Objective:To investigate the correlation between the neoadjuvant rectal (NAR) score and long-term survival in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who have undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.Methods:Clinical and pathological data of 487 patients diagnosed with rectal adenocarcinoma from October 2004 to April 2014 at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center who had received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy were retrospectively analyzed and the impact of NAR score on prognosis studied. Disease-free-survival (DFS) was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and survivals compared using the log-rank test. Cox models were used for univariate and multivariate analyses. Receiver operating characteristic curves were utilized to evaluate the predictive capability of NAR and tumor regression grade scores for the risk of 10-year postoperative recurrence and metastasis. The Delong test was employed to compare the diagnostic performance of the two scores.Results:Of the 487 patients included in the study, 166 were men (34.1%). The median age was 56 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 46–63). All patients completed adequate preoperative chemoradiotherapy and underwent R0 resection.The median interval between the end of chemoradiotherapy and surgery was 51 days (IQR: 44–58). Post-chemoradiotherapy downstaging occurred in 329 patients (67.6%). Tumor regression grades (TRGs) were 1–2 in 246 patients (50.5%) and 3–4 in 241 patients (49.5%). A total of 394 patients (80.9%) received postoperative chemotherapy. NAR scores were <8 in 182 patients (37.4%), 8–16 in 180 (37.0%), and >16 in 125 (25.6%). The median follow-up time was 111.5 months (IQR: 70.7–133.7 months). One hundred and thirteen patients died of rectal cancer, among whom 13 patients developed local recurrence, 88 patients developed distant metastasis, and 12 patients had unknown recurrence patterns. The 10-year DFS and overall survival rate of f the whole group were 68.9% and 71.5% respectively. The 10-year DFS rates for patients with NAR scores <8, 8–16, and >16 were 85.1%, 80.5%, and 66.4%, respectively ( P<0.001). Multivariate analyses revealed that the Dixon operation (HR=0.606, 95%CI: 0.408–0.902, P=0.014), and >16 (HR=2.569, 95%CI: 1.559–4.233, P<0.001) were independent predictors of the 10-year DFS of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer ( P<0.05 for all). In the entire patient cohort, the AUC of the receiver operating characteristic curve for NAR score predicting 10-year recurrence and metastasis was 0.67 (95%CI: 0.62–0.72), whereas the AUC for TRG score was 0.54 (95%CI: 0.49–0.60). The two scores differed significantly in accuracy ( Z=-4.06, P<0.001), the NAR score being a significantly better predictor of risk of 10-year recurrence and metastasis than the TRG score. Conclusion:The NAR score is a reliable predictor of 10-year DFS in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who have undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by curative surgery.

Objective:To investigate the prognosis and the factors that influence it in patients with non-gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) who are at low risk of recurrence.Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study. Clinicopathologic and prognostic data from patients with non-gastric GISTs and at low risk of recurrence (i.e., very low-risk or low-risk according to the 2008 version of the Modified NIH Risk Classification), who attended 18 medical centers in China between January 2000 and June 2023, were collected. We excluded patients with a history of prior malignancy, concurrent primary malignancy, multiple GISTs, and those who had received preoperative imatinib. The study cohort comprised 1,571 patients with GISTs, 370 (23.6%) of whom were at very low-risk and 1,201 (76.4%) at low-risk of recurrence. The cohort included 799 (50.9%) men and 772 (49.1%) women of median age 57 (16–93) years. Patients were followed up to July 2024. The prognosis and its influencing factors were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curves for tumor diameter and Ki67 were established, and the sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve (AUC) and optimal cut-off value with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Propensity score matching was implemented using the 1:1 nearest neighbor matching method with a matching tolerance of 0.02.Results:With a median follow-up of 63 (12–267) months, the 5- and 10-year overall survival (OS) rates of the 1,571 patients were 99.5% and 98.0%, respectively, and the 5- and 10-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 96.3% and 94.4%, respectively. During postoperative follow-up, 3.8% (60/1,571) patients had disease recurrence or metastasis, comprising 0.8% (3/370) in the very low-risk group and 4.7% (57/1,201) in the low-risk group. In the low-risk group, recurrence or metastasis occurred in 5.5% (25/457) of patients with duodenal GISTs, 3.9% (25/645) of those with small intestinal GISTs, 9.2% (6/65) of those with rectal GISTs, and 10.0% (1/10) of those with colonic GISTs. Among the 60 patients with metastases, 56.7% (34/60) of the metastases were located in the abdominal cavity, 53.3% (32/60) in the liver, and 3.3% (2/60) in bone. During the follow-up period, 13 patients (0.8%) died of disease. Receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted for tumor diameter and Ki67 and assessed using the Jordon index. This showed that the difference in DFS between the two groups was statistically significant when the cutoff value for tumor diameter was 3.5 cm (AUC 0.731, 95% CI: 0.670–0.793, sensitivity 77.7%, specificity 64.1%). Furthermore, the difference in DFS between the two groups was statistically significant when the cutoff value for Ki67 was 5% (AUC 0.693, 95% CI: 0.624–0.762, sensitivity 60.7%, specificity 65.3%). Multifactorial analysis revealed that tumor diameter ≥3.5 cm, Ki67 ≥5%, and R1 resection were independent risk factors for DFS in patients with non-gastric GISTs at low risk of recurrence (all P<0.05). Furthermore, age >57 years, Ki67 ≥5%, and R1 resection were also independent risk factors for OS in patients with non-gastric GISTs at low risk of recurrence (all P<0.05). We also grouped the patients according to whether they had received postoperative adjuvant treatment with imatinib for 1 or 3 years. This yielded 137 patients in the less than 1-year group, 139 in the 1-year plus group; and 44 in both the less than 3 years and 3-years plus group. After propensity score matching for age, tumor diameter, Ki67, and resection status, the differences in survival between the two groups were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). The 10-year DFS and OS were 87.5% and 95.5%, respectively, in the group treated with imatinib for less than 1 year and 88.5% and 97.8%, respectively, in the group treated for more than 1 year. The 10-year DFS and OS were 89.6% and 92.6%, respectively, in the group treated with imatinib for less than 3 years and 88.0% and 100.0%, respectively, in the group treated with imatinib for more than 3 years. Conclusion:The overall prognosis of primary, non-gastric, low recurrence risk GISTs is relatively favorable; however, recurrences and metastases do occur. Age, tumor diameter, Ki67, and R1 resection may affect the prognosis. For some patients with low risk GISTs, administration of adjuvant therapy with imatinib for an appropriate duration may help prevent recurrence and improve survival.

Objective To discuss the clinical application value of super selective renal artery embolization-assisted(SRAE-assisted)laparoscopic partial nephrectomy(LPN).Methods A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of patients with stage T1 renal carcinoma,who received LPN,was conducted.The patients were divided into SRAE group(performing LPN without adopting renal hilum vascular clamping)and VC group(performing LPN with adopting renal hilum vascular clamping).The time spent for operation,amount of intraoperative blood loss,and preoperative and postoperative renal functions were compared between the two groups.According to the warm ischemia time(WIT),the patients of the VC group were subdivided into WIT＜25 min subgroup and WIT≥25 min subgroup,and the preoperative and postoperative renal functions were compared between the two subgroups.Results A total of 59 patients with renal carcinoma were enrolled in this study,including 12 patients in SRAE group and 47 patients in VC group.In VC group,WIT＜25 min subgroup had 33 patients and WIT≥25 min subgroup had 14 patients.In both SRAE group and VC group,no patient was referred to open surgery or total nephrectomy.No patient in SRAE group was referred to traditional LPN.The time spent for operation in SRAE group and VC group was 100.50(73.75,132.50)min and 120.00(90.00,145.00)min respectively,the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant(P＞0.05).The postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)in SRAE group was 100.56(82.85,106.81),which was remarkably higher than 84.66(70.84,94.85)in VC group(P＜0.05).The postoperative serum creatinine level in VC group was 90.50(77.10,104.90)μmol/L,which was strikingly higher than 72.24(65.97,80.27)μmol/L in SRAE group(P＜0.05).The amount of intraoperative blood loss in SRAE group was 50(50,50)mL,which was lower than 50(50,100)mL in VC group(P＜0.05).In VC group,the postoperative eGFR in WIT≥25 min subgroup was 66.13(47.08,82.50),which was lower than 90.80(77.18,98.78)in WIT＜25 min subgroup(P＜0.05).During the postoperative one-year follow-up,no recurrence was observed in both groups.Conclusion Compared with traditional LPN,SRAE-assisted LPN doesn't need to obstruct the renal hilus during surgery,which can avoid the ischemic impairment of the residual renal function and reduce the amount of intraoperative blood loss,moreover,it doesn't increase the operation time,doesn't increase the incidence of complications such as postoperative bleeding,etc.and doesn't affect the curative efficacy and patient's prognosis.

Objective:To quantify the associations between periconceptional maternal homocysteine (HCY) and offspring′s birth weight and risk of small for gestational age (SGA) infant.Methods:The 19 984 mother-child pairs in this prospective cohort study were recruited from the Shanghai preconception cohort; the infants were delivered from 1 st September 2016 to 11 th November 2022. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect the mothers′ demographic information, medical history, dietary supplement use, and maternal complications during pregnancy, and their serum samples were collected. Serum HCY, folate, and vitamin B 12 were measured using chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay based on serum sample drawn at enrollment. Birth weight data were obtained from medical records. Multiple imputation methods were applied to handle missing data in key variables. Multivariable linear regression and Poisson regression models were used to analyze the relationship between maternal HCY concentration during the periconceptional period and the birth weight and SGA risk of the offspring. Results:A total of 9 452 pairs were enrolled preconceptionally and the remaining 10 532 pairs were enrolled in early pregnancy. The proportion of mothers whose pregnancy age was greater than 35 years was 9.2% (1 832/19 984), the proportion of primiparous women was 76.5% (15 283/19 984), the proportion of pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity was 14.0% (2 804/19 984), the proportion of using folic acid supplements before pregnancy was 21.4% (4 272/19 984), and the proportion of those who supplemented with folic acid during early pregnancy was 85.2% (8 976/10 532); gestational diabetes mellitus was in 6.2% (1 245/19 984), gestational hypertensive syndrome in 3.6% (711/19 984). The birth weight of the offspring was (3 297±468) g, and there were 1 962 SGA children (9.8%). The HCY concentration in the overall population in appropriate for gestational age during the periconceptional period was (7.9±3.2) μmol/L, with (8.3±3.7) μmol/L in the preconception subgroup and (7.3±2.4) μmol/L in the early pregnancy subgroup. After adjustment for the covariates of perinatal demographic information, adverse pregnancy outcomes, serum folate and vitamin B 12, increased maternal periconceptional HCY was significantly associated with lower offspring birth weight ( β=-2.30, 95% CI -4.43--0.16, P=0.035). Only the early pregnancy subgroup was significantly associated with lower offspring birth weight ( β=-7.39, 95% CI-11.50--3.21, P<0.001). No association was found between peripregnancy HCY and offspring SGA risk. However, elevated HCY in early pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of SGA in the offspring ( RR=1.05, 95% CI 1.01-1.08, P=0.002). Periconceptional vitamin B 12 was a mediator of the association between HCY and offspring birth weight, accounting for 16.5%, 41.2% and 5.4% of its total effect in the overall periconceptional population, the pre-pregnancy subgroup and the early pregnancy subgroup, respectively. Conclusions:Maternal periconceptional HCY level is associated with lower birth weight in offspring, but not with the risk of SGA. Elevated maternal HCY in early pregnancy subgroup may be associated with increased risk of SGA in offspring.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between the neoadjuvant rectal (NAR) score and long-term survival in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who have undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.Methods:Clinical and pathological data of 487 patients diagnosed with rectal adenocarcinoma from October 2004 to April 2014 at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center who had received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy were retrospectively analyzed and the impact of NAR score on prognosis studied. Disease-free-survival (DFS) was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and survivals compared using the log-rank test. Cox models were used for univariate and multivariate analyses. Receiver operating characteristic curves were utilized to evaluate the predictive capability of NAR and tumor regression grade scores for the risk of 10-year postoperative recurrence and metastasis. The Delong test was employed to compare the diagnostic performance of the two scores.Results:Of the 487 patients included in the study, 166 were men (34.1%). The median age was 56 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 46–63). All patients completed adequate preoperative chemoradiotherapy and underwent R0 resection.The median interval between the end of chemoradiotherapy and surgery was 51 days (IQR: 44–58). Post-chemoradiotherapy downstaging occurred in 329 patients (67.6%). Tumor regression grades (TRGs) were 1–2 in 246 patients (50.5%) and 3–4 in 241 patients (49.5%). A total of 394 patients (80.9%) received postoperative chemotherapy. NAR scores were <8 in 182 patients (37.4%), 8–16 in 180 (37.0%), and >16 in 125 (25.6%). The median follow-up time was 111.5 months (IQR: 70.7–133.7 months). One hundred and thirteen patients died of rectal cancer, among whom 13 patients developed local recurrence, 88 patients developed distant metastasis, and 12 patients had unknown recurrence patterns. The 10-year DFS and overall survival rate of f the whole group were 68.9% and 71.5% respectively. The 10-year DFS rates for patients with NAR scores <8, 8–16, and >16 were 85.1%, 80.5%, and 66.4%, respectively ( P<0.001). Multivariate analyses revealed that the Dixon operation (HR=0.606, 95%CI: 0.408–0.902, P=0.014), and >16 (HR=2.569, 95%CI: 1.559–4.233, P<0.001) were independent predictors of the 10-year DFS of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer ( P<0.05 for all). In the entire patient cohort, the AUC of the receiver operating characteristic curve for NAR score predicting 10-year recurrence and metastasis was 0.67 (95%CI: 0.62–0.72), whereas the AUC for TRG score was 0.54 (95%CI: 0.49–0.60). The two scores differed significantly in accuracy ( Z=-4.06, P<0.001), the NAR score being a significantly better predictor of risk of 10-year recurrence and metastasis than the TRG score. Conclusion:The NAR score is a reliable predictor of 10-year DFS in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who have undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by curative surgery.

Objective:To investigate the prognosis and the factors that influence it in patients with non-gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) who are at low risk of recurrence.Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study. Clinicopathologic and prognostic data from patients with non-gastric GISTs and at low risk of recurrence (i.e., very low-risk or low-risk according to the 2008 version of the Modified NIH Risk Classification), who attended 18 medical centers in China between January 2000 and June 2023, were collected. We excluded patients with a history of prior malignancy, concurrent primary malignancy, multiple GISTs, and those who had received preoperative imatinib. The study cohort comprised 1,571 patients with GISTs, 370 (23.6%) of whom were at very low-risk and 1,201 (76.4%) at low-risk of recurrence. The cohort included 799 (50.9%) men and 772 (49.1%) women of median age 57 (16–93) years. Patients were followed up to July 2024. The prognosis and its influencing factors were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curves for tumor diameter and Ki67 were established, and the sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve (AUC) and optimal cut-off value with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Propensity score matching was implemented using the 1:1 nearest neighbor matching method with a matching tolerance of 0.02.Results:With a median follow-up of 63 (12–267) months, the 5- and 10-year overall survival (OS) rates of the 1,571 patients were 99.5% and 98.0%, respectively, and the 5- and 10-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 96.3% and 94.4%, respectively. During postoperative follow-up, 3.8% (60/1,571) patients had disease recurrence or metastasis, comprising 0.8% (3/370) in the very low-risk group and 4.7% (57/1,201) in the low-risk group. In the low-risk group, recurrence or metastasis occurred in 5.5% (25/457) of patients with duodenal GISTs, 3.9% (25/645) of those with small intestinal GISTs, 9.2% (6/65) of those with rectal GISTs, and 10.0% (1/10) of those with colonic GISTs. Among the 60 patients with metastases, 56.7% (34/60) of the metastases were located in the abdominal cavity, 53.3% (32/60) in the liver, and 3.3% (2/60) in bone. During the follow-up period, 13 patients (0.8%) died of disease. Receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted for tumor diameter and Ki67 and assessed using the Jordon index. This showed that the difference in DFS between the two groups was statistically significant when the cutoff value for tumor diameter was 3.5 cm (AUC 0.731, 95% CI: 0.670–0.793, sensitivity 77.7%, specificity 64.1%). Furthermore, the difference in DFS between the two groups was statistically significant when the cutoff value for Ki67 was 5% (AUC 0.693, 95% CI: 0.624–0.762, sensitivity 60.7%, specificity 65.3%). Multifactorial analysis revealed that tumor diameter ≥3.5 cm, Ki67 ≥5%, and R1 resection were independent risk factors for DFS in patients with non-gastric GISTs at low risk of recurrence (all P<0.05). Furthermore, age >57 years, Ki67 ≥5%, and R1 resection were also independent risk factors for OS in patients with non-gastric GISTs at low risk of recurrence (all P<0.05). We also grouped the patients according to whether they had received postoperative adjuvant treatment with imatinib for 1 or 3 years. This yielded 137 patients in the less than 1-year group, 139 in the 1-year plus group; and 44 in both the less than 3 years and 3-years plus group. After propensity score matching for age, tumor diameter, Ki67, and resection status, the differences in survival between the two groups were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). The 10-year DFS and OS were 87.5% and 95.5%, respectively, in the group treated with imatinib for less than 1 year and 88.5% and 97.8%, respectively, in the group treated for more than 1 year. The 10-year DFS and OS were 89.6% and 92.6%, respectively, in the group treated with imatinib for less than 3 years and 88.0% and 100.0%, respectively, in the group treated with imatinib for more than 3 years. Conclusion:The overall prognosis of primary, non-gastric, low recurrence risk GISTs is relatively favorable; however, recurrences and metastases do occur. Age, tumor diameter, Ki67, and R1 resection may affect the prognosis. For some patients with low risk GISTs, administration of adjuvant therapy with imatinib for an appropriate duration may help prevent recurrence and improve survival.

Objective:To analyze the composition and clinical characteristics of urinary calculi in infants in Xinjiang.Methods:The clinical data of 75 infants with urinary calculi admitted to the People′s Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from January 2016 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, including the general situation of the children, stone-related parameters, random urine pH value, urine culture and biochemical examination results. The serum uric acid, serum calcium, urine pH value, positive rate of urine culture, and stone length between infants with and without ammonium urate stones were compared. Measurement data conforming to normal distribution were expressed as mean ± standard deviation ( ± s), and independent sample t-test was used for inter-group comparison. Measurement data that did not conform to the normal distribution were expressed as the median (interquartile distance) [ M ( Q1, Q3)], and Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison between groups. The Chi-square test, continuity-corrected Chi-square test or Fisher exact probability method were used for the comparison of count data. Results:The median age of infants with urinary calculi was 23.04 months, and the ratio of male to female was 3.2∶1. More than half of the infants (81.3%, 61/75) came from rural areas, 57.3% (43/75) were malnourished, 33.3% (25/75) were complicated with urinary tract infection, and 8.0% (6/75) were combined with urinary system congenital malformation. The calculi were found in 53 cases (70.67%) of kidney, 27 cases (36.0%) of ureter, 17 cases (22.67%) of urethra and 16 cases (21.33%) of bladder. The analysis of calculi composition showed that there were 44 cases (58.67%) of ammonium urate, 39 cases (52.0%) of calcium oxalate, 14 cases (18.67%) of apatite carbonate and 7 cases (9.33%) of uric acid. Kidney calculi was more common in female infants ( P=0.011). Compared with the infant group ( n=19), calcium oxalate stones were more common in the preschooler group ( n=56) ( P=0.039), but there were not statistical difference in the incidence of ammonium urate, apatite carbonate and uric acid stones. There were not statistical difference in gender, age, place of residence, nutritional status, serum uric acid, serum calcium, urine pH value, positive rate of urine culture, stone maximum diameter and incidence of bladder stones between ammonium urate group and non-ammonium urate group. Conclusions:The incidence of urinary calculi in infants is higher in boys, and the most common site of calculi is the upper urinary tract, especially in female kidney calculi. Ammonium urate is the main component of urinary calculi in infants. Calcium oxalate stones are more common in preschooler group. Infants with urinary calculi are mostly rural residents, and malnutrition and urinary tract infection are more common.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of metagenomic next generation sequencing (mNGS) in the etiological diagnosis of patients with spinal infection, so as to provide reference for timely diagnosis and treatment.Methods:A total of 40 patients with suspected spinal infection admitted to the Department of Infectious Diseases in Henan Provincial People′s Hospital from January 2020 to July 2022 were included. The results of tissue culture, histopathological examination and tissue mNGS detection were analyzed retrospectively. According to the clinical diagnose, the patients were divided into the spinal infection group (28 cases) and the non-spinal infection group (12 cases). The positive rate, sensitivity and specificity of mNGS and tissue culture in the pathogen detection of patients with spinal infection were compared. McNemar test was used for statistical analysis.Results:There were 23 males and 17 females in 40 patients. The positive rate of mNGS was higher than that of tissue culture (75.0%(30/40) vs 12.5%(5/40)), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=0.08, P<0.001). Based on clinical diagnostic criteria, the sensitivity of mNGS in the diagnosis of spinal infection was higher than that of tissue culture (82.1% vs 17.9%), with a statistically significant difference ( χ2=0.02, P<0.001), while the specificity compared to the tissue culture (33.3% vs 100.0%), the difference was not statistically significant ( P>0.05). Conclusions:mNGS has a high pathogen detection rate and sensitivity in the etiological diagnosis of patients with spinal infection, which could provide clinical guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with spinal infection.

Animal models are essential for investigating the pathogenesis and developing the treatment of human diseases. Identification of genetic mutations responsible for neurodegenerative diseases has enabled the creation of a large number of small animal models that mimic genetic defects found in the affected individuals. Of the current animal models, rodents with genetic modifications are the most commonly used animal models and provided important insights into pathogenesis. However, most of genetically modified rodent models lack overt neurodegeneration, imposing challenges and obstacles in utilizing them to rigorously test the therapeutic effects on neurodegeneration. Recent studies that used CRISPR/Cas9-targeted large animal (pigs and monkeys) have uncovered important pathological events that resemble neurodegeneration in the patient's brain but could not be produced in small animal models. Here we highlight the unique nature of large animals to model neurodegenerative diseases as well as the limitations and challenges in establishing large animal models of neurodegenerative diseases, with focus on Huntington disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Parkinson diseases. We also discuss how to use the important pathogenic insights from large animal models to make rodent models more capable of recapitulating important pathological features of neurodegenerative diseases.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/genetics* ; Animals ; Brain/pathology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Gene Editing ; Neurodegenerative Diseases/pathology* ; Swine