BACKGROUND:Degenerative scoliosis is defined as a condition that occurs in adulthood with a coronal cobb angle of the spine>10° accompanied by sagittal deformity and rotational subluxation,which often produces symptoms of spinal cord and nerve compression,such as lumbar pain,lower limb pain,numbness,weakness,and neurogenic claudication.The finite element method is a mechanical analysis technique for computer modelling,which can be used for spinal mechanics research by building digital models that can realistically restore the human spine model and design modifications. OBJECTIVE:To review the application of finite element method in the etiology and treatment of degenerative scoliosis. METHODS:The literature databases CNKI,PubMed,and Web of Science were searched for articles on the application of finite element method in degenerative scoliosis published before October 2023.Search terms were"finite element analysis,biomechanics,stress analysis,degenerative scoliosis,adult spinal deformity"in Chinese and English.Fifty-four papers were finally included. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The biomechanical findings from the degenerative scoliosis model constructed using the finite element method were identical to those from the in vivo experimental studies,which proves that the finite element method has a high practical value in degenerative scoliosis.(2)The study of the etiology and treatment of degenerative scoliosis by the finite element method is conducive to the prevention of the occurrence of the scoliosis,slowing down the progress of the scoliosis,the development of a more appropriate treatment plan,the reduction of complications,and the promotion of the patients'surgical operation.(3)The finite element method has gradually evolved from a single bony structure to the inclusion of soft tissues such as muscle ligaments,and the small sample content is increasingly unable to meet the research needs.(4)The finite element method has much room for exploration in degenerative scoliosis.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the clinical data of the immunocompromised patients complicated with Pneumo-cystis jirovecii pneumonia(PJP)and explore the values of G test and lymphocyte subsets in diagnosis of the PJP in the immunocompromised patients.METHODS A total of 78 immunocompromised patients who were treated in respiratory intensive care unit of the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University from Jan.2019 to Dec.2021 wee recruited as the research subjects,39 of whom had PJP and were assigned as the PJP group,39 did not have PJP and were assigned as the non-PJP group.The clinical data were compared between the two groups.The values of the clinical laboratory test indexes in diagnosis of PJP in the immunocompromised patients were analyzed by means of receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves.RESULTS The mortality rate of the PJP group was higher than that of the non-PJP group(P＜0.05).There were significant differences in the white blood cell(WBC)counts,neutrophils(Neu)counts,platelet distribution width(PDW),procalcitonin(PCT),C-reac-tive protein(CRP)and GM test between the PJP group and the non-PJP group;the G test was(1843.59±1621.41)pg/ml in the PJP group,(87.15±111.01)pg/ml in the non-PJP group;the percentage of CD8 lympho-cyte was(36.22±19.34)％in the PJP group,(25.99±13.10)％in the non-PJP group,and there were significant differences(P＜0.05).The areas under the curves(AUCs)of the G test and the percentage of CD8 lymphocyte were respectively 0.981 and 0.714 in diagnosis of PJP in the immunocompromised patients,and the cutoff values were 368.40 pg/ml and 31.30％,respectively.CONCLUSIONS It is necessary for the clinicians to pay great attention to the high mortality rate of the immunocompromised patients complicated with severe pneumonia.The G test and the percentage of CD8 lymphocyte have certain values in diagnosis of PJP in the immunocompromised patients.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of anatomical resection (AR) in the early stages of treating solitary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) combined with liver cirrhosis with a diameter of ≤5 cm in comparison to different surgical methods of preferential hepatic parenchymal preservation (non-anatomical liver resection, NAR).Methods:The clinical data of 1 390 cases with solitary HCC combined with liver cirrhosis at an early stage who underwent liver resection at Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University and six other medical centers from September 2013 to May 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into the AR group (486 cases) and the NAR group (904 cases) and the wide surgical margin (WSM) group (745 cases) and the narrow surgical margin (NSM) group (645 cases) according to whether they received AR and the width of the surgical margin (1 cm). The basic information of the patients, preoperative evaluation index data, and postoperative follow-up (follow-up every 3 months) were collected. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot the survival curve.The log-rank test was used to compare the difference in survival between the two groups. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze the factors affecting the prognosis. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to reduce intergroup bias.Results:The overall survival (OS) rates for all patients at 1, 3, and 5 years were 95.5%, 79.9%, and 63.5%, respectively. The recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were 81.5%, 59.0%, and 43.7%, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in RFS rate between the AR group and the NAR group prior to PSM, but no statistically significant difference in OS rate (RFS rate: 47.0% vs. 41.9%, P<0.05; OS rate: 64.4% vs. 62.9%, P>0.05). The postoperative RFS rate and OS rate were significantly superior in the WSM group than those of the NSM group (RFS rate: 47.8% vs. 37.2%, P<0.001; OS rate: 69.0% vs. 57.3%, P<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in OS rate and RFS rate between the AR group and the NAR group following PSM (RFS: 46.3% vs. 45.1%, P>0.05; OS rate: 64.0% vs. 64.3%, P>0.05).The 5-year OS and RFS rates in the WSM group were 66.8% and 60.2%, respectively. The 5-year OS and RFS rates for the NSM group were 48.7% and 41.4%, respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( P<0.05). Cox multivariate analysis indicated that serum albumin, tumor diameter, microvascular invasion, and surgical margin were independent prognostic factors affecting OS and RFS. The Child-Pugh grade and satellite lesions were independent prognostic factors affecting OS. Conclusion:Anatomical liver resection is not an independent risk factor for prognosis, but the state of the resection margin determines the prognosis of patients with solitary HCC combined with cirrhosis. Therefore, hepatic resection margins should be prioritized in such patients.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the incidence of hospital-associated infections among the neurosurgery de-partment patients undergoing brain tumor resection and analyze the economic cost so as to provide scientific bases for formulating prevention strategies.METHODS Totally 1027 patients who underwent brain tumor resection in neurosurgery department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University from Jan.1,2020 to Dec.31,2024 were recruited as the research subjects.The 36 patients who had postoperative hos-pital-associated infections were assigned as the infection group,and 991 patients who did not have hospital-associ-ated infection were assigned as the no infection group.The patients of the infection group and the non-infection group were matched in a 1∶1 ratio by using propensity score matching method(caliper value 0.005).The length of hospital stay and costs of medical items were compared between the infection group and the non-infection group,and the economic burden due to the hospital-associated infections was estimated.RESULTS The incidence of hospital-associated infections was 3.51％among the patients undergoing brain tumor resection,and totally 36 pairs were matched successfully with the propensity score.The hospitalization cost of the infection group was 109,103.81(73,370.21,163,628.37)yuan after the matching,which was increased by 50,087.69 yuan as com-pared with the non-infection group(Z=-5.237,P＜0.001);the length of hospital stay was 23.00(17.25,36.00)days,which was prolonged by 8.50 days(Z=-3.764,P＜0.001).Among the costs of medical items,the medial costs of western medicine,treatment materials and clinical laboratory tests increased most.CONCLUSIONS The control of the costs of western medicine,treatment materials and clinical laboratory tests is the key to reduce the costs of brain tumor resection patients with hospital-associated infections.It is necessary to carry out the real-time monitoring of the hospital-associated infections and early warning of suspected cases and reduce the incidence of hospital-associated infections so as to reduce the economic costs.

BACKGROUND:The highest incidence of spinal fracture is in the thoracolumbar segment,and its symptoms are back pain,posterior convexity deformity,activity limitation,or with spinal cord nerve injury causing lower limb pain,numbness,and even paraplegia and other complications.The finite element method is a digital computer modeling technique,which can simulate the physical model and carry out force analysis realistically.OBJECTIVE:To review the application of finite element method in thoracolumbar spine fractures.METHODS:We searched the Chinese and English literature databases PubMed,Web of Science,and CNKI for relevant literature on the application of the finite element analysis method in spinal thoracolumbar fracture published before March 2024.The search terms in Chinese and English were:finite element analysis methods,biomechanical phenomena,stress analysis,thoracolumbar fractures,spinal fractures.Finally,55 papers were included.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The exploration of thoracolumbar fractures caused by different etiologies(osteoporotic,traumatic,and pathological)through the finite element method is conducive to a deeper understanding of the biomechanics of various types of thoracolumbar fractures,and to improve the individualized and fine-tuned treatment of thoracolumbar fractures.(2)The finite element analysis of a single sample or a small number of samples has the chance,and a larger number of samples are required for the future finite element analysis to reduce the chance caused by the sample.(3)The rigid structure of bones alone cannot meet the biomechanical working conditions of the integrity of the physical object,and future finite element models need to incorporate all the structures of the physical object(e.g.,soft tissues,such as muscles and ligaments)as far as possible.(4)The finite element method has been used in more studies on osteoporotic and traumatic thoracolumbar spine fractures,which will need to be more in-depth in the future,and less in the field of pathologic thoracolumbar fractures,which has a wider scope for future research.

Homo- or heterodimeric compounds that affect dimeric protein function through interaction between monomeric moieties and protein subunits can serve as valuable sources of potent and selective drug candidates. Here, we screened an in-house dimeric natural product collection, and panepocyclinol A (PecA) emerged as a selective and potent STAT3 inhibitor with profound anti-tumor efficacy. Through cross-linking C712/C718 residues in separate STAT3 monomers with two distinct Michael receptors, PecA inhibits STAT3 DNA binding affinity and transcription activity. Molecular dynamics simulation reveals the key conformation changes of STAT3 dimers upon the di-covalent binding with PecA that abolishes its DNA interactions. Furthermore, PecA exhibits high efficacy against anaplastic large T cell lymphoma in vitro and in vivo, especially those with constitutively activated STAT3 or STAT3^Y640F. In summary, our study describes a distinct and effective di-covalent modification for the dimeric compound PecA to disrupt STAT3 function.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the clinical data of the immunocompromised patients complicated with Pneumo-cystis jirovecii pneumonia(PJP)and explore the values of G test and lymphocyte subsets in diagnosis of the PJP in the immunocompromised patients.METHODS A total of 78 immunocompromised patients who were treated in respiratory intensive care unit of the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University from Jan.2019 to Dec.2021 wee recruited as the research subjects,39 of whom had PJP and were assigned as the PJP group,39 did not have PJP and were assigned as the non-PJP group.The clinical data were compared between the two groups.The values of the clinical laboratory test indexes in diagnosis of PJP in the immunocompromised patients were analyzed by means of receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves.RESULTS The mortality rate of the PJP group was higher than that of the non-PJP group(P＜0.05).There were significant differences in the white blood cell(WBC)counts,neutrophils(Neu)counts,platelet distribution width(PDW),procalcitonin(PCT),C-reac-tive protein(CRP)and GM test between the PJP group and the non-PJP group;the G test was(1843.59±1621.41)pg/ml in the PJP group,(87.15±111.01)pg/ml in the non-PJP group;the percentage of CD8 lympho-cyte was(36.22±19.34)％in the PJP group,(25.99±13.10)％in the non-PJP group,and there were significant differences(P＜0.05).The areas under the curves(AUCs)of the G test and the percentage of CD8 lymphocyte were respectively 0.981 and 0.714 in diagnosis of PJP in the immunocompromised patients,and the cutoff values were 368.40 pg/ml and 31.30％,respectively.CONCLUSIONS It is necessary for the clinicians to pay great attention to the high mortality rate of the immunocompromised patients complicated with severe pneumonia.The G test and the percentage of CD8 lymphocyte have certain values in diagnosis of PJP in the immunocompromised patients.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by incomplete reversible airflow obstruction, persistent airway inflammation, and systemic complications. Smoking is the main cause of COPD, while genetic factors, lung development and environmental stimuli play a role in the pathobiological process of COPD. The main drugs used to treat COPD are bronchodilators, including beta-2 agonists and long-acting anticholinergics (often used in combination with inhaled corticosteroids). However, research and clinical treatment in recent years have shown that frequent exacerbations of COPD exist even with the best medical treatment. Therefore, it is crucial to explore new treatments and technologies. Targeted lung denervation (TLD) is a new endoscopic therapy. This article reviews the mechanism of action, procedure and clinical application of TLD in COPD.

BACKGROUND:The highest incidence of spinal fracture is in the thoracolumbar segment,and its symptoms are back pain,posterior convexity deformity,activity limitation,or with spinal cord nerve injury causing lower limb pain,numbness,and even paraplegia and other complications.The finite element method is a digital computer modeling technique,which can simulate the physical model and carry out force analysis realistically.OBJECTIVE:To review the application of finite element method in thoracolumbar spine fractures.METHODS:We searched the Chinese and English literature databases PubMed,Web of Science,and CNKI for relevant literature on the application of the finite element analysis method in spinal thoracolumbar fracture published before March 2024.The search terms in Chinese and English were:finite element analysis methods,biomechanical phenomena,stress analysis,thoracolumbar fractures,spinal fractures.Finally,55 papers were included.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The exploration of thoracolumbar fractures caused by different etiologies(osteoporotic,traumatic,and pathological)through the finite element method is conducive to a deeper understanding of the biomechanics of various types of thoracolumbar fractures,and to improve the individualized and fine-tuned treatment of thoracolumbar fractures.(2)The finite element analysis of a single sample or a small number of samples has the chance,and a larger number of samples are required for the future finite element analysis to reduce the chance caused by the sample.(3)The rigid structure of bones alone cannot meet the biomechanical working conditions of the integrity of the physical object,and future finite element models need to incorporate all the structures of the physical object(e.g.,soft tissues,such as muscles and ligaments)as far as possible.(4)The finite element method has been used in more studies on osteoporotic and traumatic thoracolumbar spine fractures,which will need to be more in-depth in the future,and less in the field of pathologic thoracolumbar fractures,which has a wider scope for future research.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by incomplete reversible airflow obstruction, persistent airway inflammation, and systemic complications. Smoking is the main cause of COPD, while genetic factors, lung development and environmental stimuli play a role in the pathobiological process of COPD. The main drugs used to treat COPD are bronchodilators, including beta-2 agonists and long-acting anticholinergics (often used in combination with inhaled corticosteroids). However, research and clinical treatment in recent years have shown that frequent exacerbations of COPD exist even with the best medical treatment. Therefore, it is crucial to explore new treatments and technologies. Targeted lung denervation (TLD) is a new endoscopic therapy. This article reviews the mechanism of action, procedure and clinical application of TLD in COPD.