ObjectiveTo construct a risk prediction model for frequent acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD） under disease-syndrome combination， thus providing decision support for precise clinical intervention. MethodsA total of 2 029 patients with acute exacerbations of COPD admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine from January 2020 to August 2024 were retrospectively included. These patients were classified into groups of frequent acute exacerbations （≥2 times/year） and infrequent acute exacerbations （<2 times/year） according to the hospitalization times per year. Risk factors were screened by LASSO regression combined with logistic regression， and a nomogram model was constructed. The model performance was assessed based on the area under the curve （AUC）， calibration curves， and decision curve analysis （DCA）. ResultsThe differences in baseline characteristics between the frequent acute exacerbations group （1 196 cases） and infrequent acute exacerbations group （833 cases） were not statistically significant. LASSO regression combined with multivariate logistic regression screened the following independent risk factors： body mass index （BMI）， hospitalization days， number of smoking years， place of residence， use of noninvasive ventilators， oxygen-demanding therapy， liver cirrhosis， use of systemic glucocorticosteroids， and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome （phlegm and stasis obstructing the lung）. The nomogram model showed good discrimination and calibration in both the training set （AUC=0.748） and validation set （AUC=0.774）. ConclusionThe risk prediction model for frequent acute exacerbations of COPD， integrating traditional Chinese medicine syndrome， constructed in this study has high accuracy. It can provide a scientific basis for early clinical identification of high-risk patients and individualized intervention.

Background: s/Aims: Non-invasive models stratifying clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH) are limited. Herein, we developed a new non-invasive model for predicting CSPH in patients with compensated cirrhosis and investigated whether carvedilol can prevent hepatic decompensation in patients with high-risk CSPH stratified using the new model. Methods: Non-invasive risk factors of CSPH were identified via systematic review and meta-analysis of studies involving patients with hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG). A new non-invasive model was validated for various performance aspects in three cohorts, i.e., a multicenter HVPG cohort, a follow-up cohort, and a carvediloltreating cohort. Results: In the meta-analysis with six studies (n=819), liver stiffness measurement and platelet count were identified as independent risk factors for CSPH and were used to develop the new “CSPH risk” model. In the HVPG cohort (n=151), the new model accurately predicted CSPH with cutoff values of 0 and –0.68 for ruling in and out CSPH, respectively. In the follow-up cohort (n=1,102), the cumulative incidences of decompensation events significantly differed using the cutoff values of <–0.68 (low-risk), –0.68 to 0 (medium-risk), and >0 (high-risk). In the carvediloltreated cohort, patients with high-risk CSPH treated with carvedilol (n=81) had lower rates of decompensation events than non-selective beta-blockers untreated patients with high-risk CSPH (n=613 before propensity score matching [PSM], n=162 after PSM). Conclusions Treatment with carvedilol significantly reduces the risk of hepatic decompensation in patients with high-risk CSPH stratified by the new model.

Individuals with congenital absence of the vas deferens (CAVD) may transmit cystic fibrosis (CF)-causing variants of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator ( CFTR ) gene to their offspring through assisted reproductive technology (ART). We aimed to delineate the spectrum and estimate the prevalence of CF-causing variants in Chinese individuals with CAVD through a cohort analysis and meta-analysis. CFTR was sequenced in 145 Chinese individuals with CAVD. CFTR variants were classified as CF-causing or non-CF-causing variants regarding clinical significance. A comprehensive genotype analysis was performed in Chinese individuals with CAVD, incorporating previous studies and our study cohort. The prevalence of CF-causing variants was estimated through meta-analysis. In our cohort, 56 different CFTR variants were identified in 108 (74.5%) patients. Twenty variants were categorized as CF-causing and were detected in 28 (19.3%) patients. A comprehensive genotype analysis of 867 patients identified 174 different CFTR variants. Sixty-four were classified as CF-causing variants, 56.3% of which had not been previously reported in Chinese patients with CF. Meta-analysis showed that 14.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.0%-18.9%) CAVD cases harbored one CF-causing variant, and 68.6% (95% CI: 65.1%-72.0%) CAVD cases carried at least one CFTR variant. Our study underscores the urgent need for extensive CFTR screening, including sequencing of whole exons and flanking regions and detection of large rearrangements and deep intronic CF-causing variants, in Chinese individuals with CAVD before undergoing ART. The established CF-causing variants spectrum may aid in the development of genetic counseling strategies and preimplantation diagnosis to prevent the birth of a child with CF.
Adult ; Humans ; Male ; China ; Cohort Studies ; Cystic Fibrosis/genetics* ; Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator/genetics* ; Genotype ; Male Urogenital Diseases/genetics* ; Mutation ; Vas Deferens/abnormalities* ; East Asian People/genetics*

Objective To investigate the pathological and molecular characteristics of subcutaneous implanted thyroid lesions after endoscopic thyroid surgery.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on three postoperative implantation cases diagnosed in the Department of Pathology of our hospital from 2017 to 2024.Morphological evaluation,immunohistochemical staining,and next generation sequencing(NGS)targeting 66 cancer-related genes and 177 fusion loci were performed to compare features between primary and implanted lesions.Results All three implanted lesions exhibited morphological similarity to their primary counterparts,but displayed enriched mutational profiles.Case 1:a 13-year-old female.The primary lesion was an atypical follicular adenoma progressing to follicular carcinoma,while the implanted lesion was follicular carcinoma.Both lesions harbored MEN1 mutations,with an additional PTPRT mutation detected in the implanted lesion.Case 2:a 45-year-old male.The primary lesion was bilateral nodular goiter,and the implanted lesion showed follicular epithelial hyperplasia with a 0.3 cm papillary carcinoma focus.No mutations were identified in the primary lesion,whereas the implanted lesion exhibited MEN1,GLIS3,EZH1,and KMT2C mutations.Case 3:a 42-year-old female.The primary lesion included a left thyroid adenoma with cystic degeneration and right nodular goiter.A nodular goiter-like implanted lesion was detected in the right breast 5 years postoperatively.The primary lesion harbored TERT,GLIS3,and SPOP mutations,while the implanted lesion showed TERT,GLIS3,EIF1AX,and KMT2C mutations.Conclusions Endoscopic thyroid surgery is widely applied in clinical practice,however,implantation dissemination of thyroid lesions along surgical pathways may occur,encompassing both benign and malignant entities.Implanted lesions exhibit pathological similarities to their primary counterparts,but demonstrate mutational enrichment.

Objective:To explore the feasibility and effectiveness of full free-breathing cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in clinical practice.Methods:The study prospectively included patients who underwent full free-breathing CMR and traditional breath-holding cine imaging between June 1 and June 30, 2024. An analysis and comparison were conducted on the image acquisition time, image quality, and left ventricular function parameters under two scanning methods, including left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular cardiac output (LVCO),left ventricular end diastolic volume (LVEDV), left ventricular end diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), left ventricular end systolic volume (LVESV), left ventricular end systolic volume index (LVESVI), left ventricular stroke volume (LVSV), and left ventricular mass (LVM). In addition, the study conducted both quantitative and qualitative analyses of other sequences in full free-breathing CMR, including T 1 mapping, T 2 mapping, flow imaging, and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). Group comparisons were performed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test or paired t-test. Consistency assessments included Bland-Altman analysis, intraclass correlation coefficient ( ICC), and linear regression analysis. Results:Totally, 150 patients were recruited into the study. The average acquisition time of full free-breathing CMR was (22.1±3.1) min, with an average short axis cine sequence examination time of (2.7±0.4) min; The average acquisition time of short axis images in a breath-holding state was (4.9±1.4) min, which was significantly longer than the cine scan in the free-breathing state ( P0.001). The cine and LGE images quality scores obtained from full free-breathing CMR were 4 (4, 4) points and 5 (4, 5) points, respectively, while the cine image quality score obtained in a breath-holding state was 5 (4, 5) points. Compared with traditional breath-hold CMR, free-breathing CMR measurements showed slightly higher LVESV, and LVESVI, while LVEDV, LVEDVI, LVSV, LVCO, LVEF, and LVM were slightly lower, except for LVSV and LVCO, which showed no statistically significant difference, the differences in other cardiac function parameters were statistically significant ( P0.05). However, the two methods demonstrated good consistency( ICC0.947) and correlation (0.808 r0.993, P0.001). The Bland-Altman analysis showed that the bias for all cardiac function parameters was within 8.0%. The Native T 1 and T 2 values for free-breathing CMR were (1 277.5±57.0) ms and 40.1 (38.5, 41.4) ms, respectively, and the results of flow imaging and echocardiography were basically consistent. Conclusions:Free-breathing CMR is feasible and effective in clinical practice, showing a high level of consistency with left ventricular functional parameters obtained from traditional breath-hold scanning. It significantly shortens examination time and holds great clinical value for the promotion and widespread use of CMR.

Background: s/Aims: Non-invasive models stratifying clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH) are limited. Herein, we developed a new non-invasive model for predicting CSPH in patients with compensated cirrhosis and investigated whether carvedilol can prevent hepatic decompensation in patients with high-risk CSPH stratified using the new model. Methods: Non-invasive risk factors of CSPH were identified via systematic review and meta-analysis of studies involving patients with hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG). A new non-invasive model was validated for various performance aspects in three cohorts, i.e., a multicenter HVPG cohort, a follow-up cohort, and a carvediloltreating cohort. Results: In the meta-analysis with six studies (n=819), liver stiffness measurement and platelet count were identified as independent risk factors for CSPH and were used to develop the new “CSPH risk” model. In the HVPG cohort (n=151), the new model accurately predicted CSPH with cutoff values of 0 and –0.68 for ruling in and out CSPH, respectively. In the follow-up cohort (n=1,102), the cumulative incidences of decompensation events significantly differed using the cutoff values of <–0.68 (low-risk), –0.68 to 0 (medium-risk), and >0 (high-risk). In the carvediloltreated cohort, patients with high-risk CSPH treated with carvedilol (n=81) had lower rates of decompensation events than non-selective beta-blockers untreated patients with high-risk CSPH (n=613 before propensity score matching [PSM], n=162 after PSM). Conclusions Treatment with carvedilol significantly reduces the risk of hepatic decompensation in patients with high-risk CSPH stratified by the new model.

By elaborating on the theoretical framework of the pulse acupuncture based on systematic syndrome differentiation， this paper briefly analyzes the correspondence between pulse and acupuncture， and further explores its core principle of "establishing acupuncture based on pulse， and applying acupuncture when the pulse is balanced". This therapeutic system employs a three-step acupoint selection method， relying on the systematic integration and analysis of pulse elements at different levels to determine the nature of disease， syndrome type， and location. Treatment principles are guided by the concepts of form and spirit transformation， aiming to treat both simultaneously. Pulse diagnosis also serves as a standard for evaluating therapeutic efficacy and predicting prognosis， providing a theoretical basis for clinical acupuncture. Using stroke as a case example， this paper illustrates the practical clinical application of this approach， offering valuable insight for acupuncture.

Background: s/Aims: Non-invasive models stratifying clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH) are limited. Herein, we developed a new non-invasive model for predicting CSPH in patients with compensated cirrhosis and investigated whether carvedilol can prevent hepatic decompensation in patients with high-risk CSPH stratified using the new model. Methods: Non-invasive risk factors of CSPH were identified via systematic review and meta-analysis of studies involving patients with hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG). A new non-invasive model was validated for various performance aspects in three cohorts, i.e., a multicenter HVPG cohort, a follow-up cohort, and a carvediloltreating cohort. Results: In the meta-analysis with six studies (n=819), liver stiffness measurement and platelet count were identified as independent risk factors for CSPH and were used to develop the new “CSPH risk” model. In the HVPG cohort (n=151), the new model accurately predicted CSPH with cutoff values of 0 and –0.68 for ruling in and out CSPH, respectively. In the follow-up cohort (n=1,102), the cumulative incidences of decompensation events significantly differed using the cutoff values of <–0.68 (low-risk), –0.68 to 0 (medium-risk), and >0 (high-risk). In the carvediloltreated cohort, patients with high-risk CSPH treated with carvedilol (n=81) had lower rates of decompensation events than non-selective beta-blockers untreated patients with high-risk CSPH (n=613 before propensity score matching [PSM], n=162 after PSM). Conclusions Treatment with carvedilol significantly reduces the risk of hepatic decompensation in patients with high-risk CSPH stratified by the new model.

Objective To investigate the perioperative differences between video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and thoracotomy after neoadjuvant therapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods Clinical data of NSCLC patients who underwent VATS or thoracotomy after neoadjuvant therapy at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital from June 2020 to May 2022 were retrospectively collected. Perioperative outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 260 patients were enrolled, 184 (70.8%) patients underwent VATS and 76 (29.2%) patients underwent thoracotomy. After propensity matching, there were 113 (62.4%) patients in the VATS group and 68 (37.6%) patients in the thoracotomy group. VATS had similar lymph node dissection ability and postoperative complication rate with thoracotomy (P>0.05), with the advantage of having shorter operative time (146.00 min vs. 165.00 min, P=0.006), less intraoperative blood loss (50.00 mL vs. 100.00 mL, P<0.001), lower intraoperative blood transfusion rate (0.0% vs. 7.4%, P=0.003), less 3-day postoperative drainage (250.00 mL vs. 350.00 mL, P=0.011; 180.00 mL vs. 250.00 mL, P=0.002; 150.00 mL vs. 235.00 mL, P<0.001), and shorter postoperative drainage time (9.34 d vs. 13.84 d, P<0.001) and postoperative hospitalization time (6.19 d vs. 7.94 d, P=0.006). Conclusion VATS after neoadjuvant therapy for NSCLC is safer than thoracotomy and results in better postoperative recovery.

Hemolysis is one of the main complications associated with the use of ventricular assist devices. The primary factors influencing hemolysis include the shear stress and exposure time experienced by red blood cells. In addition, factors such as local negative pressure and temperature may also impact hemolysis. The different combinations of hemolysis prediction models and their empirical constants lead to significant variations in prediction results; compared to the power-law model, the OPO model better accounts for the complexity of turbulence. In terms of improving hemolytic performance, research has primarily focused on optimizing blood pump structures, such as adjustments to pump gaps, impellers, and guide vanes. A small number of scholars have studied hemolytic performance through control modes of blood pump speed and the selection of blood-compatible materials. This paper reviews the main factors influencing hemolysis, prediction methods, and improvement strategies for rotary blood pumps, which are currently the most widely used. It also discusses the limitations in current hemolysis research and provides an outlook on future research directions.