Objective To investigate the effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (empagliflozin, EMPA) on myocardial remodeling in a mouse uremic cardiomyopathy (UCM) model induced by 5/6 nephrectomy, through the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (PKB/AKT)/p65 signaling pathway. Methods The animals were divided into three groups: Sham group (n=6), UCM group (n=8), and UCM＋EMPA group (n=8). A UCM model was established in C57BL/6N mice using the 5/6 nephrectomy. Starting from 5 weeks post-surgery, EMPA or a placebo was administered. After 16 weeks, blood pressure, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, 24-hour urine glucose and urine sodium were measured. Cardiac structure and function were assessed by echocardiography. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Masson trichrome staining were used to observe pathological changes in the heart and kidneys. Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) staining was used to evaluate myocardial hypertrophy. The real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression levels of myocardial hypertrophy- and fibrosis-related mRNAs. Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of PI3K, AKT and p65 in myocardial tissues. Results After 16 weeks, UCM group exhibited significantly higher blood pressure, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen than sham group (P＜0.01); UCM＋EMPA group exhibited lower blood pressure, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and higher 24 h urine sodium and glucose than UCM group (P＜0.05). Echocardiographic results showed ventricular remodeling in the UCM group, evidenced by left ventricular wall thickening, left ventricular enlargement, increased left ventricular mass, and decreased systolic function (P＜0.05); ventricular remodeling was alleviated (P＜0.05), though there was no significant improvement in systolic function in UCM＋EMPA group. HE and Masson stainings revealed myocardial degeneration, necrosis, and interstitial fibrosis in UCM group (P＜0.01); the myocardial pathology improved with reduced collagen deposition in UCM＋EMPA group (P＜0.01). WGA staining confirmed myocardial hypertrophy in UCM group (P＜0.01), while myocardial hypertrophy was alleviated in UCM＋EMPA group (P＜0.01). RT-qPCR results showed myocardial hypertrophy- and fibrosis-related genes (NPPA, NPPB, MYH7, COL1A1, COL3A1, TGF-β1) were upregulated in UCM group (P＜0.05), but downregulated in UCM＋EMPA group. Western blotting showed PI3K, p-AKT/AKT ratio, and p-p65/p65 ratio were increased in UCM group, but decreased in UCM＋EMPA group (P＜0.05). Conclusion EMPA can improve myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis in the UCM mouse model, and it may play the role through inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/p65 signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND:Total knee arthroplasty is one of the effective methods to treat end-stage knee osteoarthritis.However,some patients still experience chronic post-surgical pain.It is significant to find out the influencing factors of chronic post-surgical pain.Demographic factors,social psychological factors and perioperative pain were the focus of previous studies,but muscle factors closely related to the occurrence and development of knee osteoarthritis were rarely reported. OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the value of preoperative quantitative ultrasound analysis of quadriceps femoris in predicting chronic post-surgical pain after total knee arthroplasty. METHODS:A total of 250 patients with knee osteoarthritis who underwent the first unilateral total knee arthroplasty under elective general anesthesia from January to August 2022 in the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University were selected.All patients were treated with the same anesthesia and operative methods.Before the surgery,clinical data were recorded,and the thickness and echo intensity of quadriceps femoris on the operated side were measured by ultrasound imaging,which could quantify the degree of quadriceps femoris atrophy.Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the independent factors affecting the occurrence of chronic post-surgical pain,and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate its predictive value. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)250 subjects were involved in the result analysis,and 91 of them had chronic post-surgical pain,with an incidence of 36.4%.(2)There were significant differences between the chronic pain and non-chronic pain groups in preoperative pain score during movement,preoperative Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index,preoperative anxiety and depression scale score,preoperative muscle thickness and echo intensity of quadriceps femoris,and postoperative acute pain score(P<0.05).(3)Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative thickness of quadriceps femoris was an independent protective factor for chronic post-surgical pain and preoperative pain score during movement was an independent risk factor for chronic post-surgical pain.(4)Receiver operating characteristic curves showed that the area under the curve of the preoperative thickness of quadriceps femoris was 0.625(95%CI:0.555-0.695),and the critical value was 2.78 cm,sensitivity was 0.802,specificity was 0.415.(5)It is concluded that the preoperative thickness of quadriceps femoris is an independent protective factor for chronic post-surgical pain,but its predictive efficacy is low,and its clinical application needs to be further verified or modified.

Objective To evaluate the prognostic value of radiation-induced lymphocytopenia in the survival of patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma receiving radiation therapy. Methods The clinical data of 98 patients with unresectable primary hepatocellular carcinoma who received radiotherapy were retrospectively analyzed. The minimum absolute lymphocyte count (min ALC) was graded in accordance with CTCAE V4.0. The optimal threshold of min ALC for prognosis was calculated by using the receiver operating characteristic curve, and the correlation of min ALC with clinical characteristics and dosimetry parameters was analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier method was employed to analyze the survival of patients with different levels of min ALC. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional regression models were applied to analyze prognostic factors. Results The baseline and min ALC of 98 patients during radiotherapy were 1.52×10⁹/L and 0.45×10⁹/L, respectively(P<0.001). The optimal cut-off value of min ALC for the prediction of the one-year survival rate was 0.38×10⁹/L. GTV, the mean dose of the liver and spleen, the V5 and V10 of the liver and spleen, and the V15 of the spleen were correlated with min ALC, and the V5 of the liver was an independent predictor of min ALC. The overall survival of patients with high min ALC was higher than that of patients with low min ALC. Independent prognostic factors were min ALC≤0.38×10⁹/L (HR=0.515, P=0.024), min ALC≥grade 3 (HR=0.576, P=0.032), tumor thrombus in the portal/vena cava, Child-Pugh grade A, increase of ≥2 points in the Child-Pugh score after radiotherapy, and received more than two other therapies. Conclusion Min ALC≤0.38×10⁹/L and min ALC≥grade 3 have independent prognostic value in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma receiving radiotherapy.

Objective To evaluate the impact of optimizing the stroke green channel on the efficiency of acute ischemic stroke management in a county hospital. Methods A retrospective analysis of the emergency stroke green channel treatment data from Sixian People’s Hospital from May 2020 to April 2021 (before optimization of the green channel) and from May 2021 to April 2022 (after optimization of the green channel) was conducted. The rates of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and mechanical thrombectomy (MT) patients, as well as door-to-needle time (DNT), door-to-puncture time (DPT), and the modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores of patients three months post-treatment before and after the optimization of the stroke green channel were compared. Results Within one year before and after optimization of the green channel, the number of acute visits for ischemic stroke was 3 143 and 2 623, respectively. Before optimization, 84 and 51 underwent IVT and MT, respectively. After optimization of the green channel, the ratios of patients underwent IVT (n＝215) and MT (n＝103) significantly increased, and both DNT and DPT were significantly shortened (P＜0.000 1); the proportion of MT patients with an mRS score of 0-2 at 3 months post-discharge significantly increased (46/99 vs 13/46, P＝0.038). Conclusion After optimizing the green channel at Sixian People’s Hospital, the efficiency of stroke treatment has significantly improved, and the patients’ prognosis improved.

Background::Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a severe and acute cardiovascular syndrome with high mortality among patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRDs). Accurate prediction and timely intervention play a pivotal role in enhancing survival rates. However, there is a notable scarcity of practical early prediction and risk assessment systems of PE in patients with AIIRD.Methods::In the training cohort, 60 AIIRD with PE cases and 180 age-, gender-, and disease-matched AIIRD non-PE cases were identified from 7254 AIIRD cases in Tongji Hospital from 2014 to 2022. Univariable logistic regression (LR) and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) were used to select the clinical features for further training with machine learning (ML) methods, including random forest (RF), support vector machines (SVM), neural network (NN), logistic regression (LR), gradient boosted decision tree (GBDT), classification and regression trees (CART), and C5.0 models. The performances of these models were subsequently validated using a multicenter validation cohort.Results::In the training cohort, 24 and 13 clinical features were selected by univariable LR and LASSO strategies, respectively. The five ML models (RF, SVM, NN, LR, and GBDT) showed promising performances, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.962-1.000 in the training cohort and 0.969-0.999 in the validation cohort. CART and C5.0 models achieved AUCs of 0.850 and 0.932, respectively, in the training cohort. Using D-dimer as a pre-screening index, the refined C5.0 model achieved an AUC exceeding 0.948 in the training cohort and an AUC above 0.925 in the validation cohort. These results markedly outperformed the use of D-dimer levels alone.Conclusion::ML-based models are proven to be precise for predicting the onset of PE in patients with AIIRD exhibiting clinical suspicion of PE.Trial Registration::Chictr.org.cn: ChiCTR2200059599.

The biological clock(also known as the circadian rhythm)is the fundamental reliance for all organisms on Earth to adapt and survive in the Earth's rotation environment.Circadian rhythm is the most basic regulatory mechanism of life activities,and plays a key role in maintaining normal physiological and biochemical homeostasis,disease occurrence and treatment.Recent studies have shown that the biologi-cal clock plays an important role in the development of oral tissues and in the occurrence and treatment of oral diseases.Since there is cur-rently no guiding literature on the research methods of biological clock in stomatology,researchers mainly conduct research based on pub-lished references,which has led to controversy about the research methods of biological clock in stomatology,and there are many confusions about how to rationally apply the research methods of circadia rhythms.In view of this,this expert consensus summarizes the characteristics of the biological clock and analyzes the shortcomings of the current biological clock research in stomatology,and organizes relevant experts to summarize and recommend 10 principles as a reference for the rational implementation of the biological clock in stomatology research.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical significance of neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of larynx preservation in locally advanced hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods:Patients with locally advanced HPSCC（cT3-T4aN0-N3M0） were eligible. All received 2 cycles of pembrolizumab combined with docetaxel and platinum neoadjuvant induction therapy. After two cycles, the efficacy was evaluated, followed by radical chemoradiotherapy or surgery and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy according to the efficacy. The primary endpoints were objective response rate（ORR） ，larynx-preservation（LP） rate at 3 months post-treatment and the adverse reactions during neoadjuvant therapy. Results:From December 2021 to December 2022, 10 patients with locally advanced HPSCC（cT3-T4aN0-N3M0） were enrolled. After 2 cycles of the neoadjuvant therapy, 2 patients achieved complete response（CR）, 7 patients achieved partial response（PR）, 1 patient was stable disease（SD）, objective response rate（ORR） was 90%, and disease control rate（DCR） was 100%. 5 patients received radical chemoradiotherapy, 5 patients received surgery and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, four of them received partial laryngectomy and partial hypopharyngeal resection surgery, and one of them received total laryngectomy and partial hypopharyngeal resection surgery. All patients were able to withstand adverse reactions of neoadjuvant therapy and successfully completed the whole treatment of HPSCC without grade 3-4 treatment-related adverse reactions. There was no recurrence or metastasis during 3-18 months of follow-up. 1 patient died of severe pneumonia 3 months after the completion of radical chemoradiotherapy. At 3 months after treatment, the larynx-preservation rate was 80%. Conclusion:Neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy has good short-term efficacy and the adverse reactions were tolerable. It can improve the larynx-preservation rate of patients with locally advanced HPSCC, thus improving the prognosis and quality of life of patients.
Humans ; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/etiology* ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Quality of Life ; Cisplatin ; Treatment Outcome ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Larynx ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Immunotherapy

Objective:To investigate the prognostic impact of different tumor invasion patterns in the surgical treatment of T3 glottic laryngeal cancer. Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 91 patients with T3 glottic laryngeal cancer. Results:Among the 91 patients, 58 cases （63.7%） had anterior invasion and 33 cases （36.3%） had posterior invasion. The posterior invasion was significantly correlated with invasions of the dorsal plate of cricoid cartilage （P<0.001）, arytenoid cartilage （P= 0.001）, and subglottic region（P = 0.001）. There was no statistical difference in survival outcomes between the total laryngectomy group and the partial laryngectomy group. But in the partial laryngectomy group, the 5-year disease-free survival（DFS） of patients with anterior invasive tumors was better than that of patients with posterior invasion tumors （HR: 4.681, 95%CI 1.337-16.393, P=0.016）, and subglottic invasion was associated with worse loco-regional recurrence-free survival（LRRFS）（HR: 3.931, 95%CI 1.054-14.658, P=0.041）. At the same time, we found that involvement of the dorsal plate of cricoid cartilage was an independent risk factor for postoperative laryngeal stenosis in partial laryngectomy patients （HR:11.67, 95%CI 1.89-71.98,P=0.008）. Conclusion:Compared with total laryngectomy, selected partial laryngectomy can also achieve favorable oncological outcomes. Posterior invasion and subglottic extension are independent prognostic factors for recurrence of partial laryngectomy in T3 glottic laryngeal cancer, and the involvement of the dorsal plate of cricoid cartilage is associated with postoperative laryngeal stenosis. The tumor invasion pattern of laryngeal cancer should be further subdivided in order to select a more individualized treatment plan.
Humans ; Prognosis ; Laryngeal Neoplasms/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Laryngostenosis/surgery* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/pathology* ; Postoperative Complications/surgery* ; Laryngectomy

Objective:To investigate the diversity and clinical effect of supraclavicular island flap in repairing the defect after head and neck tumor surgery. Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 30 patients who received the repair of head and neck defects with supraclavicular island flaps at Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2017 to March 2023. The sites and types of defects, intraoperative blood loss, time of flaps preparation, areas of flaps, survival of the flaps and other complications were recorded. Results:A total of 30 patients were enrolled, including 26 males and 4 females, aged 36-82 years. Among them, 22 patients with hypopharyngeal partial defect were repaired （19 patients with ipsilateral defect and 3 patients with contralateral defect）. In addition, 2 patients were repaired with contralateral pectoralis major musculocutaneous flap around the hypopharynx, the neck skin defect was repaired in 2 patients, the parotid skin defect was repaired in 2 patients, the temporal bone skin defect was repaired in 1 patient, and the cervical esophageal defect was repaired in 1 patient. The average blood loss during the operation was 8 ml, and the average time was 32 min. The flap areas ranged from 5.0 cm×4.0 cm to 20.0 cm×8.0 cm. 27 of 30 flaps survived（90.0%）, and pharyngeal fistula occurred in 6 patients after operation（4 flaps survived after local dressing）. One patient was complicated with venous thrombosis（the flap necrosis after local dressing）. Shoulder and neck functions（lift, internal rotation and abduction） were not significantly affected in 29 patients, and the function of 1 patient with shoulder infection was not affected after treatment. Conclusion:Supraclavicular island flap is a highly vascularized axial fascial flap. It is easy to make, thin, and soft in texture, and can be used to repair different sites and types of postoperative head and neck tumor defects with a low donor site complication rate. Good results in post-operative repair of head and neck tumors are worth promoting.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Plastic Surgery Procedures ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin Transplantation ; Soft Tissue Injuries/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome ; Surgical Flaps ; Head and Neck Neoplasms/surgery*

Objective:To summarize the clinicopathologic features and clinical diagnosis and treatment experience of retroperitoneal paraganglioma.Methods:This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical, pathological and follow-up data of 39 patients admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from 1 Oct 2012 to 1 Oct 2022 for retroperitoneal paragangliomas undergoing resection.Results:There were 19 males and 20 females with tumor being functional in 11 cases (28%) and non-functional in 28 cases (72%). CT angiography showed that the tumors were distributed around the abdominal aorta and inferior vena cava in most cases. All 39 patients underwent tumor rescetion.Patients in laparoscopic group had shorter operation time and postoperative hospital saty compared with open sugery [(135±66)min vs. (194±67)min, t=-2.529, P=0.016; (6.6±2.2)d vs.(9.6±4.8)d, t=-2.096, P=0.043], while there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of intraoperative blood loss [(152±151)ml vs. (361±608)ml, t=-1.169, P=0.250]. There were no major postoperative complications in the laparoscopic group, and pulmonary infection in 1 case and intestinal obstruction in 1 case in the open group. Thrity-six cases were followed up, ranging from 2 to 115 months, 1 patient in the laparoscopic group died 1 year after surgery due to recurrence and metastasis. In the open group, 1 case recurred 2 years later and was discharged after the second operation, and 1 case died of recurrence 2 years after surgery. Conclusions:Surgery is indicated for retroperitoneal paraganglioma. Adequate perioperative management is the key to the success of the operation. Laparoscopic surgery is superior to open surgery in terms of operation time and postoperative recovery .