Purpose: It was aimed to clarify the casual connection between prostate cancer (PCa) and arthritis by utilizing two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis and data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. Materials and Methods: This study utilized NHANES data. Through association analysis and risk stratification analysis, the association between arthritis and PCa were examined. MR analysis was performed to elucidate the causal relationship between arthritis and PCa. Sensitivity analysis and Steiger directionality test confirmed the reliability of the MR analysis results. Results: A total of 23,608 (PCa:controls=413:23,195) participants after a sample exclusion and variable definition process were screened in NHANES database. Adjustments across three diverse models consistently revealed a notable influence of arthritis on PCa progression. Arthritis was identified as a risk factor for PCa (odds ratio [OR] 1.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.36–2.62, p<0.001). Subsequent analysis indicated that in the arthritis-adjusted model with multiple covariates, the area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.94. The inverse variance weighting method of MR analysis showed a causal relationship between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and PCa (OR 1.090, 95% CI 1.053–1.128, p<0.001) as well as osteoar-thritis and PCa (OR 1.002, 95% CI 1.001–1.004, p=0.002). This suggested that RA and osteoarthritis were risk factors for PCa. The heterogeneity (p>0.05), horizontal pleiotropy (p>0.05), leave-one-out and Steiger test confirmed reliability of MR results. Conclusions NHANES database and MR analyses identified arthritis as a risk factor for PCa, offering fresh avenues for preventive and therapeutic approaches.

Objective: To screen and identify the key active molecules, signaling pathways, and therapeutic targets of Shuxuening (SXN) injection for treating liver cirrhosis (LC) and to evaluate its therapeutic potential using a mouse model. Methods: Target genes of SXN and LC were retrieved from public databases, and enrichment analysis was performed. A protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING), and hub genes were identified using Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE). LC was induced in rats and mice via intraperitoneal injections of diethylnitrosamine and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) for 12 weeks. Starting at week 7, SXN was administered intraperitoneally to the mice in the treatment group. Serum and liver tissues of the mice were collected for the detection of indicators, pathological staining, and expression analysis of hub targets using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results: We identified 368 overlapping genes (OLGs) between SXN and LC targets. These OLGs were subsequently used to build a PPI network and to screen for hub genes. Enrichment analysis showed that these genes were associated with cancer-related pathways, including phosphoinositide-3-kinase/Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling and various cellular processes, such as responses to chemicals and metabolic regulation. In vivo experiments demonstrated that SXN treatment significantly improved liver function and pathology in CCl4-induced LC mice by reducing inflammation and collagen deposition. Furthermore, qRT-PCR demonstrated that SXN regulated the expression of MAPK8, AR and CASP3 in the livers of LC mice. Conclusion This study highlighted the therapeutic effects of SXN in alleviating LC using both bioinformatics and experimental methods. The observed effect was associated with modulation of hub gene expression, particularly MAPK8, and CASP3.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the application of endoscopic Draf Ⅱ-Ⅲ frontal sinus surgery in the treatment of recurrent frontal sinus infection and fistula formation after craniocerebral trauma.METHODS There were 8 cases of recurrent frontal sinus infection after craniocerebral trauma,the main manifestations were headache,recurrent frontal infection,discharge of pus,fistula formation.The average onset time was 43.25 months.The patients underwent DRAF Ⅱ-Ⅲ frontal sinus surgery under nasal endoscopy,including Draf Ⅱa 2,Draf Ⅱb 5,and Draf Ⅲ1,respectively.During the operation,the frontal sinus ostium was expanded.It was found that bone wax blocked the frontal sinus ostium in the frontal sinus.The bone wax was removed,and the frontal sinus drainage was smooth.No facial incision was made in all patients.RESULTS There were 8 patients with frontal infection who were cured after surgery.No cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea or intracranial infection occurred during or after operation.After discharge,the outpatient follow-up review was conducted in 1,3,6,and 12 months.It was found that the frontal sinus remained unobstructed.The frontal sinus did not become infected again,and the fistula gradually healed.CONCLUSION Draf Ⅱ-Ⅲ frontal sinus surgery under nasal endoscopy is an effective way to treat recurrent frontal sinus infection and fistula formation after craniocerebral trauma.

Malignant tumors have surpassed stroke and coronary heart disease to become the main cause of death before the age of 70 in the world. The incidence of malignant tumors is increasing year by year， which seriously affects the living standards and social and economic development of Chinese people. Surgery， radiotherapy， chemotherapy， targeted therapy， and immunotherapy are the main means of Western medicine to intervene in tumors， which are of great significance for prolonging the survival time of patients. However， there are many disadvantages such as adverse reactions and drug resistance. Traditional Chinese medicine has become a research hotspot in recent years because of its definite curative effect and wide application in tumor treatment. Xiao Chaihutang is derived from the Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases. It is composed of Bupleuri Radix， Scutellariae Radix， Ginseng Radix， Pinelliae Rhizoma， Glycyrrhizae Preparata Radix， Ginger， and Jujube. It has the effects of reconciling Shaoyang， reconciling cold and heat Yin and Yang， soothing the liver， and relieving depression. This prescription and the prescriptions based on it are widely used in various stages of tumors. This study summarized the Chinese and foreign research of Xiao Chaihutang in the field of tumors in the past 10 years and explored the role and mechanism of Xiao Chaihutang in blocking precancerous lesions， controlling the development of malignant tumors， reducing the occurrence of adverse reactions after intervention， and alleviating common complications， with a view to expanding the clinical medication ideas.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of one-stage total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in the treatment of advanced active knee tuberculosis. METHODS: The clinical data of 38 patients with advanced active knee tuberculosis who received one-stage TKA between January 2011 and December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 20 males and 18 females. The age ranged from 20 to 84 years, with an average of 52.8 years. The body mass index ranged from 17 to 36 kg/m ², with an average of 23.05 kg/m ². The preoperative C reactive protein (CRP) was (23.49±4.72) mg/L, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was (45.95±8.82) mm/1 h. The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score was 48.8±9.1. During the operation, the infected lesions of the knee joint were completely removed, and the operative area was repeatedly soaked with 3% hydrogen peroxide solution and 0.5% povidone iodine solution. The intraoperative pathological examination confirmed the tuberculosis of the knee joint, and systemic anti-tuberculosis treatment was performed. The operation time, postoperative hospitalization stay, postoperative anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy time, and complications were recorded. CRP and ESR were recorded and compared before and after operation. Anteroposterior and lateral X-ray films of the knee joint were taken to evaluate whether the prosthesis had signs of loosening and sinking, and to determine whether there was recurrence of tuberculosis. The knee joint function was evaluated by HSS score. With treatment failure due to any reason as the end event, the survival time of prosthesis was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival curve. RESULTS: All operations were successfully completed without fracture, vascular and nerve injury, deep vein thrombosis, and other complications. All incisions healed by first intention after operation. The operation time ranged from 80 to 135 minutes, with an average of 102.76 minutes; postoperative hospitalization stay was 5-16 days, with an average of 9.7 days; the duration of postoperative anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy ranged from 1 to 18 months, and the median duration was 12 months. All 38 cases were followed up 3-133 months (mean, 63.7 months). At last follow-up, CRP was (4.88±1.24) mg/L and ESR was (13.00±2.97) mm/1 h, both of which were significantly lower than those before operation ( t=20.647, P<0.001; t=20.886, P<0.001). During the follow-up, 3 patients (7.89%) had tuberculosis recurrence. Two patients had tuberculosis recurrence due to withdrawal of anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy at 1 and 2 months after operation, respectively. One patient was cured after debridement, preservation of prosthesis and anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy for 12 months, and 1 patient was cured after oral administration of anti-tuberculosis drugs for 12 months. Another 1 patient had recurrent tuberculosis and mixed infection ( Corynebacterium gehreni) at 2 months after operation, and the infection was not controlled after debridement, and finally the thigh was amputated. Except for the patients with recurrent infection, no complications such as prosthesis loosening, periprosthetic fracture, and periprosthetic infection were found. At last follow-up, the HSS score of the knee joint was 86.8±4.8, and the knee joint function significantly improved when compared with that before operation ( t=-31.198, P<0.001). Prosthesis survival time was (122.57±5.77) months [95% CI (111.25, 133.88) months], and the 10-year survival rate was 92.1%. CONCLUSION One-stage TKA combined with postoperative antituberculous chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced active knee tuberculosis can achieve satisfactory infection control and joint function.
Female ; Male ; Humans ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; Retrospective Studies ; Knee Joint ; Tuberculosis ; Antitubercular Agents/therapeutic use*

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic value of erythrocyte sedimentation rate/C-reactive protein (ECR), fibrinogen and D-dimer in periprosthetic infection after artificial knee replacement.Methods:A total of 205 patients, including 62 males and 143 females, aged 66.9±9.5 years (range 26-84 years), who underwent revision of artificial knee joint at Department of Joint Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2017 to December 2021 were retrospectively collected.122 cases of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), including 43 cases of acute infection; 79 cases of chronic infection (13 cases of chronic infection combined with rheumatoid arthritis were analyzed separately); there were 83 cases without PJI, including 73 cases of aseptic loosening, 8 cases of prosthesis dislocation and 2 cases of joint stiffness. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, white blood cell count, fibrinogen and D-dimer levels were examined before surgery, and the sensitivity and specificity of the indicators were calculated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The diagnostic value of different inflammatory markers was compared according to the area under curve (AUC).Results:The levels of ECR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, and D-dimer in acute PJI group were 2.47±2.91, 50 (38, 62) mm/1 h, 31.6 (13.9, 79.3) mg/L, 4.25±0.94 g/L, 763 (453, 1 157) ng/ml, respectively. The chronic PJI group was 3.06±2.95, 50 (34, 64) mm/1 h, 20.4(12.7, 43.3) mg/L, 4.19±0.91 g/L, 586 (317, 1 122) ng/ml, and the non-PJI group was 6.20±4.64, 22 (15, 34) mm/1 h, 4.6 (2.7, 7.74) mg/L, 3.10±0.59 g/L and 363 (181, 591)ng/ml were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The AUC of ECR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, and D-dimer in the acute PJI group were 0.82, 0.85, 0.90, 0.88, and 0.76, respectively.The optimal critical values were 2.89, 37.00 mm/1 h, 13.6 mg/L, 3.86 g/L, and 443.0 ng/ml, respectively, with sensitivity of 76.7%, 79.1%, 76.7%, 69.8%, and 82.4%, and specificity of 79.5%, 78.3%, 94.0%, 94.0%, 90.4%, and 63.8%, respectively. The AUC of ECR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, D-dimer, and white blood cell count in the chronic PJI group were 0.77, 0.82, 0.87, 0.85, 0.67, and 0.63, respectively. The optimal critical values are 2.91, 33.00 mm/1 h, 10.9 mg/L, 4.01 g/L, 558.5 ng/ml, and 5.575×10 9 /L, respectively, with sensitivity of 68.2%, 78.8%, 81.8%, 63.6%, 57.9%, and 75.8%, and specificity of 79.5%, 73.5%, 88.0%, 95.2%, 72.5%, and 49.4%, respectively. Conclusion:Fibrinogen has a higher diagnostic value for knee joint PJI, followed by ECR, and D-dimer has the lowest diagnostic value for knee joint PJI.

Objective:To investigate the gender differences in serum C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), platelet (PLT), fibrinogen (FIB) and D-dimer for the diagnosis of chronic periprosthetic joint infection (PJI).Methods:A total of 470 patients who underwent revision arthroplasty in the Department of Joint Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2013 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. According to gender and diagnosis, they were divided into four groups: 78 cases of male chronic PJI, 108 cases of male aseptic loosening, 95 cases of female chronic PJI, and 189 cases of female aseptic loosening. The serological results of CRP, ESR, PLT, FIB and D-dimer were collected before operation. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used to determine the optimal cut-off values of CRP, ESR, PLT, FIB and D-dimer for the diagnosis of chronic PJI in different genders, and to calculate their sensitivity and specificity. The diagnostic efficacy of the index was analyzed by comparing the area under curve (AUC) of different indicators.Results:The levels of ESR, PLT and D-dimer in the male chronic PJI group were 43 (20.0, 52.5) mm/1 h, 249×10 9 (204×10 9, 306×10 9) /L, 449 (219,833) μg/L, respectively, which were lower than those in the female group of 56 (40, 65) mm/1 h, 295×10 9 (228×10 9, 364×10 9) /L, and 645 (345, 1 157) μg/L, with statistically significant differences ( Z=-4.17, P<0.001; Z=-2.17, P=0.030; Z=-2.82, P=0.005). The AUC of CRP in the male chronic PJI group was 0.841, which was higher than the AUC of the other four indicators; CRP was combined with ESR, PLT, FIB and D-dimer to establish a joint prediction model for male chronic PJI. The ROC curve showed that the combination of CRP+FIB had a maximum AUC [0.849, 95% CI (0.79, 0.91)], sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 86%. The AUC of CRP in the female chronic PJI group was 0.866, which was higher than the AUC of the other four indices; CRP was combined with ESR, PLT, FIB and D-dimer to establish a combined prediction model for female chronic PJI. The ROC curve showed that the combination of CRP+PLT had the maximum AUC [0.883, 95% CI (0.84, 0.93)], sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 79%. Conclusion:Serologic indicators in patients with chronic PJI are gender-specific. CRP combined with FIB has the highest diagnostic value for the chronic PJI in males, while CRP combined with PLT has the highest diagnostic value for the chronic PJI in females.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic value of plasma fibrinogen (FIB) in chronic periprosthetic joint infection (PJI).Methods:A total of 470 patients who underwent revision hip and knee arthroplasty after primary hip and knee arthroplasty in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2013 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the diagnosis of the disease, 173 patients (112 hips and 61 knees) were divided into chronic PJI group, including 78 males and 96 females, aged 65 (53, 72) years; and 297 patients (216 hips and 81 knees) were divided into aseptic loosening group, including 108 males and 189 females, aged 63 (50, 72) years. The preoperative levels of FIB, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), D-dimer and platelet were compared between the two groups, and the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis of chronic PJI were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the optimal cut-off values of FIB, CRP, ESR, platelet and D-dimer for the diagnosis of chronic PJI. The diagnostic efficacy of each indicator was analyzed by comparing the area under curve (AUC) and using a combined diagnostic test.Results:FIB, CRP, ESR, platelets and D-dimer in the chronic PJI group were 4.05 (3.52, 4.72) g/L, 19.5 (10.7, 40.0) mg/L, 50 (28, 60) mm/1 h, 270 (221, 351)×10 9 /L, 514 (261, 873) μg/L, respectively, which were higher than 3.25 (2.80, 3.63) g/L, 3.7 (2.0, 6.7) mg/L, 20 (12, 30) mm/1 h, 225 (182, 269)×10 9 /L, and 310 (167, 569) μg/L in sterile loosening group, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). The AUC of FIB, CRP, ESR, platelets and D-dimer in the diagnosis of chronic PJI were 0.78 (95% CI: 0.73, 0.82), 0.86 (95% CI: 0.82, 0.89), 0.80 (95% CI: 0.76, 0.85), 0.68 (95% CI: 0.63, 0.73), 0.64 (95% CI: 0.59, 0.69); the optimal cut-off values were 3.73 g/L, 9.64 mg/L, 39 mm/1 h, 280×10 9 /L, 624 μg/L; the sensitivity was 68%, 79%, 69%, 47%, 43%; the specificity was 81%, 85%, 85%, 81%, 79%, respectively. When CRP, ESR, FIB, platelets and D-dimer were combined sequentially to diagnose patients with chronic PJI, the sensitivity and specificity of the series test were 12.7% and 99.7%, and those of the parallel test were 100% and 37.3%. The combined diagnostic test showed that the maximum AUC of FIB combined with CRP was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.81, 0.89), with a sensitivity of 76% and a specificity of 89%. Conclusion:The clinical value of plasma FIB in the diagnosis of chronic PJI is not superior to that of CRP and ESR, but the combination of FIB and CRP can improve the specificity.

Objective:To analyze the risk factors leading to the failure of early periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) treated by debridement, antibiotics and implant retention (DAIR) combined with intra-articular injection of antibiotics.Methods:A total of 100 patients who received DAIR combined with intra-articular injection of antibiotics between January 2010 and October 2020 in the Department of Orthopaedics, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, were retrospectively analyzed. There were 47 males and 53 females, with an average age of 62.8±13.0 years (26-84 years). 75 patients were diagnosed as PJI after primary surgery while 25 PJI after revision or debridement, involving 41 hips and 59 knees. According to the clinical outcomes, the patients were divided into the cured group (78 cases) and the uncured group (22 cases). Risk factors were screened by univariate analysis on their gender, age, body mass index, site of infection (hip/knee), synovial white blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), time of infection, types of pathogenic bacteria (gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria or fungi), preoperative sinus tract and previous surgical history. For the factors with P<0.20, multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the independent risk factors. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was drawn and any cause that led to treatment failure was seen as the end point event. Calculate prosthetic survival time and 10-year survival rate. Results:The average follow-up was 59.8±40.6 months (0.3-129.0 months). The infection control rate of DAIR combined with intra-articular injection of antibiotics in the treatment of early PJI was 78% (78/100). The univariate analysis showed that the successful rate of non-fungal infection group (81%, 77/95) was significantly higher than the fungal infection group (20%, 1/5) and the successful rate of the group without previous surgical history (85.3%, 64/75) was significantly higher than that with previous surgical history (56.0%, 14/25, χ 2=7.07, P=0.008; χ 2=9.40, P=0.002). The multivariate binary Logistic regression analysis showed that fungal infection [ OR=0.08, 95% CI(0.01, 0.79), P=0.031] and history of previous surgical intervention [ OR=0.25, 95% CI(0.09, 0.73), P=0.001] were independent risk factors for treatment failure. Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that the survival time of the prosthesis was 96.83±5.30 months, and the 10-year survival rate was 68.1%. Meanwhile, the survival rate of patients with fungal infection and previous surgical history was significantly lower than that of patients without fungal infection or previous surgical history, the difference was statistically significant (χ 2=15.49, P<0.001; χ 2=8.91, P=0.030). Conclusion:The time of PJI, bacterial virulence and species, and preoperative inflammatory indicators had no effect on the outcome of DAIR combined with intra-articular injection of antibiotics in the treatment of early PJI. However, DAIR was not recommended for patients with a history of surgical intervention and fungal infection.

Objective:To investigate the changes and clinical significance of white blood cell (WBC) count and polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) proportion of synovial fluid after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA).Methods:A total of 59 patients (92 knees) who underwent TKA from April 2021 to July 2021 were included, including 13 males (20 knees) and 46 females (72 knees). The patients were with average age 65.17±7.49 years old (range 48-79) and with body mass index (BMI) 27.64±3.74 kg/m 2 (range 17-36 kg/m 2). There were 26 cases involved lateral knee and 33 cases bilateral knees. The left knee was involved in 46 knees, while other 46 were involved in right side. There were 54 patients diagnosed as osteoarthritis (84 knees) and 5 as rheumatoid arthritis (8 knees). None of the patients received antibiotics after hospitalization. Antibiotics were used prophylactically 30 min before surgery and after surgery. The synovial fluid WBC count and PMN proportion were detected during operation (It reflects the normal preoperative level) and on the 2nd, 5th and 35th day after operation. The changes of these indexes were analyzed. The unmixed synovial fluid was collected after the incision of the joint capsule during the operation. The outer upper edge of the patella was taken as the puncture point to extract the synovial fluid on the 2nd, 5th and 35th days after the operation. The final follow-up end point was a diagnosis of acute periprothetic joint infection (PJI) or 90 days of follow-up for patients without PJI. Results:After operation, the synovial fluid WBC count and PMN proportion showed a trend of increasing and then decreasing. The synovial fluid WBC count were 0.222(0.100, 0.567)×10 9/L, 20.011(14.573, 29.129)×10 9/L, 6.080(3.676, 8.797)×10 9/L, 0.533(0.394, 0.749)×10 9/L before surgery and at 2nd, 5th and 35th day after surgery respectively. The difference before and after operation was statistically significant (χ 2=247.343, P<0.001). The synovial fluid PMN proportion were 19.9%(15.0%, 30.0%), 96.0%(95.0%, 97.0%), 91.0%(89.0%, 93.0%) and 20.5%(15.6%, 26.9%) respectively and with significant difference (χ 2=242.521, P<0.001). Pairwise comparison of synovial fluid WBC count and PMN proportion before and on day 35 indicated no statistical significance ( P>0.05). However, the differences compared with that at other time points were statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusion:The synovial fluid WBC count and PMN proportion increased rapidly in the short term after TKA and then decreased to the preoperative level at varied rates. Referring to the Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) recommended threshold for diagnosing infection during the acute stress period (within 5 d postoperatively) can result in false positives. Recovery to preoperative levels at 35th days postoperatively can be used as a basis for ruling out early infection. Thus, early joint fluid PMN proportion may have more diagnostic value than WBC counts.