Background::Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has emerged as the leading cause of death from prostate cancer (PCa) in recent decades, bringing a great disease burden worldwide. Men with preexisting CVD have an increased risk for major adverse cardiovascular events when treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The present study aimed to explore the prevalence and risk evaluation of CVD among people with newly diagnosed PCa in China.Methods::Clinical data of newly diagnosed PCa patients were retrospectively collected from 34 centers in China from 2010 to 2022 through convenience sampling. CVD was defined as myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, heart failure, stroke, ischemic heart disease, and others. CVD risk was estimated by calculating Framingham risk scores (FRS). Patients were accordingly divided into low-, medium-, and high-risk groups. χ2 or Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical variables. Results::A total of 4253 patients were enrolled in the present study. A total of 27.0% (1147/4253) of patients had comorbid PCa and CVD, and 7.2% (307/4253) had two or more CVDs. The enrolled population was distributed in six regions of China, and approximately 71.0% (3019/4253) of patients lived in urban areas. With imaging and pathological evaluation, most PCa patients were diagnosed at an advanced stage, with 20.5% (871/4253) locally progressing and 20.5% (871/4253) showing metastasis. Most of them initiated prostatectomy (46.6%, 1983/4253) or regimens involving ADT therapy (45.7%, 1944/4253) for prostate cancer. In the present PCa cohort, 43.1% (1832/4253) of patients had hypertension, and half of them had poorly controlled blood pressure. With FRS stratification, as expected, a higher risk of CVD was related to aging and metabolic disturbance. However, we also found that patients with treatment involving ADT presented an originally higher risk of CVD than those without ADT. This was in accordance with clinical practice, i.e., aged patients or patients at advanced oncological stages were inclined to accept systematic integrative therapy instead of surgery. Among patients who underwent medical castration, only 4.0% (45/1118) received gonadotropin releasing hormone antagonists, in stark contrast to the grim situation of CVD prevalence and risk.Conclusions::PCa patients in China are diagnosed at an advanced stage. A heavy CVD burden was present at the initiation of treatment. Patients who accepted ADT-related therapy showed an original higher risk of CVD, but the awareness of cardiovascular protection was far from sufficient.

Objective Analyze the temporal trend of ischemic stroke(IS)mortality among the residents of Tengzhou City of Shandong Province during the period of hypertension control from 2013 to 2021.Methods On January 1,2013,Tengzhou City,Shandong Province,began its hypertension control program.The IS mortality rate was calculated using the mortality data from January 1,2013 to December 31,2021,and analyzed for its time trend among residents with different characteristics.The registered population was derived from the Public Security Bureau of Tengzhou City,Shandong Province,and the age and sex standardized mortality rate was calculated using the data of China's 7th population census in 2020.The Chi-square test was used to compare the differences in mortality rate,and Cochran-Armitage trend test was used to compare the time trend and age trend of mortality rate.Results The overall crude and standardized mortality rates of IS in Tengzhou showed a temporal trend from 2013 to 2021(Z values were 12.647,7.305,respectively;all P＜0.001),and decreased by 23.77％and 30.99％(Z values were-7.393,-9.975,respectively;all P＜0.001)respectively in 2021 compared with 2019.The crude mortality rate of IS in male increased by 13.27％in 2019 compared with 2017,while the crude and standardized mortality rate in female decreased by 16.39％and 19.49％in 2018 compared with 2017,respectively,with statistical significance(x2 values were 7.160,9.789,and 15.109,respectively;all P＜0.05).Except the crude mortality rates in 2013 and 2015,the crude mortality rates and standardized mortality rates for males in other years were all higher than those for females,with statistically significant differences(x2 values:25.816-124.040,all P＜0.001).The crude mortality rate for IS increased with age in all years(Z values:42.604-61.025,all P＜0.001).The proportion of IS deaths among those aged≥65 was 85.85％.The overall crude mortality rates of the age group of male 45-54 years old showed a temporal trend from 2013 to 2021(Z=3.035,P＜0.01),while females in the same age group did not show a temporal trend(P＞0.05).The IS mortality rate in urban areas decreased from 62.61 per 100 000 in 2013 to 54.00 per 100 000 in 2021(Z=-2.097,P＜0.05).The rural areas increased by 213.15％in 2019 compared with 2013 and decreased by 22.75％in 2021 compared with 2019(Z values were 19.074,-6.390,respectively;all P＜0.001).Conclusions The IS mortality rate in Tengzhou City showed a decreasing trend in urban areas from 2013 to 2021,and a decreasing trend in rural areas after 2019.Compared to females,there is a trend of younger mortality among males in the age range of 45-54.Males and rural IS patients should be given special attention.

Epigenomic imbalance drives abnormal transcriptional processes,promoting the onset and progression of cancer.Although defective gene regulation generally affects carcinogenesis and tumor suppression networks,tumor immunogenicity and immune cells involved in antitumor responses may also be affected by epigenomic changes,which may have significant implications for the development and application of epigenetic therapy,cancer immunotherapy,and their combinations.Herein,we focus on the impact of epigenetic regulation on tumor immune cell function and the role of key abnormal epigenetic processes,DNA methylation,histone post-translational modification,and chromatin structure in tumor immunogenicity,and introduce these epigenetic research methods.We emphasize the value of small-molecule inhibitors of epigenetic modulators in enhancing antitumor immune responses and discuss the challenges of developing treatment plans that combine epigenetic therapy and immuno-therapy through the complex interaction between cancer epigenetics and cancer immunology.

Objective To investigate the effects of Simo decoction on duodenal microinflammation and NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3(NLRP3)/cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-1(Caspase-1)/gasdermin D(GSDMD)signaling pathway in rats with functional dyspepsia(FD).Methods The FD model was established by multifactorial method.SD rats were randomly divided into normal group,model group(FD model),positive control group(gavage administration of 0.305 mg·kg-1 mosapride injection)and experimental-H,-M,-L groups(gavage administration of 5.62,2.81,1.40 g·kg-1 Simo decoction).Small intestinal advancement rate and gastric emptying rate was determined;the levels of interleukin(IL)-1 β and IL-18 in serum were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA);the protein expression of NLRP3 and GSDMD in duodenal tissue was detected by Western blotting.Results The gastric emptying rates of normal,model,positive control and experimental-H,-M,-Lgroupswere(58.34±5.72)％,(29.16±8.37)％,(48.77±6.10)％,(48.35±6.04)％,(48.20±3.49)％and(39.24±4.20)％;the small intestinal propulsion rates were(82.01±7.55)％,(41.95±9.53)％,(64.61±10.18)％,(75.04±9.76)％,(60.58±7.13)％and(45.89±7.40)％;serum IL-1 β expression were(12.86±0.88),(43.73±4.60),(18.84±0.86),(24.61±1.57),(19.14±0.77)and(29.04±0.72)pg·mL-1;IL-18 expressions were(95.00±3.74),(170.60±8.78),(108.50±3.05),(118.90±3.45),(99.90±8.70)and(141.00±3.71)pg·mL-1;the relative expression levels of NLRP3 proteins were 0.32±0.02,0.84±0.05,0.42±0.03,0.48±0.02,0.61±0.04 and 0.62±0.05;the relative expression levels of GSDMD proteins were 0.34±0.05,0.93±0.06,0.35±0.03,0.52±0.02,0.53±0.06 and 0.55±0.05,respectively.Compared with the normal group,the above indexes in the model group have statistical significance;compared with the model group,the above indexes in the experimental-H group and the positive control group also have statistical significance(P＜0.01 or P＜0.05).Conclusion Simo decoction can effectively improve the general condition and duodenal microinflammation in FD rats,and the mechanism may be related to the inhibition of duodenal NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD signaling pathway.

Purpose::To identify the risk factors for training-related lower extremity muscle injuries in young males by a non-invasive method of body composition analysis.Methods::A total of 282 healthy young male volunteers aged 18 -20 years participated in this cohort study. Injury location, degree, and injury rate were adjusted by a questionnaire based on the overuse injury assessment methods used in epidemiological studies of sports injuries. The occurrence of training injuries is monitored and diagnosed by physicians and treated accordingly. The body composition was measured using the BodyStat QuadScan 4000 multifrequency Bio-impedance system at 5, 50, 100 and 200 kHz to obtain 4 impedance values. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check whether the data conformed to a normal distribution. Data of normal distribution were shown as mean ± SD and analyzed by t-test, while those of non-normal distribution were shown as median (Q 1, Q 3) and analyzed by Wilcoxon rank sum test. The receiver operator characteristic curve and logistic regression analysis were performed to investigate risk factors for developing training-related lower extremity injuries and accuracy. Results::Among the 282 subjects, 78 (27.7%) developed training injuries. Lower extremity training injuries revealed the highest incidence, accounting for 23.4% (66 cases). These patients showed higher percentages of lean body mass ( p = 0.001), total body water (TBW, p=0.006), extracellular water ( p=0.020) and intracellular water ( p=0.010) as well as a larger ratio of basal metabolic rate/total weight ( p=0.006), compared with those without lower extremity muscle injuries. On the contrary, the percentage of body fat ( p=0.001) and body fat mass index ( p=0.002) were lower. Logistic regression analysis showed that TBW percentage > 65.35% ( p=0.050, odds ratio =3.114) and 3rd space water > 0.95% ( p=0.045, odds ratio =2.342) were independent risk factors for lower extremity muscle injuries. Conclusion::TBW percentage and 3rd space water measured with bio-impedance method are potential risk factors for predicting the incidence of lower extremity muscle injuries in young males following training.

Objective To investigate the effects of leptin on hypothalamic neuron activity and lipid metabolism in adipose tissue of obese mice.Methods 10 leptin-deficient obese(ob/ob)mice with homozygous mutation of leptin gene and 10 wild-type(WT)mice born in the same litter were randomly divided into control group and leptin treatment group.The activity of pro-opiomelanocortin(POMC)neurons and tyrosine hydroxylase(TH+)neurons,the morphological changes of adipose tissue and the expression of lipid-related genes were analyzed by immunofluorescent staining,HE staining and Real-time PCR.Results Compared with the WT mice,the ob/ob mice showed decreased activity of POMC neurons and TH+neurons and larger cell diameter in adipose tissue and liver tissue.In addition,the expressions of heat-related genes uncoupling protein 1(UCP1),cytochrome c oxidase subunit 8B(Cox8b)and cell death-inducing DNA fragmentation factor,alpha subunit-like effector A(Cidea)in subcutaneous white fat in ob/ob mice decreased significantly,and the expressions of lipid synthesis-related genes sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 1(Srebp1)and fatty acid synthase(Fas)increased significantly.After treated with leptin,the activities of POMC and TH+neurons were increased,and the cellular diameter and the degree of vacuolar degeneration were reduced in the adipose tissue and liver.Further analyses showed that the expressions of thermogenesis-related genes and lipolysis-related genes were increased,but expressions of lipid synthesis-related genes were reduced in brown adipose tissue.Conclusion Leptin treatment could prevent the increasing of obesity in ob/ob mice,which is associated with increased lipolysis and reduced lipid synthesis through activation of hypothalamic POMC neurons and peripheral adipose tissue sympathetic nervous system.

Purpose: Total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) is becoming the standard of care for locally advanced rectal cancer. However, surgery is deferred for months after completion, which may lead to fibrosis and increased surgical difficulty. The aim of this study was to assess whether TNT (TNT-RAPIDO) is associated with increased difficulty of total mesorectal excision (TME) compared with long-course chemoradiotherapy (LCRT) and upfront surgery. Methods: Twelve laparoscopic videos of low anterior resection with TME for rectal cancer were prospectively collected from January 2020 to October 2021, with 4 videos in each arm. Seven colorectal surgeons assessed the videos independently, graded the difficulty of TME using a visual analog scale and attempted to identify which category the videos belonged to. Results: The median age was 67 years, and 10 patients were male. The median interval to surgery from radiotherapy was 13 weeks in the LCRT group and 24 weeks in the TNT-RAPIDO group. There was no significant difference in the visual analog scale for difficulty in TME between the 3 groups (LCRT, 3.2; TNT-RAPIDO, 4.6; upfront, 4.1; P=0.12). A subgroup analysis showed similar difficulty between groups (LCRT 3.2 vs. TNT-RAPIDO 4.6, P=0.05; TNT-RAPIDO 4.6 vs. upfront 4.1, P=0.54). During video assessments, surgeons correctly identified the prior treatment modality in 42% of the cases. TNT-RAPIDO videos had the highest recognition rate (71%), significantly outperforming both LCRT (29%) and upfront surgery (25%, P=0.01). Conclusion TNT does not appear to increase the surgical difficulty of TME.

Objective: To analyze the prevalence and the risk factors of fungal sepsis in 25 neonatal intensive care units (NICU) among preterm infants in China, and to provide a basis for preventive strategies of fungal sepsis. Methods: This was a second-analysis of the data from the "reduction of infection in neonatal intensive care units using the evidence-based practice for improving quality" study. The current status of fungal sepsis of the 24 731 preterm infants with the gestational age of <34⁺⁰ weeks, who were admitted to 25 participating NICU within 7 days of birth between May 2015 and April 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. These preterm infants were divided into the fungal sepsis group and the without fungal sepsis group according to whether they developed fungal sepsis to analyze the incidences and the microbiology of fungal sepsis. Chi-square test was used to compare the incidences of fungal sepsis in preterm infants with different gestational ages and birth weights and in different NICU. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to study the outcomes of preterm infants with fungal sepsis, which were further compared with those of preterm infants without fungal sepsis. The 144 preterm infants in the fungal sepsis group were matched with 288 preterm infants in the non-fungal sepsis group by propensity score-matched method. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the risk factors of fungal sepsis. Results: In all, 166 (0.7%) of the 24 731 preterm infants developed fungal sepsis, with the gestational age of (29.7±2.0) weeks and the birth weight of (1 300±293) g. The incidence of fungal sepsis increased with decreasing gestational age and birth weight (both P<0.001). The preterm infants with gestational age of <32 weeks accounted for 87.3% (145/166). The incidence of fungal sepsis was 1.0% (117/11 438) in very preterm infants and 2.0% (28/1 401) in extremely preterm infants, and was 1.3% (103/8 060) in very low birth weight infants and 1.7% (21/1 211) in extremely low birth weight infants, respectively. There was no fungal sepsis in 3 NICU, and the incidences in the other 22 NICU ranged from 0.7% (10/1 397) to 2.9% (21/724), with significant statistical difference (P<0.001). The pathogens were mainly Candida (150/166, 90.4%), including 59 cases of Candida albicans and 91 cases of non-Candida albicans, of which Candida parapsilosis was the most common (41 cases). Fungal sepsis was independently associated with increased risk of moderate to severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) (adjusted OR 1.52, 95%CI 1.04-2.22, P=0.030) and severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (adjusted OR 2.55, 95%CI 1.12-5.80, P=0.025). Previous broad spectrum antibiotics exposure (adjusted OR=2.50, 95%CI 1.50-4.17, P<0.001), prolonged use of central line (adjusted OR=1.05, 95%CI 1.03-1.08, P<0.001) and previous total parenteral nutrition (TPN) duration (adjusted OR=1.04, 95%CI 1.02-1.06, P<0.001) were all independently associated with increasing risk of fungal sepsis. Conclusions: Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis are the main pathogens of fungal sepsis among preterm infants in Chinese NICU. Preterm infants with fungal sepsis are at increased risk of moderate to severe BPD and severe ROP. Previous broad spectrum antibiotics exposure, prolonged use of central line and prolonged duration of TPN will increase the risk of fungal sepsis. Ongoing initiatives are needed to reduce fungal sepsis based on these risk factors.
Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Birth Weight ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight ; Gestational Age ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Sepsis/epidemiology* ; Retinopathy of Prematurity/epidemiology* ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the safety and efficacy of reinforced radiculoplasty in the treatment of symptomatic sacral Tarlov cysts (TCs). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data and follow-up data of 71 patients with symptomatic sacral TCs who underwent reinforced radiculoplasty in the Neurosurgery Department of Peking University Third Hospital from June 2018 to March 2021. All the operations were performed under neuroelectrophysiological monitoring. Intraoperative cyst exploration, partial resection of the cyst wall, narrowing of the leak, nerve root sleeve radiculoplasty and artificial dural reinforcement were performed. The incidence of postoperative complications and new neurological dysfunction was analyzed. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess the changes of pain before and after surgery. The Japanese Orthopedics Association (JOA) low back pain score was used to evaluate the changes in nerve function before and after surgery. RESULTS: In the study, 71 patients had 101 TCs, 19 (18.8%) TCs originated from the left S1 nerve, 26 (25.7%) originated from the left S2 nerve, 3 (3.0%) originated from the left S3 nerve, 14 (13.9%) originated from the right S1 nerve, 33 (32.7%) originated from the right S2 nerve, 6 (5.9%) originated from the right S3 nerve, all the TCs underwent reinforced radiculoplasty. Deep infection (1 case), subcutaneous effusion (1 case), fat li-quefaction (1 case) and urinary tract infection (4 cases) were recorded postoperatively. The patients were followed up for 12-43 months (median, 26 months). Two cases had new urinary retention after operation, and the catheter was removed at the end of the first and second months respectively. One case had new fecal weakness, which improved after 3 months. Compared with preoperation, VAS decreased significantly at the last follow-up [median, 6 (4-9) vs. 1 (0-5), Z=-7.272, P < 0.001], JOA score increased significantly [median, 20 (16-25) vs. 27 (18-29), Z=-7.265, P < 0.001]. There were 18 cured cases (25.4%), 41 excellent cases (57.7%), 8 effective cases (11.3%), and 4 invalid cases (5.6%). The total efficiency was 94.4% (67/71). Two (1.98%) cysts recurred. CONCLUSION For patients with symptomatic sacral TCs, reinforced radiculoplasty can significantly improve the pain and nerve function, which is safe and reliable.
Humans ; Tarlov Cysts/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/complications* ; Cysts/surgery* ; Pain

Child ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Organic Anion Transporters/genetics*