Objective To compare the clinical characteristics of pneumococcal meningitis in different age groups, and to provide a basis for early diagnosis of pneumococcal meningitis. Methods Cerebrospinal fluid and/or serum samples were collected from 1742 suspected cases of meningitis in Baoji, Shaanxi Province from August 2013 to July 2019. Streptococcus pneumoniae was detected by isolation culture and real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Retrospective analysis of clinical manifestations, biochemical indicators and other information of laboratory confirmed cases was conducted by χ² test or Fisher's exact test. Results A total of 1742 samples of encephalitis or meningitis cases were detected, and 41 cases were confirmed as laboratory-confirmed Streptococcus pneumoniae infection. Among them, there were 12 cases (29.27%) in the infant group, 14 cases (34.15%) in the child group, and 15 cases (36.59%) in the adult group. The proportion of the adults with headache was significantly higher than that of the infants (χ²=11.408，P＜0.017). The proportion of the adults with consciousness disorder, elevated white blood cells and elevated neutrophils were significantly higher than those in the infant and the child groups（Fisher's exact test, P＜0.017；χ² =6.428，P＜0.017；χ² =10.898，P＜0.017；χ² =6.421，P＜0.017；χ² =9.758，P＜0.017；χ² =7.744，P＜0.017). The proportion of the infants with cerebrospinal fluid turbidity was significantly higher than that of the children (Fisher's exact test，P＜0.017). The proportion of the infants with decreased white blood cells and reduced glucose in cerebrospinal fluid was significantly higher than that of the children group and the adult group（Fisher's exact test, P＜0.001；Fisher's exact test, P＜0.001；Fisher's exact test, P＜0.017; Fisher's exact test, P＜0.017). Conclusion Most adult patients with pneumococcal meningitis have headache and consciousness disorders, with significantly increased proportion of white blood cells and neutrophils. Infant patients tend to have cloudy appearance of cerebrospinal fluid, leukopenia in blood, and decreased glucose in cerebrospinal fluid.

Neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) represents a category of malignant tumors originating from neuroendocrine cells. Given that NEC cells exhibit characteristics of both neural and endocrine cells, they can hijack neuronal signaling pathways and dynamically regulate the expression of neuronal lineage markers during tumor metastasis, thereby constructing a microenvironment conducive to tumor growth and metastasis. Conversely, alterations in the tumor microenvironment can enhance the interactions between neurons and tumor cells, ultimately synergistically promoting the metastasis of NEC. This review highlights recent advancements in the field of cancer neuroscience, uncovering neuronal lineage markers in NEC that facilitate tumor dissemination through mediating crosstalk, bidirectional communication, and synergistic interactions between tumor cells and the nervous system. Consequently, the latest findings in tumor neuroscience have enriched our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying tumor metastasis, opening new research avenues for a deeper comprehension of the complex biological processes involved in tumor metastasis, particularly brain metastasis. This review provides a comprehensive review of the crosstalk between tumor cells and neural signaling in the metastasis of NEC.
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Humans ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Animals ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neurons/pathology* ; Tumor Microenvironment ; Cell Communication

Objective To construct a radiomics model to improve the discriminatory ability of 18 F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT for focal prostate cancer.Methods We retrospectively collected data from 74 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer by biopsy at The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University between July 2020 and April 2024.These patients had focal radionuclide accumulation observed on 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT,with the median age of 71 years.Among them,42 patients had a Gleason score＜8 and 32 patients had a Gleason score ≥8.An external validation set was randomly selected based on the timing of examination,while the remaining patients were randomly divided into training and test sets at a 7∶3 ratio.Region of interest(ROI)were semi-automatically drawn on registered images,manually adjusted,and symmetrically shifted to contralateral non-tumor tissue.We made variance and correlation analyses to choose features,and built models with Logistic regression and compared the results with those of visual evaluation.Receiver operating characteristics(ROC)curves were drawn to compare model performance,and subgroup analysis was performed to identify optimal features for distinguishing tumor tissue,based on Gleason score,serum total prostate specific antigen(tPSA)levels,and lesion location.Results A total of eight features were selected.The area under the curve(AUC)for visual evaluation,testing set,and external validation set were 0.858,0.933,and 0.891,respectively.The sensitivity was 0.757,0.800 and 0.917;the specificity was 0.960,0.800 and 0.792,respectively.Subgroup analysis showed that the radiomic features 10percentile and skewness had a high value in tumor differentiation.In tumor tissues,the 10percentile values were higher than in non-tumor tissues across all groups(P-values were 0.012,0.002,＜0.001,＜0.001,＜0.001,and＜0.001).When tPSA≤10 ng/mL and Gleason score ≥8,there was no statistically significant difference in skewness between tumor and non-tumor tissues(P=0.08).When tPSA ≥20 ng/mL,the skewness of non-tumor tissue was slightly higher than that of tumor tissue,but the difference was not statistically significant(P-values were 0.285 and 0.791).When the tumor was located in the posterior part of the prostate(left posterior and right posterior),the skewness was significantly higher in tumor tissue than in non-tumor tissue(P-values＜0.001 for both).Conclusion The radiomics model had better sensitivity and accuracy than visual evaluation in distinguishing focal prostate cancer tumors from non-tumor tissues,but visual evaluation had higher specificity.Skewness and 10percentile had a high value in differential diagnosis.

Objective To explore the surgical treatment experience of primary giant gastrointestinal stromal tumors(GIST)(with isolated lesions with a maximum diameter＞10 cm).Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical and pathological data of 67 patients with primary giant GIST admitted from January 2018 to December 2024.Among them,35 cases underwent surgical operations after preoperative neoadjuvant therapy(25 effective cases and 10 ineffective cases)(neoadjuvant therapy group).Due to the initial diagnosis assessment expecting radical(R0)resection(13 cases),or preoperative complications(12 cases),or difficulty in obtaining a pathological diagnosis through puncture biopsy(7 cases),32 cases underwent direct surgery without neoadjuvant therapy(direct surgery group).Compare the general information,tumor condition,surgical condition,postoperative recovery,postoperative pathology,postoperative adjuvant therapy,and recurrence between two groups.Results Comparative analysis revealed that there was no statistically significant difference(P＞0.05)between the neoadjuvant therapy group and the direct surgery group in terms of gender,age,primary tumor location,initial maximum diameter,growth type,localized or locally advanced stage,and postoperative follow-up time.The maximum diameters of the tumors before surgery in the neoadjuvant therapy group and the direct surgery group were(12.4±7.1)cm and(18.2±5.0)cm respectively,and the operation times were(125.4±30.6)minutes and(153.0±31.7)minutes respectively.The intraoperative blood loss was(228.3±76.4)ml and(300.3±67.2)ml,respectively.The postoperative hospital stay was(9.1±2.6)days and(11.1±3.2)days,respectively.There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups(P＜0.05).The proportion of laparoscopic surgery in the neoadjuvant therapy group was 17.1％,which was higher than that in the direct surgery group(0),and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of the proportion of tumor rupture,combined organ resection,postoperative complications and postoperative recurrence(P＞0.05).Conclusion Primary giant gastrointestinal stromal tumors can mostly be reduced in size and progression through neoadjuvant therapy,improving the chances of minimally invasive surgery.However,there is also a risk of tumor progression during neoadjuvant therapy leading to increased surgical difficulty or even loss of curative surgical opportunities.

Objective:To develop and validate the reliability and validity of the care giver assessment via observation (CGAO) in general hospital .Methods:From July 4, 2022 to June 24, 2023, a total of 120 adult inpatients with somatic diseases in Peking Union Medical College Hospital were selected by cluster sampling. All patients completed the CGAO, union physio-psycho-social assessment questionnaire (UPPSAQ-70) and patient health questionnaire-9 item (PHQ-9) assessment simultaneously. Exploratory factor analysis and item response theory analysis were used to explore the structural validity of CGAO by SPSS 26.0 software.The symptoms items and suicide risk assessed by UPPSAQ-70 and PHQ-9 were used as criteria to verify criterion validity.Results:Through exploratory factor analysis, a single-factor model could be constructed. The analysis based on item response theory suggested that it had a good fit with the single-factor stepwise response model ( χ2/ df=1.307, RMSEA=0.051, CFI=0.986, TLI=0.983). The CGAO total score was significantly positively correlated with the total scores of PHQ-9 and UPPSAQ-70 ( r=0.639, 0.518, both P<0.001). The Cronbach's α coefficient of the CGAO full scale was 0.735. Conclusion:CGAO has good reliability and validity in evaluating mental behavior of patients, and is suitable for early recognition of mental behavior abnormalities of inpatients in general hospitals.

Objective:To investigate the role of microglial polarization modulated by triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2/insulin-like growth factor-1(TREM2/IGF-1) in hypertensive model mice exposed to diesel exhaust particulate matter (DPM), with a focus on its implications for anxious- and depressive-like behaviors.Methods:SPF-grade male C57BL/6J mice were divided into the control group, the hypertension group, the DPM group, and the hypertension+ DPM group according to the principle of weight-matching, with 10 mice in each group. The hypertension model was established by intraperitoneal injection of angiotensin Ⅱ (AngⅡ) in hypertension group and hypertension+ DPM group, and mice in the control group and DPM group were intraperitoneally injected with an equivalent amount of 0.9% NaCl solution.DPM suspension was instilled into the nasal cavity of the mice in DPM group and hypertension+ DPM group(1 μg/μL, 10 μL, once a day for 56 days).Behavioral tests, including the sucrose preference test, tail suspension test, elevated plus maze test, and open field test, were conducted to evaluate anxious- and depressive-like behaviors.TREM2-overexpressing BV2 cell model was established through plasmid transfection technology.Western blot was applied to measure the protein expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, iNOS, Arg-1, TREM2 and IGF-1.SPSS 23.0 software was used for statistical analysis, one-way ANOVA was used for comparison among multiple groups, and LSD- t test was used for post-hoc testing. Results:(1)There were statistically significant differences in the sucrose preference rate, immobility time in the tail suspension test, percentage of time and number of entries into the open arms in the elevated plus maze, as well as the total distance, percentage of time spent in the central area in the open field test among the four groups of mice( F=22.82, 21.60, 36.17, 20.99, 5.85, 13.24, all P<0.01).The sucrose preference rate, percentage of time spent in the open arms, percentage of number of entries into the open arms, total distance and percentage of time spent in the central area of the DPM group and the hypertension group were lower than those of the control group( P<0.05), while the immobility time of the two group was higher than that of the control group( P<0.05). The sucrose preference rate((55.62±4.46)%) and percentage of time spent in the open arms((4.17±0.62)%) of the hypertension+ DPM group were lower than those of the DPM group((60.78±3.21)%, (6.44±0.89)%) and the hypertension group((66.26±4.25)%, (6.53±1.29)%)(all P<0.05), while the immobility time((155.42±12.50)s) was higher than that of the DPM group((129.03±5.43)s) and the hypertension group((129.28±10.55)s)(both P<0.05).(2)Western blot analysis revealed statistically significant differences in protein expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, iNOS, Arg-1, and TREM2/IGF-1 in the medial prefrontal cortex(mPFC) among the four experimental groups( F=12.23, 10.51, 33.89, 145.40, 11.85, 15.56, 33.11, all P<0.05).The hypertension+ DPM group demonstrated significantly higher protein expression of IL-1β and IL-6 compared to the hypertension group (all P<0.05). Relative to the hypertension+ DPM group, TNF-α and iNOS protein expression was elevated in both the hypertension group and DPM group, whereas Arg-1 protein expression was lower in the hypertension group(all P<0.05). Additionally, TREM2 and IGF-1 protein expression in the hypertension and DPM groups were lower than those in the control group but higher than those in the hypertension+ DPM group(all P<0.05).(3)The protein expressions of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in BV2 cells of the DPM+ AngⅡ-TREM2 overexpression group were lower than those of the DPM+ AngⅡ group. The expression of iNOS was lower than that in the DPM+ AngⅡ group, while the expression of Arg-1 was higher than that in the DPM+ AngⅡ group(all P<0.05). Conclusion:DPM exposure aggravates anxious- and depressive-like behaviors in hypertensive model mice, with TREM2/IGF-1-regulated microglial polarization playing a significant role in this process.

Adipocytic tumors are the most common type of soft tissue tumors,which can be divided into lipomas and liposarcomas.Studies have found that benign lipomas resected from the same site can transform into liposarcomas,especially atypical lipomatous tumors(ALT),suggesting an underlying biological association.In this case,the patient underwent resection of a right neck mass in our hospital in 2017,and the pathology showed fibrolipoma.One year later,the mass recurred at the original site but was not treated.By 2023,the mass had significantly enlarged and extended deeply.MRI showed that the lesion had an unclear boundary with the surrounding fat,suggesting liposarcoma.Puncture and molecular pathology showed MDM2 gene amplification,and the diagnosis of ALT was made,which was confirmed by pathology after complete surgical resection.It can be seen that adipocytic tumors have great differences in biological behavior,and benign lipomas can transform into liposarcomas(especially ALT).Clinically,it is necessary to combine imaging,pathology and molecular detection(such as MDM2/CDK4)for differentiation to formulate treatment plans.

Background and Aims:The incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(ICC)has been increasing in recent years.Due to its insidious onset and low rate of early diagnosis,radical resection remains the only potential curative treatment.Lymph node metastasis is a major adverse prognostic factor in ICC,but the scope and therapeutic value of lymphadenectomy remain controversial.Previous studies suggest that patients with central ICC may derive greater survival benefit from lymphadenectomy than those with peripheral ICC.Preoperative assessment of lymph node status mainly relies on imaging,but its accuracy is limited.This study aimed to investigate the prognostic impact of lymphadenectomy in ICC patients at different anatomical sites to inform surgical decision-making.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 220 ICC patients who underwent radical resection at the 904th Hospital of the Joint Logistic Support Force of the PLA from May 2016 to May 2021.The cohort included 126 males and 94 females,with a mean age of(56.76±13.15)years.Patients were categorized into peripheral ICC(n=144)and central ICC(n=76)groups.Clinical characteristics,albumin-bilirubin(ALBI)grade,preoperative risk of lymph node metastasis,number of lymph nodes dissected,lymph node metastasis status,and postoperative survival outcomes were compared.Subgroup analyses were conducted to assess the prognostic value of the number of lymph nodes dissected under different risk stratifications.Results:Significant differences were observed between peripheral and central ICC in ALBI grade(x2=9.952,P=0.002),preoperative lymph node metastasis risk(x2=6.166,P=0.014),number of lymph nodes dissected(x2=4.167,P=0.042),and lymph node metastasis rate(x2=7.331,P=0.007).The 3-year overall survival(OS)rate was higher in peripheral ICC(31.94％)than in central ICC(15.79％)(x2=13.890,P＜0.001).Among central ICC patients,those with ≥6 lymph nodes dissected had better 3-year OS than those with＜6(16.89％vs.13.04％,x2=3.894,P=0.048).In the high-risk subgroup of central ICC,≥6 lymph nodes dissected was also associated with improved 3-year OS compared with＜6(15.62％vs.11.11％,x2=3.962,P=0.047).In contrast,the number of lymph node dissections had no significant prognostic impact in peripheral ICC or in patients classified as low risk.Conclusion:Patients with peripheral ICC had a better prognosis than those with central ICC.Adequate lymphadenectomy(≥6 nodes)improved survival and enhanced staging accuracy in central ICC patients at high risk of lymph node metastasis,highlighting the importance of preoperative risk assessment for optimizing surgical strategies.

Objective:To develop and validate the reliability and validity of the care giver assessment via observation (CGAO) in general hospital .Methods:From July 4, 2022 to June 24, 2023, a total of 120 adult inpatients with somatic diseases in Peking Union Medical College Hospital were selected by cluster sampling. All patients completed the CGAO, union physio-psycho-social assessment questionnaire (UPPSAQ-70) and patient health questionnaire-9 item (PHQ-9) assessment simultaneously. Exploratory factor analysis and item response theory analysis were used to explore the structural validity of CGAO by SPSS 26.0 software.The symptoms items and suicide risk assessed by UPPSAQ-70 and PHQ-9 were used as criteria to verify criterion validity.Results:Through exploratory factor analysis, a single-factor model could be constructed. The analysis based on item response theory suggested that it had a good fit with the single-factor stepwise response model ( χ2/ df=1.307, RMSEA=0.051, CFI=0.986, TLI=0.983). The CGAO total score was significantly positively correlated with the total scores of PHQ-9 and UPPSAQ-70 ( r=0.639, 0.518, both P<0.001). The Cronbach's α coefficient of the CGAO full scale was 0.735. Conclusion:CGAO has good reliability and validity in evaluating mental behavior of patients, and is suitable for early recognition of mental behavior abnormalities of inpatients in general hospitals.

Objective:To investigate the role of microglial polarization modulated by triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2/insulin-like growth factor-1(TREM2/IGF-1) in hypertensive model mice exposed to diesel exhaust particulate matter (DPM), with a focus on its implications for anxious- and depressive-like behaviors.Methods:SPF-grade male C57BL/6J mice were divided into the control group, the hypertension group, the DPM group, and the hypertension+ DPM group according to the principle of weight-matching, with 10 mice in each group. The hypertension model was established by intraperitoneal injection of angiotensin Ⅱ (AngⅡ) in hypertension group and hypertension+ DPM group, and mice in the control group and DPM group were intraperitoneally injected with an equivalent amount of 0.9% NaCl solution.DPM suspension was instilled into the nasal cavity of the mice in DPM group and hypertension+ DPM group(1 μg/μL, 10 μL, once a day for 56 days).Behavioral tests, including the sucrose preference test, tail suspension test, elevated plus maze test, and open field test, were conducted to evaluate anxious- and depressive-like behaviors.TREM2-overexpressing BV2 cell model was established through plasmid transfection technology.Western blot was applied to measure the protein expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, iNOS, Arg-1, TREM2 and IGF-1.SPSS 23.0 software was used for statistical analysis, one-way ANOVA was used for comparison among multiple groups, and LSD- t test was used for post-hoc testing. Results:(1)There were statistically significant differences in the sucrose preference rate, immobility time in the tail suspension test, percentage of time and number of entries into the open arms in the elevated plus maze, as well as the total distance, percentage of time spent in the central area in the open field test among the four groups of mice( F=22.82, 21.60, 36.17, 20.99, 5.85, 13.24, all P<0.01).The sucrose preference rate, percentage of time spent in the open arms, percentage of number of entries into the open arms, total distance and percentage of time spent in the central area of the DPM group and the hypertension group were lower than those of the control group( P<0.05), while the immobility time of the two group was higher than that of the control group( P<0.05). The sucrose preference rate((55.62±4.46)%) and percentage of time spent in the open arms((4.17±0.62)%) of the hypertension+ DPM group were lower than those of the DPM group((60.78±3.21)%, (6.44±0.89)%) and the hypertension group((66.26±4.25)%, (6.53±1.29)%)(all P<0.05), while the immobility time((155.42±12.50)s) was higher than that of the DPM group((129.03±5.43)s) and the hypertension group((129.28±10.55)s)(both P<0.05).(2)Western blot analysis revealed statistically significant differences in protein expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, iNOS, Arg-1, and TREM2/IGF-1 in the medial prefrontal cortex(mPFC) among the four experimental groups( F=12.23, 10.51, 33.89, 145.40, 11.85, 15.56, 33.11, all P<0.05).The hypertension+ DPM group demonstrated significantly higher protein expression of IL-1β and IL-6 compared to the hypertension group (all P<0.05). Relative to the hypertension+ DPM group, TNF-α and iNOS protein expression was elevated in both the hypertension group and DPM group, whereas Arg-1 protein expression was lower in the hypertension group(all P<0.05). Additionally, TREM2 and IGF-1 protein expression in the hypertension and DPM groups were lower than those in the control group but higher than those in the hypertension+ DPM group(all P<0.05).(3)The protein expressions of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in BV2 cells of the DPM+ AngⅡ-TREM2 overexpression group were lower than those of the DPM+ AngⅡ group. The expression of iNOS was lower than that in the DPM+ AngⅡ group, while the expression of Arg-1 was higher than that in the DPM+ AngⅡ group(all P<0.05). Conclusion:DPM exposure aggravates anxious- and depressive-like behaviors in hypertensive model mice, with TREM2/IGF-1-regulated microglial polarization playing a significant role in this process.