OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of digital three-dimensional (3D) printing osteotomy guide plate assisted total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients with femoral internal implants. METHODS: The clinical data of 55 KOA patients who met the selection criteria between July 2021 and October 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 26 cases combined with femoral implants were treated with digital 3D printing osteotomy guide plate assisted TKA (guide plate group), and 29 cases were treated with conventional TKA (control group). There was no significant difference in gender, age, body mass index, side, Kellgren-Lawrence classification, preoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee score, knee range of motion, and other baseline data between the two groups ( P>0.05). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, incision length, postoperative first ambulation time, surgical complications; VAS score, knee HSS score, knee range of motion before operation, at 1 week and 3 months after operation, and at last follow-up; distal femoral lateral angle, proximal tibial medial angle, hip-knee-ankle angle and other imaging indicators at last follow-up were recorded and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The operation time, incision length, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative first ambulation time in the guide plate group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( P<0.05). In the control group, there were 1 case of incision rupture and bleeding and 1 case of lower limb intermuscular venous thrombosis, which was cured after symptomatic treatment. There was no complication such as neurovascular injury, incision infection, or knee prosthesis loosening in both groups. Patients in both groups were followed up 12-26 months, with an average of 16.25 months. The VAS score, HSS score, and knee range of motion improved at each time point after operation in both groups, and further improved with time after operation, the differences were significant ( P<0.05). The above indicators in the guide plate group were significantly better than those in the control group at 1 week and 3 months after operation ( P<0.05), and there was no significant difference between the two groups at last follow-up ( P>0.05). At last follow-up, the distal femoral lateral angle, the proximal tibial medial angle, and the hip-knee-ankle angle in the guide plate group were significantly better than those in the control group ( P<0.05). CONCLUSION The application of digital 3D printing osteotomy guide plate assisted TKA in the treatment of KOA patients with femoral implants can simplify the surgical procedures, overcome limitations of conventional osteotomy guides, reduce surgical trauma, achieve individualized and precise osteotomy, and effectively restore lower limb alignment and knee joint function.
Humans ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee/instrumentation* ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/surgery* ; Osteotomy/instrumentation* ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Female ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Femur/surgery* ; Middle Aged ; Bone Plates ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Surgery, Computer-Assisted/methods* ; Knee Prosthesis ; Knee Joint/surgery* ; Operative Time

Objective: To investigate the regulatory role of ABCG5 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Methods : Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of ABCG5 in 105 patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma,and the relationship between the expression and the long-term survival time of the patients was analyzed.Immunowestern blotting and flow cytometry were used to detect the expression of ABCG5 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines.Flow sorting was employed to investigate the differences in proliferation and metastasis,spheroidization ability,and expression of stem cell molecules between ABCG5 positive and negative cells.si RNA interference was used to further demonstrate whether ABCG5 affects the malignant phenotype. Results: ABCG5 was associated with poor prognosis in patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma.ABCG5 was enriched in stem cells of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.ABCG5-positive cells had stronger proliferation(P<0.001),metastasis(P<0.01),and spheroid formation abilities(P<0.001) than negative cells.The expression levels of some stem cell molecules(SOX2、NANOG、SOX9、OCT4、CD44) in ABCG5-positive cells were higher than those in ABCG5-negative cells.The expression of epithelial cell protein E-cadherin was lower in ABCG5-positive cells than that in ABCG5-negative cells,and the expression of interstitial cell proteins N-cadherin,Slug,Snail 1,and Vimentin were higher(P<0.01).Moreover,interfering with ABCG5 expression significantly inhibited tumor cell spheroid formation(P<0.001),as well as the expression of proteins related to cancer stem cells and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Conclusion ABCG5 has a potential biological role in maintaining the function of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma stem cells.

Background::Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and diameter, stiffness, and wave reflections, are independent and important clinical biomarkers and risk predictors for cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of the present study was to establish nationwide reference values of carotid properties for healthy Chinese adults and to explore potential clinical determinants.Methods::A total of 3053 healthy Han Chinese adults (1922 women) aged 18-79 years were enrolled at 28 collaborating tertiary centers throughout China between April 2021 and July 2022. The real-time tracking of common carotid artery walls was achieved by the radio frequency (RF) ultrasound system. The IMT, diameter, compliance coefficient, β stiffness, local pulse wave velocity (PWV), local systolic blood pressure, augmented pressure (AP), and augmentation index (AIx) were then automatically measured and reported. Data were stratified by age groups and sex. The relationships between age and carotid property parameters were analyzed by Jonckheere-Terpstra test and simple linear regressions. The major clinical determinants of carotid properties were identified by Pearson’s correlation, multiple linear regression, and analyses of covariance.Results::All the parameters of carotid properties demonstrated significantly age-related trajectories. Women showed thinner IMT, smaller carotid diameter, larger AP, and AIx than men. The β stiffness and PWV were significantly higher in men than women before forties, but the differences reversed after that. The increase rate of carotid IMT (5.5 μm/year in women and 5.8 μm/year in men) and diameter (0.03 mm/year in both men and women) were similar between men and women. For the stiffness and wave reflections, women showed significantly larger age-related variations than men as demonstrated by steeper regression slopes (all P for age by sex interaction <0.05). The blood pressures, body mass index (BMI), and triglyceride levels were identified as major clinical determinants of carotid properties with adjustment of age and sex. Conclusions::The age- and sex-specific reference values of carotid properties measured by RF ultrasound for healthy Chinese adults were established. The blood pressures, BMI, and triglyceride levels should be considered for clinical application of corresponding reference values.

Objective To grasp the main environmental factors affecting the growth of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao;To predict the distribution of suitable areas of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao in Shanxi Province;To provide references for the rational distribution of the resources in Shanxi Province.Methods This study utilized the sample point longitude and latitude information collected in the"Fourth Survey of Chinese Materia Medica Resources"database in Shanxi Province.The data were supplemented by searching the China Digital Herbarium and retrieving related literature records.347 sample points distribution data and environmental factors were added to the MaxEnt model.The main environmental factors and contribution rates affecting the geographical distribution of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao were screened out.The ArcGIS software was used to divide the ecological suitable area of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao in Shanxi Province.Results The area under the ROC curve of the established MaxEnt model was 0.909,indicating that the model prediction results were accurate.The model screened 19 environmental factors.Among them,climate factor was the most important environmental factor,followed by biological factor and topographic factor,and soil factor had the least influence.The potential suitable areas of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao in Shanxi Province were mainly distributed in the northern mountainous areas,presenting a trend of gradually decreasing suitability levels from north to south.Under the current climate conditions,the most suitable area for Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao in Shanxi Province was 15 424 km2,the suitable area was 19 856 km2,the sub suitable area was 59 436 km2,and the unsuitable area was 61 894 km2.Conclusion Based on MaxEnt model and ArcGIS software,this study predicts the distribution of suitable areas of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao in Shanxi Province,which has certain reference value for the protection and rational distribution of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao resources in Shanxi Province.

Objective:To understand the breastfeeding situation in the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Qianxinan Prefecture, Guizhou Province, and to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of doctors and nurses regarding breastfeeding, aiming to provide foundational data for improving breastfeeding quality.Methods:A questionnaire was developed to survey the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to breastfeeding in NICUs. The questionnaire was divided into three dimensions: knowledge (seven items, total score of 7), attitudes (nine items, total score of 45), and practices (seven items, total score of 35). Lower scores indicated weaker recognition of breastfeeding. Additionally, five items were included to identify the most influential factors affecting breastfeeding. From November 25 to November 30, 2023, a survey was conducted among doctors and nurses with professional qualifications who had worked in the neonatal departments of nine hospitals in Qianxinan Prefecture for at least one year. Independent sample t-tests and Chi-square tests were used to compare the scores of doctors and nurses from different levels of hospitals and within the same level of hospitals across the three dimensions. Results:(1) Among the nine hospitals, three were tertiary grade A hospitals (referred to as "tertiary hospitals"), with 95.6% (43/45) of the doctors and 96.5% (110/114) of the nurses participating in the survey. Six were secondary grade A hospitals (referred to as "secondary hospitals"), with 95.0% (38/40) of the doctors and 97.6% (83/85) of the nurses participating. (2) All nine hospitals were baby-friendly hospitals and all had breastfeeding promotional materials. Six hospitals had NICUs that promoted breastfeeding, with an average NICU breastfeeding rate of 25.8% across the prefecture between year 2021 to 2023. (3) The proportion of doctors who had received breastfeeding training was higher than that of nurses within the same level of hospitals [tertiary hospitals: 69.8% (30/43) vs. 40.0% (44/110), χ 2=10.97, P=0.001; secondary hospitals: 47.4% (18/38) vs. 24.1% (20/83), χ 2=6.55, P=0.010], although the overall training rates were low. (4) In tertiary hospitals, doctors scored higher than nurses in the attitude dimension [(35.35±4.75) vs. (33.18±5.60) scores, t=－2.03, P=0.044] and also in the practice dimension [(26.98±3.00) vs. (25.60±3.75) scores, t=－2.17, P=0.032]. In secondary hospitals, the total knowledge dimension score of doctors was higher than that of nurses [(4.92±1.44) vs. (4.20±1.45) scores, t=－2.52, P=0.013]. In tertiary hospitals, the total scores for attitude and practice dimensions of doctors were higher than those of doctors in secondary hospitals, and the total scores for knowledge, attitude, and practice dimensions of nurses were higher than those of nurses in secondary hospitals (all P<0.05). (5) In the knowledge dimension, the lowest scoring item of doctors in the tertiary hospitals was "Breastfeeding is possible for maternal hepatitis B newborns after receiving vaccines and immunoglobulin"; the lowest scoring item of nurses in the tertiary hospital, and doctors and nurses in the secondary hospitals was "The duration of breastfeeding has a greater impact on neonatal outcomes". In the attitude dimension, the lowest scoring item for doctors and nurses in both tertiary and secondary hospitals was "You think the breastfeeding process is more troublesome than feeding preterm formula". In the practice dimension, the lowest scoring item of the doctors and nurses in the tertiary hospitals was "Your hospital had enough breastfeeding knowledge training", while for the doctors and nurses in the secondary hospitals were "You have more opportunities to participate in various breastfeeding-related training" and "Breast feeding should be started as soon as possible when the infant is stable after active treatment", respectively. (6) The most influential factors affecting breastfeeding were: lack of cooperation from parents (50.0%, 137/274), relative insufficient human resources for doctors and nurses (21.9%, 60/274), and the absence or poor implementation of breastfeeding management policies (18.3%, 50/274), etc. Conclusions:The breastfeeding rate in NICU of county-level hospitals is relatively low, and medical staff, especially nurses, have insufficient knowledge about breastfeeding. It is necessary to strengthen various breastfeeding training for medical staff to enhance their understanding of NICU breastfeeding.

Objective:To investigate the effect of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) bridging to chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) immunotherapy for follicular lymphoma (FL) transformed to B-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (B-LBL).Methods:The diagnosis and treatment of 1 patient with FL transformed to B-LBL admitted to the First Hospital of Soochow University in August 2020 were retrospectively analyzed and the literature was reviewed.Results:The male patient was 65 years old, and was diagnosed as FL (stage Ⅳ group A, FL international prognostic index -1 score 3 points, high-risk group) in August 2020. And then he was given 6 courses of RB (rituximab combined with bendamustine) regimen, with complete remission (CR) at mid-term and end-stage PET-CT, followed by regular maintenance therapy with rituximab every 2 months, and disease progressed after 4 courses of maintenance therapy. According to the results of histopathology and bone marrow aspiration in December 2021, he was diagnosed B-LBL involving the bone marrow. Partial remission was achieved after induction therapy with zanubnulindb combined with hyper CVAD (cyclophosphamide + doxorubicin + vindesine + dexamethasone) regimen, followed by auto-HSCT bridging to CAR-T treatment targeting CD19 and CD22, which proceeded smoothly with cytokine release syndrome grade 0, immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome grade 0. The patient successfully underwent hematopoietic reconstruction and orally taken ibrutinib after discharge. PET-CT indicated CR 2 months after transplantation and he was still in disease-free survival state.Conclusions:The prognosis of FL transformed to B-LBL is poor, and auto-HSCT bridging to CAR-T can improve the prognosis and prolong the survival time of patients who cannot undergo allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Objective To investigate the differential metabolites of lymph node metastasis in pancreatic ductal carcinoma (PDAC) and provide new ideas for the pathogenesis, early diagnosis and treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer. Methods Forty serum specimens of patients with pancreatic ductal carcinoma were collected and divided into lymph node metastasis group (18 cases) and non-metastasis group (22 cases). Thirty-one serum specimens were also collected from the healthy control group. Liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry was used to analyze the differential metabolites and metabolic pathways between patients with PDAC and healthy controls as well as between lymph node metastasis and non-metastasis groups. Results Principal component analysis and partial least squares-discriminant analysis revealed statistically significant differences in metabolites and metabolic pathways between patients with PDAC and the healthy controls and between lymph node metastasis and non-metastasis groups. The differences in profiles were also statistically significant. Seventy-six different metabolites and 11 metabolic pathways were screened between patients with PDAC and the healthy controls, among which phenylalanine metabolism and histidine metabolism were the two most influential metabolic pathways. Four different metabolites were screened between lymph node metastasis and non-metastasis groups, and the expression of ethopropazine and phenylalanine were upregulated but the expression of tetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone and oxprenolol were downregulated. Conclusion Metabolites are significantly altered in the lymph node metastasis group of patients with PDAC compared with the non-metastasis group. Ethopropazine, phenylalanine, tetrahydrodeoxy corticosterone, and oxprenolol are potential biomarkers of lymph node metastasis in patients with PDAC.

Objective:To compare the knowledge of endoscopic screening of gastrointestinal cancers between digestive healthcare workers and new chatbots (chatGPT and new Bing).Methods:A test with twenty-three questions of endoscopic screening of gastrointestinal cancers was conducted, focusing on the appropriate age of screening, high-risk factors, the follow-up time, and the advantages and risks of digestive endoscopy. Digestive healthcare workers were invited to complete the test through electronic questionnaires. New Bing and chatGPT were used to answer each question for 10 rounds. The primary endpoint was the correct rate of all answers. The answer accuracy between digestive healthcare workers and new chatbots were compared using variance analysis, and the factors that affected the accuracy of the answers in digestive healthcare workers were explored using univariate and multivariable liner regression analysis.Results:The results of the test completed by 76 digestive healthcare workers (21 residents, 28 digestive nurses, and 27 digestive doctors) were analyzed. The accuracies were 36.4%±10.9%, 34.5%±10.2%, 52.2%± 12.6%, 46.3%±9.8% and 67.1%±9.3% in residents, digestive nurses, digestive doctors, chatGPT, and new Bing, respectively, with significant difference ( F=22.6, P<0.001). The accuracy was highest in new Bing ( P<0.001). The accuracy was comparable between chatGPT and digestive doctors (LSD- t=-1.398, P=0.166), and both higher than that of digestive nurses (LSD- t=2.956, P=0.004; LSD- t=5.955, P<0.001) and residents (LSD- t=2.402, P=0.018; LSD- t=4.951, P<0.001). Furthermore, the accuracy was comparable between digestive nurses and residents (LSD- t=-0.574, P=0.567). Compared with new Bing, digestive doctors had lower accuracy in answering questions related to adverse events of screening, follow-up recommendation of intestinal metaplasia, high risk factors and screening methods for colon cancer ( P<0.05), but higher accuracy in answering questions related to endoscopic adverse events and screening methods for esophageal cancer ( P<0.05). Multivariable liner regression analysis showed that being digestive doctors ( β=11.7, t=3.054, P=0.003) and questionnaire response time (≥7.6 min) ( β=7.8, t=2.894, P=0.005) were independent factors for the answer accuracy of digestive healthcare workers. Conclusion:Compared with digestive healthcare workers, New chatbots—new Bing has higher accuracy in answering gastrointestinal cancer screening-related questions, but performs poorly in answering questions such as adverse events of endoscopy and screening methods for esophageal cancer.

OBJECTIVES: The use of anticholinergic drugs in the elderly may lead to negative events such as falls, delirium, urinary retention and cognitive decline, and the higher the number of anticholinergic drugs use, the more such negative events occur. This study aims to analyze the risk factors associated with the prescription of total anticholinergic drugs in elderly outpatients and evaluate the rationality of anticholinergic drugs, and to provide a reference for reducing the adverse effects of anticholinergic drugs. METHODS: A list of drugs with anticholinergic activity based on the Beers criteria was established. The basic information (such as age and gender), clinical diagnosis, and medications of elderly outpatient were extracted from hospital electronic medical records, and the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) Scale was used to calculate the anticholinergic burden for each patient. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the potential risk factors for the occurrence of problems such as multiple medication and insomnia. RESULTS: A total of 1 840 prescriptions for elderly patients were reviewed. Of these patients, ACB score was more than or equal to 1 in 648 (35.22%) patients. Number of prescription medication (95% CI: 1.221 to 1.336) and insomnia (95% CI: 3.538 to 6.089) were independent factors affecting ACB scores (both P<0.01). Medications for patients of ACB scores were most commonly treated with the central nervous system drugs (such as alprazolam and eszopiclone) and for the cardiovascular system drugs (such as metoprolol and nifedipine). CONCLUSIONS There is a high rate of ACB drugs use in geriatric patients, and the clinical focus should be on multiple medication prescriptions, especially on the central nervous system drugs (such as alprazolam and eszopiclone) and cardiovascular system drugs (such as metoprolol and nifedipine). The prescription review should be emphasized to reduce adverse reactions to anticholinergic drugs in elderly patients.
Humans ; Aged ; Cholinergic Antagonists/adverse effects* ; Outpatients ; Metoprolol ; Alprazolam ; Eszopiclone ; Nifedipine ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Risk Factors

Objective:This study aims to explore the pathogenic roles of protein S-nitrosylation modification in the development of severe acute pancreatitis, and provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms driving acute pancreatitis development.Methods:Thirty two Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into sham operation group, mild acute pancreatitis (MAP) group, severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) group and SAP + N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) group (treated with nitric oxide synthase inhibitor), 8 rats in each group. All rats were sacrificed to take blood from heart and pancreatic tissues 24 h after model construction. Total protein S-nitrosylation modification level in pancreatic tissues was quantitated by the biotin-switch method, followed by histological evaluation via hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. The serum endotoxin, D-lactic acid, diamine oxidase, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-ɑ(TNF-ɑ), amylase, alanine aminotransferase, urea nitrogen and calcium ions in rat were detected. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between each index and protein S-nitrosylation.Results:Compared with the sham operation group, the modification level of protein S-nitrosylation in pancreatic tissue of MAP group increased significantly ( P<0.05); Compared with MAP group, the modification level of protein S-nitrosylation in pancreatic tissue of SAP group increased significantly ( P<0.05); Compared with SAP group, the modification level of protein S-nitrosylation in pancreatic tissue of SAP + L-NAME group decreased significantly ( P<0.05). HE staining showed that the degree of pancreatic necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration in SAP + L-NAME group were significantly weaker than those in SAP group. The concentrations of serum endotoxin, diamine oxidase, D-lactic acid, IL-6 and TNF-ɑ, amylase, alanine aminotransferase, and urea nitrogen in the MAP group were significantly higher than those in the sham operation group (all P<0.05); The above indexes in SAP group were significantly higher than those in MAP group and sham operation group (all P<0.05); The above indexes in SAP + L-NAME group were significantly lower than those in SAP group (all P<0.05). The serum IL-6 and TNF-ɑ levels in rats with acute pancreatitis were positively correlated with protein S-nitrosylation in pancreatic tissue (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Protein S-nitrosylation modification plays essential roles in the development and progression of severe acute pancreatitis.