Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of 3D printing technology combined with computer navigation-assisted screw implantation in the treatment of atlantoaxial instability (AAI) complicated by vertebral artery anomalies.Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 23 patients with AAI complicated by vertebral artery anomalies who were admitted to Honghui Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University between January 2019 and January 2023, including 10 males and 13 females, aged 19-70 years [(51.0±13.3)years]. Vertebral artery anomalies were categorized into unilateral high-riding vertebral artery with unilateral dominance ( n=14), bilateral high-riding vertebral arteries with unilateral dominance ( n=6), and ponticulus posticus ( n=3). All the patients underwent preoperative planning using a 3D-printed model of the atlantoaxial complex with the vertebral artery, followed by posterior atlantoaxial pedicle screw fixation with computer-assisted navigation. Operative duration and intraoperative blood loss were recorded. The accuracy of pedicle screw placement was assessed at 3 days postoperatively using the Gertzbein-Robbins classification. Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores and Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores were evaluated preoperatively, at 3 days, 3 months postoperatively, and at the last follow-up. Bony fusion was assessed using cervical CT with 3D reconstruction at the last follow-up. Complications were also observed. Results:All the patients were followed up for 12-19 months [(15.1±1.9)months]. The operative duration was 125-167 minutes [(140.6±10.9)minutes] and intraoperative blood loss was 200-600 ml [(295.7±77.8)ml]. At 3 days postoperatively, all the 66 pedicle screws were safely placed, with 60 screws (91%) rated as Gertzbein-Robbins Grade 0 and 6 screws (9%) as Grade 1. At 3 days and 3 months postoperatively, and at the last follow-up, the VAS scores were (4.0±1.0)points, (2.0±0.6)points, and (1.3±0.5)points, and the JOA scores were (14.2±1.2)points, (16.0±0.8)points, and (16.6±0.5)points, both of which were not only significantly improved compared with preoperative (5.6±1.3)points and (12.8±1.5)points, but also further improved over time ( P<0.05). At the last follow-up, 22 patients (96%) achieved satisfactory atlantoaxial bony fusion. No vertebral artery injury, spinal cord or nerve injury, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, or screw loosening were observed in any patients. Conclusion:For patients with AAI complicated by vertebral artery anomalies, 3D printing combined with computer navigation-assisted navigation for atlantoaxial pedicle screw implantation offers multiple advantages, including minimal surgical trauma, high screw placement accuracy, pain relief, neurological function improvement, high fusion rate, and lowered incidence of complications.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of 3D printing technology combined with computer navigation-assisted screw implantation in the treatment of atlantoaxial instability (AAI) complicated by vertebral artery anomalies.Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 23 patients with AAI complicated by vertebral artery anomalies who were admitted to Honghui Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University between January 2019 and January 2023, including 10 males and 13 females, aged 19-70 years [(51.0±13.3)years]. Vertebral artery anomalies were categorized into unilateral high-riding vertebral artery with unilateral dominance ( n=14), bilateral high-riding vertebral arteries with unilateral dominance ( n=6), and ponticulus posticus ( n=3). All the patients underwent preoperative planning using a 3D-printed model of the atlantoaxial complex with the vertebral artery, followed by posterior atlantoaxial pedicle screw fixation with computer-assisted navigation. Operative duration and intraoperative blood loss were recorded. The accuracy of pedicle screw placement was assessed at 3 days postoperatively using the Gertzbein-Robbins classification. Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores and Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores were evaluated preoperatively, at 3 days, 3 months postoperatively, and at the last follow-up. Bony fusion was assessed using cervical CT with 3D reconstruction at the last follow-up. Complications were also observed. Results:All the patients were followed up for 12-19 months [(15.1±1.9)months]. The operative duration was 125-167 minutes [(140.6±10.9)minutes] and intraoperative blood loss was 200-600 ml [(295.7±77.8)ml]. At 3 days postoperatively, all the 66 pedicle screws were safely placed, with 60 screws (91%) rated as Gertzbein-Robbins Grade 0 and 6 screws (9%) as Grade 1. At 3 days and 3 months postoperatively, and at the last follow-up, the VAS scores were (4.0±1.0)points, (2.0±0.6)points, and (1.3±0.5)points, and the JOA scores were (14.2±1.2)points, (16.0±0.8)points, and (16.6±0.5)points, both of which were not only significantly improved compared with preoperative (5.6±1.3)points and (12.8±1.5)points, but also further improved over time ( P<0.05). At the last follow-up, 22 patients (96%) achieved satisfactory atlantoaxial bony fusion. No vertebral artery injury, spinal cord or nerve injury, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, or screw loosening were observed in any patients. Conclusion:For patients with AAI complicated by vertebral artery anomalies, 3D printing combined with computer navigation-assisted navigation for atlantoaxial pedicle screw implantation offers multiple advantages, including minimal surgical trauma, high screw placement accuracy, pain relief, neurological function improvement, high fusion rate, and lowered incidence of complications.

Objective:To explore the structure and function of recombination activating gene 1 (RAG1) related to severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) before entering the preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic (PGT-M) cycle, and to predict the pathogenicity of its novel mutation sites.Methods:According to the whole exome sequencing reports of the probands in the Department of Reproductive Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University on August 2016, the chromosome karyotypes and Sanger sequencing of their parents from their peripheral blood, the structures and protein conserved domains of the novel mutation sites of RAG1 gene were analyzed by PROVEAN, PolyPhen-2 and Mutation Taster software, and the secondary and tertiary structures of the mutant and wild type RAG1 protein were reconstructed in three-dimensional structure to predict its pathogenicity. Results:The couple were carriers of RAG1 gene mutation, which were located on chromosome 11. The female was heterozygous missense mutation of c.946T>G (p.C316G) and the male was heterozygous integer mutation of c.1194_1196del (p.L399del). The amino acid of the RAG1 mutations mentioned above were highly conserved among human, chimpanzee, pig, cattle, rats and mice. The secondary and tertiary structure reconstruction showed that the RING-type zinc finger structure lost the ability to bind zinc ions due to c.946T>G mutation, and the deletion of leucine at position 399 caused by c.1194_1196del mutation reduced one hydrogen bond. Conclusion:It is speculated that the two novel mutation sites of RAG1 are pathogenic mutations, which expand the mutation spectrum of RAG1 gene and have important research value.

Objective:To explore the structure and function of recombination activating gene 1 (RAG1) related to severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) before entering the preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic (PGT-M) cycle, and to predict the pathogenicity of its novel mutation sites.Methods:According to the whole exome sequencing reports of the probands in the Department of Reproductive Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University on August 2016, the chromosome karyotypes and Sanger sequencing of their parents from their peripheral blood, the structures and protein conserved domains of the novel mutation sites of RAG1 gene were analyzed by PROVEAN, PolyPhen-2 and Mutation Taster software, and the secondary and tertiary structures of the mutant and wild type RAG1 protein were reconstructed in three-dimensional structure to predict its pathogenicity. Results:The couple were carriers of RAG1 gene mutation, which were located on chromosome 11. The female was heterozygous missense mutation of c.946T>G (p.C316G) and the male was heterozygous integer mutation of c.1194_1196del (p.L399del). The amino acid of the RAG1 mutations mentioned above were highly conserved among human, chimpanzee, pig, cattle, rats and mice. The secondary and tertiary structure reconstruction showed that the RING-type zinc finger structure lost the ability to bind zinc ions due to c.946T>G mutation, and the deletion of leucine at position 399 caused by c.1194_1196del mutation reduced one hydrogen bond. Conclusion:It is speculated that the two novel mutation sites of RAG1 are pathogenic mutations, which expand the mutation spectrum of RAG1 gene and have important research value.

A mutant strain ΔVcrV was constructed by using homologous recombination method for investigating the function of the VcrV gene in Vibrio alginolyticus type Ⅲ secretion system. The genetic stability of ΔVcrV was detected by PCR, and the biological characteristics between the mutant and the wild type strains were compared. ΔVcrV muntat had no significant changes in growth rate and autoagglutination compared with the wild type strain, but the ability to form biofilms was reduced, and the LD₅₀ was increased by 16.5 times. The swimming and swarming motility of the mutant strain ΔVcrV were significantly enhanced, while cell adhesion was significantly reduced than the wild strain (P < 0.01). The tolerance of ΔVcrV mutant to H₂O₂ and NaCl was decreased. Compared with that of the wild type strain, the sensitivity of ΔVcrV mutant to cefuroxime, medimycin and clindamycin was increased, but to amikacin and polymxin B was decreased. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) content of ΔVcrV mutant was significantly decreased (P < 0.01), and the indexes of proline, peptidoglycan, β-lactamase, catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase of ΔVcrV mutant were significantly increased than that of the wild type strain (P < 0.01). The biological characteristics of ΔVcrV mutant indicated that VcrV gene was involved in pathogenicity and various biological functions of V. alginolyticus type Ⅲ secretion system.
Animals ; Bacterial Proteins/metabolism* ; Fish Diseases ; Hydrogen Peroxide/metabolism* ; Type III Secretion Systems ; Vibrio Infections ; Vibrio alginolyticus/genetics*

Ectopic thyroid gland refers to the presence of thyroid tissue outside the normal position of the neck, which is relatively rare in clinical practice, and ectopic and cancer change is rare. This article focuses on a patient with "supraclavicular mass" as the first symptom admitted to the Thyroid Surgery Department of Binzhou People’s Hospital, After the operation, the pathology confirmed ectopic thyroid cancer with lymph node metastasis, and the imaging showed lung metastasis. This article summarizes the case data.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors associated with lymph node posterior to right recurrent laryngeal nerve (LN-prRLN) metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) , and analyze the clinical value of surgical dissection of LN-prRLN.Methods:Clinical data of 140 PTC patients admitted to the same treatment group from Jun. 2014 to Oct. 2015 (all patients underwent LN-prRLN area dissection, group A) were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to analyze high-risk factors for LN- prRLN metastasis, and another 171 cases without LN-prRLN area dissection (group B) were collected as the control group. The total number of lymph nodes dissected in the central area on the right was compared to analyze the proportion of lymph nodes in the LN-prRLN area.Results:Of the 140 patients in group A, the right cervical lymph node metastasis rate was 64.3% (90/140) , the central zone lymph node metastasis rate was 63.6% (89/140) , and the LN-prRLN regional lymph node metastasis rate was 17.9% (25/140) . Univariate analysis showed that tumors>1 cm, multiple tumors, capsule invasion, clinical lymph node staging cN1,VI-1 and cervical lymph node metastasis were correlated with LN-prRLN metastasis ( P<0.05) . Multivariate analysis showed that capsule invasion ( OR=4.599, P=0.037) and cervical lymph node metastasis ( OR=3.505, P=0.036) were risk factors for LN-prRLN metastasis. By comparison with the control group, the total number of lymph node dissections in the right central area of group B was significantly less than that of group A ( P<0.01) . Conclusions:PTC patients have a high rate of lymph node metastasis in the right central area, and lymph nodes in the LN-prRLN area occupy a certain proportion. RN-prRLN should be routinely cleaned to ensure the completeness and thoroughness of the dissection, and to minimize the possibility of performing a second operation due to recurrence of residual lymph nodes after operation. More importance should be attached to LN-prRLN dissection when the tumor is more than 1 cm, the tumor is multiple, the capsule is invaded, in clinical lymph node stage cN1, VI-1 and with cervical lymph node metastasis.

Objective:To retrospectively analyze the regularity and risk factors of skip metastasis (central lymph node negative and lat-eral lymph node positive) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Methods:A total of 521 PTC patients underwent total thyroidectomy and central plus lateral lymph node dissection at The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2013 to De-cember 2016. Clinicopathological characteristics of the patients were collected and analyzed. Results:Skip metastasis rate of PTC was 8.3％(43/521). Tumors in the upper lobe (OR=3.401, 95％CI:1.770-6.536;P=0.001) and in the lateral part (OR=3.424, 95％CI:1.182-9.920;P=0.023) of the thyroid, as well as age above 45 (OR=2.856, 95％CI:1.488-5.482;P=0.002), were independent risk factors for skip metastases for this disease. Clinically node-negative (cN0) PTC patients with tumors in the upper lobe had higher possibility of skip metastases than those with clinically involved lateral neck nodes(cN1b) (P=0.022). Conclusion:Skip metastasis of PTC is not un-common. Thus, preoperative clinical assessment and imaging examination for lateral lymph node is necessary, especially for PTC pa-tients who are above 45 years old and with tumors in the upper lobe and/or unilateral area of thyroid. The lateral lymph node dissec-tion should be performed when necessary.

The suitable distribution regions of medicinal clematis armandii in Sichuan province were extracted based on the suitable requirements of clematis armandii,comprehensive analysis and quantification on environmental indicators suitable forclematis armandii,following remote sensing (RS) and GIS spatial analysis,spatial database building and other technologies,extracted land use information.The results showed that regions suitable forclematis armandii were Gulin county,Xuyong county,Baoxing county and Tianquan county and other areas in Sichuan province.Among them,Gulin county and Xuyong county were the main distributed regions,which accounted for 23.2% and 25.4% of the total area,respectively.Through the comparison with the Chinese Materia Medica (CMM) Resource Database,this research result was basically coincided with census data from the Third National CMM.It also showed that RS and GIS technology were suitable for the investigation of suitable area of clematis armandii scientifically and feasibly.It improved the rational use of clematis armandii.It provided supporting information for rational planting of clematis armandii.It also of fered references for monitoring other wild herbs.