Coronary CT-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) is a noninvasive alternative to invasive FFR for assessing the hemodynamic significance of coronary artery stenosis. CT-FFR uses routinely acquired coronary CT angiography (CCTA) with artificial intelligence and computational fluid dynamics to estimate pressure gradients, thereby supporting clinical decisionmaking without procedural risk. Adoption and implementation vary widely across regions. In Asia, South Korea exclusively uses HeartMedi+, which enables rapid analysis, streamlined workflow integration, and high user satisfaction. Japan relies primarily on FFR CT, which has national reimbursement and significantly influences treatment strategies, reducing unnecessary invasive procedures. Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam remain in early or exploratory phases due to cost, reimbursement, and infrastructure barriers. In the United States, CT-FFR is guideline-endorsed and reimbursed, where HeartFlow is the most widely used, supported by robust clinical validation and outcome data. Despite regional variability, CTFFR offers a noninvasive solution that enhances patient management, reduces unnecessary invasive testing, and is poised for broader clinical integration as technology and validation advance.

This study employed the "disease-medicine-dose" pattern to mine the medication rules of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) prescriptions containing Astragali Radix in ancient Chinese medical books, aiming to provide a scientific basis for the clinical application of Astragali Radix and the development of new medicines. The TCM prescriptions containing Astragali Radix were retrieved from databases such as Chinese Medical Dictionary and imported into Excel 2020 to construct the prescription library. Statical analysis were performed for the prescriptions regarding the indications, syndromes, medicine use frequency, herb effects, nature and taste, meridian tropism, dosage forms, and dose. SPSS statistics 26.0 and IBM SPSS Modeler 18.0 were used for association rules analysis and cluster analysis. A total of 2 297 prescriptions containing Astragali Radix were collected, involving 233 indications, among which sore and ulcer, consumptive disease, sweating disorder, and apoplexy had high frequency(>25), and their syndromes were mainly Qi and blood deficiency, Qi and blood deficiency, Yin and Yang deficiency, and Qi deficiency and collateral obstruction, respectively. In the prescriptions, 98 medicines were used with the frequency >25 and they mainly included Qi-tonifying medicines and blood-tonifying medicines. Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma, and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium were frequently used. The medicines with high frequency mainly have warm or cold nature, and sweet, pungent, or bitter taste, with tropism to spleen, lung, heart, liver, and kidney meridians. In the treatment of sore and ulcer, Astragali Radix was mainly used with the dose of 3.73 g and combined with Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma to promote granulation and heal up sores. In the treatment of consumptive disease, Astragali Radix was mainly used with the dose of 37.30 g and combined with Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma to tonify deficiency and replenish Qi. In the treatment of sweating disorder, Astragali Radix was mainly used with the dose of 3.73 g and combined with Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma to consolidate exterior and stop sweating. In the treatment of apoplexy, Astragali Radix was mainly used with the dose of 7.46 g and combined with Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma to dispell wind and stop convulsions. Astragali Radix can be used in the treatment of multiple system diseases, with the effects of tonifying Qi and ascending Yang, consolidating exterior and stopping sweating, and expressing toxin and promoting granulation. According to the manifestations of different diseases, when combined with other medicines, Astragali Radix was endowed with the effects of promoting granulation and healing up sores, tonifying deficiency and Qi, consolidating exterior and stopping sweating, and dispelling wind and replenishing Qi. The findings provide a theoretical reference and a scientific basis for the clinical application of Astragali Radix and the development of new medicines.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/history* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/history* ; History, Ancient ; Astragalus Plant/chemistry* ; China ; Astragalus propinquus

PURPOSE: The rate of complications among patients undergoing surgery has increased due to infection with SARS-CoV-2 and other variants of concern. However, Omicron has shown decreased pathogenicity, raising questions about the risk of postoperative complications among patients who are infected with this variant. This study aimed to investigate complications and related factors among patients with recent Omicron infection prior to undergoing orthopedic surgery. METHODS: A historical control study was conducted. Data were collected from all patients who underwent surgery during 2 distinct periods: (1) between Dec 12, 2022 and Jan 31, 2023 (COVID-19 positive group), (2) between Dec 12, 2021 and Jan 31, 2022 (COVID-19 negative control group). The patients were at least 18 years old. Patients who received conservative treatment after admission or had high-risk diseases or special circumstances (use of anticoagulants before surgery) were excluded from the study. The study outcomes were the total complication rate and related factors. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify related factors, and odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to assess the impact of COVID-19 infection on complications. RESULTS: In the analysis, a total of 847 patients who underwent surgery were included, with 275 of these patients testing positive for COVID-19 and 572 testing negative. The COVID-19-positive group had a significantly higher rate of total complications (11.27%) than the control group (4.90%, p < 0.001). After adjusting for relevant factors, the OR was 3.08 (95% CI: 1.45-6.53). Patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 at 3-4 weeks (OR = 0.20 (95% CI: 0.06-0.59), p = 0.005), 5-6 weeks (OR = 0.16 (95% CI: 0.04-0.59), p = 0.010), or ≥7 weeks (OR = 0.26 (95% CI: 0.06-1.02), p = 0.069) prior to surgery had a lower risk of complications than those who were diagnosed at 0-2 weeks prior to surgery. Seven factors (age, indications for surgery, time of operation, time of COVID-19 diagnosis prior to surgery, C-reactive protein levels, alanine transaminase levels, and aspartate aminotransferase levels) were found to be associated with complications; thus, these factors were used to create a nomogram. CONCLUSION Omicron continues to be a significant factor in the incidence of postoperative complications among patients undergoing orthopedic surgery. By identifying the factors associated with these complications, we can determine the optimal surgical timing, provide more accurate prognostic information, and offer appropriate consultation for orthopedic surgery patients who have been infected with Omicron.
Humans ; COVID-19/complications* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications/epidemiology* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Orthopedic Procedures/adverse effects* ; Aged ; Nomograms ; Adult ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the antioxidative mechanism of snake venom-derived protein C activator (PCA) in mitigating vascular endothelial cell injury. METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured in DMEM containing 1.0 g/L D-glucose and exposed to hypoxia (1% O₂) for 6 h followed by reoxygenation for 2 h to establish a cell model of oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R). The cell model was treated with 2 μg/mL PCA alone or in combination with 2-ME2 (a HIF-1α inhibitor) or DMOG (a HIF-1α stabilizer), and intracellular production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and protein expression levels of HIF-1α, BNIP3, and Beclin-1 were detected using DCFH-DA fluorescence probe, flow cytometry, and Western blotting. The OGD/R cell model was transfected with a BNIP3-specific siRNA or a scrambled control sequence prior to PCA treatment, and the changes in protein expressions of HIF-1α, BNIP3 and Beclin-1 and intracellular ROS production were examined. RESULTS: In the OGD/R cell model, PCA treatment significantly upregulated HIF-1α, BNIP3 and Beclin-1 expressions and reduced ROS production. The effects of PCA were obviously attenuated by co-treatment with 2-ME2 but augmented by treatment with DMOG (a HIF-1α stabilizer). In the cell model with BNIP3 knockdown, PCA treatment increased BNIP3 expression and decreased ROS production without causing significant changes in HIF-1α expression. Compared with HUVECs with PCA treatment only, the cells with BNIP3 knockdown prior to PCA treatment showed significantly lower Beclin-1 expression and higher ROS levels. CONCLUSIONS Snake venom PCA alleviates OGD/R-induced endothelial cell injury by upregulating HIF-1α/BNIP3 signaling to suppress ROS generation, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic agent against oxidative stress in vascular pathologies.
Humans ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/metabolism* ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells/drug effects* ; Membrane Proteins/metabolism* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins/metabolism* ; Up-Regulation ; Cell Hypoxia ; Cells, Cultured ; Snake Venoms/chemistry* ; Beclin-1

Objective:To construct and validate a competency-oriented entrustable professional activities (EPAs)-Competency-Milestones system for assessment of laparoscopic skills (ESALS).Methods:A research team composed of 15 members from five medical institutions was established. Taking the Staged Training and Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills program as the basis for EPAs, ESALS was constructed through scoping review and behavioral event interviews and the use of the Kawakita Jiro method. ESALS was applied to evaluate 49 trainees and 10 specialists (including 5 novices and 5 experts) on basic and advanced laparoscopic skills, respectively, in comparison with two other assessment tools—the Training and Assessment of Basic Laparoscopic Techniques (TABLT) and the Global Operative Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills (GOALS). Perform Mann Whitney U test using SPSS 23.0 software, and use Spearman coefficient for correlation analysis.Results:Through reviewing 13 literuature articles and interviewing 10 senior surgeons, the ESALS was developed, comprising 10 EPAs, 8 dimensions of competency characteristics, and 5 entrustable levels. In the basic skills evaluation, the ESALS score was significantly positively correlated with the TABLT score ( R=0.881, P<0.001). In the advanced skills evaluation, significant differences were observed between the novice and expert groups in all the ESALS competency scores (all P<0.05), while no difference was detected in the GOALS score of tissue handling ability. Conclusions:ESALS provides comprehensive evaluation, detailed standards, and precise feedback, with comparable efficacy to conventional tools. Future work should focus on expanding sample size to verify its generalizability and developing an electronic tool to enhance application efficiency.

Objective:To construct and validate a competency-oriented entrustable professional activities (EPAs)-Competency-Milestones system for assessment of laparoscopic skills (ESALS).Methods:A research team composed of 15 members from five medical institutions was established. Taking the Staged Training and Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills program as the basis for EPAs, ESALS was constructed through scoping review and behavioral event interviews and the use of the Kawakita Jiro method. ESALS was applied to evaluate 49 trainees and 10 specialists (including 5 novices and 5 experts) on basic and advanced laparoscopic skills, respectively, in comparison with two other assessment tools—the Training and Assessment of Basic Laparoscopic Techniques (TABLT) and the Global Operative Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills (GOALS). Perform Mann Whitney U test using SPSS 23.0 software, and use Spearman coefficient for correlation analysis.Results:Through reviewing 13 literuature articles and interviewing 10 senior surgeons, the ESALS was developed, comprising 10 EPAs, 8 dimensions of competency characteristics, and 5 entrustable levels. In the basic skills evaluation, the ESALS score was significantly positively correlated with the TABLT score ( R=0.881, P<0.001). In the advanced skills evaluation, significant differences were observed between the novice and expert groups in all the ESALS competency scores (all P<0.05), while no difference was detected in the GOALS score of tissue handling ability. Conclusions:ESALS provides comprehensive evaluation, detailed standards, and precise feedback, with comparable efficacy to conventional tools. Future work should focus on expanding sample size to verify its generalizability and developing an electronic tool to enhance application efficiency.

Background/Aims: Steatotic liver disease (SLD) is a common manifestation in chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Metabolic alterations in CHC are associated with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). We aimed to elucidate whether hepatitis C virus (HCV) eradication mitigates MASLD occurrence or resolution. Methods: We enrolled 5,840 CHC patients whose HCV was eradicated by direct-acting antivirals in a nationwide HCV registry. MASLD and the associated cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs) were evaluated at baseline and 6 months after HCV cure. Results: There were 2,147 (36.8%) patients with SLD, and 1,986 (34.0%) of them met the MASLD criteria before treatment. After treatment, HbA1c (6.0% vs. 5.9%, p<0.001) and BMI (24.8 kg/m2 vs. 24.7 kg/m2, p<0.001) decreased, whereas HDL-C (49.1 mg/dL vs. 51.9 mg/dL, p<0.001) and triglycerides (102.8 mg/dL vs. 111.9 mg/dL, p<0.001) increased significantly. The proportion of patients with SLD was 37.5% after HCV eradication, which did not change significantly compared with the pretreatment status. The percentage of the patients who had post-treatment MASLD was 34.8%, which did not differ significantly from the pretreatment status (p=0.17). Body mass index (BMI) (odds ratio [OR] 0.89; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.85–0.92; p<0.001) was the only factor associated with MASLD resolution. In contrast, unfavorable CMRFs, including BMI (OR 1.10; 95% CI 1.06–1.14; p<0.001) and HbA1c (OR 1.19; 95% CI 1.04–1.35; p=0.01), were independently associated with MASLD development after HCV cure. Conclusions HCV eradication mitigates MASLD in CHC patients. CMRF surveillance is mandatory for CHC patients with metabolic alterations, which are altered after HCV eradication and predict the evolution of MASLD.

AIM: To explore the optimal concentration of endoplasmic reticulum stress immunohistochemical(IHC)staining antibody in mouse retinitis pigmentosa(RP)model, which provides the corresponding index detection method for studying the pathogenesis and intervention measures of RP.METHODS: Clean male C57BL/6J mice were intraperitoneally injected with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea(MNU, 60mg/kg)to prepare RP mouse model. Electroretinogram(ERG)and hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining were performed on 7d after modeling to verify the successful modeling. The expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related proteins(IRE1, ATF6, PERK, GRP78, Caspase-12)was detected by IHC staining.RESULTS: The following proteins, including IRE1, ATF6, PERK, GRP78 and Caspase-12, were positively expressed in retina of RP mouse. The optimal concentrations of the above proteins were as follows: IRE1 antibody concentration was 1:1000, ATF6 antibody concentration was 1:500 and 1:1000(with no difference in positive expression, P>0.05), PERK antibody concentration was 1:1500, GRP78 antibody concentration was 1:200 and Caspase-12 antibody concentration was 1:100, the proteins were well expressed at the above concentrations, and the positive expressions of corresponding proteins were different from those of other antibody concentrations(P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The optimal concentrations for IHC staining in different proteins of mouse RP models were as follows: the concentrations of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related protein antibodies were 1:1000 in IRE1, 1:500 and 1:1000 in ATF6, 1:1500 in PERK, 1:200 in GRP78, and 1:100 in Caspase-12.

Objective:This study aims to evaluate the incidence of postoperative malnutrition in colorectal cancer patients who underwent curative colorectal cancer surgery using the Golbal Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition(GLIM)criteria,and to explore the impact of malnutrition defined by the GLIM criteria on short-term clinical outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer.Method:We included a prospective cohort of 171 patients who underwent curative colorectal cancer surgery in Chongqing JiuLongpo People's Hospital from September 2022 to May 2023.Nutritional Risk Screening 2002(NRS 2002)was used for nutritional risk screening and GLIM criteria was used for the diagnosis of malnutrition.To compare the short-term postoperative clinical outcomes between the well-nourished group and the malnourished group under the GLIM criteria.Logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze the risk factors of postoperative complications.Result:Among the included cases,nutritional screening data showed that 74(43.27％)patients were considered to be at risk of malnutrition(NRS 2002≥3),while based on GLIM criteria,63 patients(36.84％)were diagnosed as malnutrition.Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that GLIM-defined malnutrition was associated with total postoperative complications[odds ratio:2.075(95％CI:1.292～3.333),P=0.002].Multivariat analysis showed that women,BMI＜18.5kg/m2,smoking history,low differentiation of tumor,sarcopenia,laparotomy,low prealbumin,were independent risk factors for total postoperative complications.Conclusions:The nutritional diagnosis based on the GLIM criteria can effectively reflect the preoperative nutritional status of patients with colorectal cancer.GLIM-defined preoperative malnutrition can predict the risk of short-term complications in colorectal cancer patients who underwent curative colorectal cancersurgery.

Humans ; Infant ; Female ; Dandy-Walker Syndrome/diagnosis* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Craniocerebral Trauma/complications*