of the multi-modal model（82.18%）. Conclusions:The AI-based US-MRI sequential diagnostic strategy demonstrates favorable diagnostic accuracy while offering the potential to optimize MRI utilization. This approach may enhance the efficiency of imaging resource allocation and reduce healthcare burden in the management of ovarian masses.

This article reports a case of extensive ocular inflammation following zoledronic acid infusion for the treatment of osteoporosis. The patient developed pain, eyelid edema, conjunctival congestion, and decreased vision in the right eye one day after receiving intravenous zoledronic acid, and was diagnosed with uveitis, scleritis, and periorbital soft tissue inflammation. The patient′s symptoms were evaluated using the clinical activity score(CAS). After high-dose corticosteroid pulse therapy combined with other comprehensive treatments, the symptoms improved markedly. This article reviews the incidence, clinical features, potential mechanisms, management, and prognosis of ocular adverse reactions induced by zoledronic acid, and highlights the importance of early recognition and timely treatment of ocular inflammation after zoledronic acid therapy.

This article reports a case of extensive ocular inflammation following zoledronic acid infusion for the treatment of osteoporosis. The patient developed pain, eyelid edema, conjunctival congestion, and decreased vision in the right eye one day after receiving intravenous zoledronic acid, and was diagnosed with uveitis, scleritis, and periorbital soft tissue inflammation. The patient′s symptoms were evaluated using the clinical activity score(CAS). After high-dose corticosteroid pulse therapy combined with other comprehensive treatments, the symptoms improved markedly. This article reviews the incidence, clinical features, potential mechanisms, management, and prognosis of ocular adverse reactions induced by zoledronic acid, and highlights the importance of early recognition and timely treatment of ocular inflammation after zoledronic acid therapy.

Objective:To develop an artificial intelligence（AI）-based sequential ultrasound-magnetic resonance imaging（US-MRI）diagnostic strategy to optimize the imaging workflow for ovarian masses.Methods:A total of 1 120 patients with pathologically confirmed ovarian masses who underwent both preoperative pelvic ultrasound and MRI between January 2021 and December 2023 at Women's Hospital，Zhejiang University School of Medicine were retrospectively included. Patients were randomly divided into the training（ n=672）and internal test set（ n=448）at a ratio of 6∶4. An external test set（ n=128）was established at the Forth Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine. Deep learning was used for automated segmentation of MRI lesions，followed by radiomic feature extraction and machine learning classification to construct both a US-MRI multimodal model and sequential US-MRI strategy. Diagnostic performance and potential healthcare cost-saving effects were evaluated across strategies. Results:In the internal test set（ n=448），the AI-based sequential US-MRI strategy achieved a F1 score of 0.863 and a diagnostic accuracy of 82.14%，with no significant difference compared to the US-MRI multi-modal model（ P>0.05）. The sequential strategy identified 82 cases（18.30%，82/448）of patients as low-risk true negatives during initial ultrasound screening，suggesting a potential to reduce the need for MRI examinations in future clinical practice. In the external test set（ n=128），the strategy achieved an F1 score of 0.800 and a confirmed diagnosis rate of 85.94%，with a theoretical reduction of 26.56%（34 cases）in MRI utilization while maintaining a diagnostic accuracy rate higher than that of the multi-modal model（82.18%）. Conclusions:The AI-based US-MRI sequential diagnostic strategy demonstrates favorable diagnostic accuracy while offering the potential to optimize MRI utilization. This approach may enhance the efficiency of imaging resource allocation and reduce healthcare burden in the management of ovarian masses.

Oxidative stress is the result of imbalance between the formation of reactive oxygen species(ROS)and antioxidant level.Mitochondria are important organelles regulating oxidative stress.Telomerase reverse transcriptase(TERT)not only in the nucleus to maintain telomerase activity and telomere length,but also reversibly transits to mitochondria.Improving the activity of oxidative respiratory chain of mitochondria to reduce the production of mito-chondrial reactive oxygen species(mtROS)and to activate GSH system as well as autophagy pathway to promote the clearance of mtROS are all important to down-regulate the level of mtROS,which will alleviate oxidative stress and damage and keep the REDOX balance of cells and the normal function of the body.

Objective:To investigate urinary pH distribution and its influencing factors in gout patients, to provide insights for individualized treatment.Methods:This is a retrospective study. The gout patients in the Gout Outpatient Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from September 2019 to August 2021 were collected. Clinical data were collected and relevant indicators were measured. The patients were divided into different groups according to urinary pH. Clinical characteristics and factors related to urinary pH were compared among the groups. SPSS 23.0 software was used.Results:A total of 2 553 patients were enrolled. There were significant statistical differences in age, body mass index, triglyceride, alanine aminotransferase(ALT), blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR), blood uric acid, urinary uric acid/creatinine ratio, fraction excretion of uric acid(FEUA) among groups with different urinary pH( F were 5.114, 4.772, 7.170, 4.721, 13.603, 2.812, 3.422, 22.834, 18.230, 26.332, all P<0.05). Urinary uric acid and FEUA in acute group were higher than those in remission group( Z were -2.295, -3.528, both P<0.05). After adjusting for gender, age, eGFR, logistics regression analysis showed that body mass index, triglyceride, total cholesterol, ALT, blood uric acid, and blood urea nitrogen were still risk factors. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that triglyceride, blood uric acid, and blood urea nitrogen were independent risk factors associated with acid urine. Linear correlation analysis showed that urinary pH was negatively correlated with body mass index, triglyceride, total cholesterol, blood uric acid, fasting glucose, blood urea nitrogen, ALT( r were -0.079, -0.106, -0.051, -0.186, -0.040, -0.122, -0.051, all P<0.05), but positively correlated with eGFR( r=0.058, P=0.003). Conclusion:The overall urine pH levels in patients with primary gout are below normal reference. Several metabolic components are related to it. Triglyceride, blood uric acid, and blood urea nitrogen are independent risk factors of acidic urine. In clinical practice, attention should be paid to timely alkalization of urine to prevent complications.

Objective To investigate the effect of C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related protein 13 protein(CTRP13)on the autophagy function of primary rat liver sinusoidal endothelial cells(rLSECs)induced by high glucose through AMP-activated protein kinase/mammalian target of rapamycin complex(AMPK/mTOR)pathway.Methods After isolation,identification and culture,original rat liver sinusoid endothelial cells(rrLSECs)were divided into normal control(NC)group,high glucose(HG)group,HG +LV-CTRP13 group,HG+ lentiviral empty vector(LV-Con)group(HG+LV-Con).CTRP13 lentivirus over expression vector(LV-CTRP13)and lentivirus empty vector(LV-Con)were constructed and transfected into rrLSECs.According to the intervention methods of AMPK inhibitor Compound C,mTOR inhibitor Torin1 and autophagy inhibitor 3MA,the transfected cell were divided into normal control(NC)group,high glucose(HG)group,HG+LV-CTRP13 group,HG+lentiviral empty vector(LV-Con)group(HG+ LV-Con).qRT-PCR and western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of CTRP13,autophagy related protein Beclin1,human microtubule-associated protein light chain 3II(LC3II),human plasma membrane membrane vesicle association proteins(PLVAP)and p-AMPK and p-MTOR in rat rLSECs of each group.Results Compared with NC group,the number of autophagosome was decreased in HG and HG+LV-CTRP13 group(P＜0.05).Compared with HG group,the number of autophagosome bodies was increased in HG +LV-CTRP13 group(P＜0.05).The CTRP13 mRNA and protein expression was higher in NC and HG + LV-CTRP13 groups than in HG and HG + LV-Con groups(P＜0.05).In HG+LC-CTRP13 group,Beclin1,LC3II,p-AMPK,and AMPK mRNA,Beclin1,LC3II/LC3I protein expression were higher than HG and HG + LV-Con group(P＜0.05),PLVAP,p-mTOR,mTOR mRNA,and PLVAP protein expression were lower than HG and HG+LV-Con group(P＜0.05).Comparison with HG + LV-CTRP13,p-mTOR protein expression in HG+LV-CTRP13+Compound C group increased(P＜0.05),while expressions of CTRP13,Beclin1 and LC3II/LC3I protein decreased(P＜0.05);the protein expressions of p-AMPK,Beclin1 and LC3II/LC3I were increased in HG+LV+ CTRP13+Torin1 group(P＜0.05),while CTRP13 and p-mTOR protein expression was decreased(P＜0.05);protein expressions of p-AMPK,p-mTOR and LC3II/LC3I were higher in HG+LV-CTRP13 + 3MA group(P＜0.05),while LC3II/LC3I protein expression was lower(P＜0.05).Conclusion CTRP13 overexpression activates AMPK/mTOR-autophagy signaling pathway,which may play a protective role in the function of rLSECs anddelay liver sinusoid capillarization.

Objective:To examine the clinical value of rapid detection of drug-resistant bacteria by immunochromatography and the effects of rapid detection on the prognosis of patients with severe intra-abdominal infection complicated by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) bloodstream infection.Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study. We analyzed clinical data of 73 patients with severe abdominal infections with sepsis or septic shock complicated by CRE bloodstream infection admitted to the general surgery department of Jinling Hospital between February 2022 and February 2023. Patients were divided into a colloidal gold immunochromatographic assay (GICA) group (17 patients) and conventional testing group (56 patients) based on whether a GICA for CRE had been performed on the patients' first blood culture sample during the diagnosis and treatment process. There were no statistically significant differences between the GICA and conventional testing groups in age ([55.9±17.3] vs. [47.6±16.4] years), sex ([16 men vs. one woman ] vs. [41 men vs. 15 women]), median Charlson comorbidity index (3.0[2.0,4.0] vs. 3.0[2.0, 4.8]), septic shock (10 vs. 39), or acute kidney injury (8 vs. 40) (all P>0.05). Both groups routinely underwent traditional bacterial identification and drug susceptibility testing. Additionally, patients in the GICA group were tested directly for positive blood cultures using a GICA carbapenemase test kit. The main outcomes were mortality rates on Days 28 and 90 after the first identification of CRE bloodstream infection in both groups. We also compared the microbial clearance rate, duration of hospitalization and intensive care unit stay, and time from onset of CRE bloodstream infection to initiation of targeted and appropriate antibiotics between the two groups. Results:The rate of microbial clearance of bloodstream infection was significantly greater in the GICA group than in the conventional testing group (15/17 vs. 34/56 [60.7%], χ 2=4.476, P=0.034), whereas the 28-day mortality tended to be lower in the GICA than conventional testing group [5/17 vs. 44.6% [25/56], χ 2=1.250, P=0.264). The 90-day mortality (8/17 vs. 53.6% [30/56], χ 2=0.222, P=0.638), median duration of hospitalization (37.0 [18.0, 46.5] days vs. 45.5 [32.2, 64.8] days, Z=-1.867, P=0.062), and median duration of intensive care unit stay (18.0 [6.5, 35.0] days vs. 32.0 [5.0, 51.8] days, Z=-1.251, P=0.209). The median time between the onset of bloodstream infection and administration of antibiotics was 49.0 (38.0, 69.0) hours in the GICA group, which is significantly shorter than the 163.0 (111.8, 190.0) hours in the conventional testing group ( Z=-5.731, P<0.001). The median time between the onset of bloodstream infection and administration of appropriate antibiotics was 40.0 (34.0, 80.0) hours in the GICA group, which is shorter than in the conventional testing group (68.0 [38.2, 118.8]) hours; however, this difference is not statistically significant ( Z=-1.686, P=0.093). Conclusions:GICA can provide information on carbapenemase- producing pathogens faster than traditional drug sensitivity testing, enabling early administration of the optimal antibiotics. The strategy of 'carbapenemase detection first' for managing bacterial infection has the potential to improve prognosis of patients and reduce mortality rate.

Objective:The purpose of this study was to analyze the course and outcome of patients with combined entero-atmospheric fistulas in open abdomen treatment.Methods:In this retrospective observational study, we collected data on 214 patients with open abdomen complicated by entero-atmospheric fistulas admitted to Research Institute of General Surgery, Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School from January 2012 to January 2021. We collected their basic characteristics, aetiology, treatment plan, and prognosis, including the durations of hospitalization and open treatment, time to resumption of enteral nutrition, duration and prognosis of definitive surgery, and overall prognosis.Results:Of the 214 patients with open abdomen complicated with entero–enteral fistulas, 23 (10.7%) died (11 of multiple organ failure caused by abdominal infection, five of abdominal cavity bleeding, four of pulmonary infection, one of airway bleeding, one of necrotizing fasciitis, and one of traumatic brain injury). The remaining 191 underwent definitive surgery at our hospital. The patients who underwent definitive surgery were predominantly male (156 patients, 81.7%); their age was (46.5±2.5) years. Trauma and gastrointestinal tumors (120 cases, 62.8%) predominated among the primary causes. The reasons for abdominal opening were, in order, severe abdominal infection (137 cases, 71.7%, damage control surgery (29 cases, 15.2%), and abdominal hypertension (25 cases, 13.1%). Temporary abdominal closure measures were used to classify the participants into a skin-only suture group (104 cases) and a skin-implant group (87 cases). Compared with the skin-implant group, in the skin-suture-only group the proportion of male patients was lower (74.7% [65/87] vs. 87.5% [91/104], χ 2=5.176, P=0.023), the mean age was older ([48.3±2.0] years vs. [45.0±1.9] years, t=-11.671, P<0.001), there were fewer patients with trauma (32.2% [28 /87] vs. 58.7% [61/104), χ 2=13.337, P<0.001), intensive care stays were shorter ([8.9±1.0] days vs. [12.7±1.6] days, t=19.281, P<0.001), total length of stay was shorter ([29.3±2.0] days vs. [31.9±2.0] days, t=9.021, P<0.001), there was a higher percentage of colonic fistulas (18.4% [16/87] vs. 8.7% [9/104], χ 2=3.948, P=0.047), but fewer multiple fistulas (11.5% [10/87] vs. 34.6% [36/104], χ 2=14.440, P<0.001). As to fistula management, a higher percentage of fistula sealing methods using 3D-printed intestinal stents were implemented in the skin-only suture group (60.9% [53/87] versus 43.3% [45/104], χ 2=5.907, P=0.015). Compared with the implant group, the skin-only suture group had a shorter mean time to performing provisional closure ( [9.5±0.8] days vs. [16.0±0.6] days, t=66.023, P<0.001), shorter intervals to definitive surgery ( [165.0±10.7] days vs. [198.9±8.3] days, t=26.644, P<0.001), and less use of biopatches (56.3% [49/87) vs. 71.2% [74/104], χ 2=4.545, P=0.033). Conclusions:Open abdomen complicated with entero-enteral fistulas is more common in male, and is often caused by trauma and gastrointestinal tumor. Severe intra-abdominal infection is the major cause of open abdomen, and most fistulae involves the small intestine. Collection and retraction of intestinal fluid and 3D-printed entero-enteral fistula stent sealing followed by implantation and skin-only suturing is an effective means of managing entero-enteral fistulas complicating open abdominal cavity. Earlier closure of the abdominal cavity with skin-only sutures can shorten the time to definitive surgery and reduce the rate of utilization of biopatches.