Objective To introduce an innovative technique, the "balance-shaped sternal elevation device" and its application in the subxiphoid uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for anterior mediastinal masses resection. Methods Patients who underwent single-port thoracoscopic assisted anterior mediastinal tumor resection through the xiphoid process at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University from May to June 2024 were included, and their clinical data were analyzed. Results A total of 7 patients were included, with 3 males and 4 females, aged 28-72 years. The diameter of the tumor was 1.9-17.0 cm. The operation time was 62-308 min, intraoperative blood loss was 5-100 mL, postoperative chest drainage tube retention time was 0-9 days, pain score on the 7th day after surgery was 0-2 points, and postoperative hospital stay was 3-12 days. All patients underwent successful and complete resection of the masses and thymus, with favorable postoperative recovery. Conclusion The "balance-shaped sternal elevation device" effectively expands the retrosternal space, providing surgeons with satisfactory surgical views and operating space. This technique significantly enhances the efficacy and safety of minimally invasive surgery for anterior mediastinal masses, reduces trauma and postoperative pain, and accelerates patient recovery, demonstrating important clinical significance and application value.

Two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D NMR) is a widely used technique for structural analysis of small molecular compounds. It can obtain information about the hydrogen-hydrogen correlation, hydrogen-carbon single bond correlation, hydrogen-carbon remote correlation, and hydrogen-hydrogen spatial arrangement of compounds. Thus, 2D NMR has an irreplaceable role in the structure elucidation of small molecular products. However, the sample amount of trace components in phytochemical research is very low, and the traditional sampling method (uniform sampling) has problems of poor spectral quality and too long measure time. Increasing the number of scans results in several hours of the acquisition time for a single two-dimensional spectrum, which in turn causes strain on the NMR machine. The non-uniform sampling (NUS) technique can shorten the acquisition time to a large extent and not affect the quality of 2D NMR data, which greatly improves the efficiency of 2D NMR acquisition. In this paper, fuziline, a small molecular compound in the lateral roots of Aconitum carmichaelii was selected as the research object. Its ¹H-¹³C HSQC, ¹H-¹H COSY, HMBC, and NOESY spectra were acquired by US and NUS methods, respectively. By comparing the integral values of NMR signals of three chemical groups in fuziline, it is confirmed that the NUS technique has the advantages of improving the quality of 2D NMR spectra and shortening the acquisition time in structure elucidation of small molecule compounds. In HMBC spectrum, it was further confirmed that NUS technology can improve the quality of the 2D spectra and the signal resolution. This indicates that NUS technology can improve the efficiency and reliability of the structure elucidation of small molecule compounds.

Objective:To investigate the safety and efficacy of mitoxantrone liposome in the treatment of children with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia(AML).Methods:The children with high-risk AML who received the mitoxantrone liposome regimen at Wuhan Children's Hospital from January 2022 to February 2023 were collected as the observation group,and the children with high-risk AML who received idarubicin regimen were enrolled as controls,and their clinical data were analyzed.Time to bone marrow recovery,the complete remission rate of bone marrow cytology,the clearance rate of minimal residual disease,and treatment-related adverse reactions were compared between the two groups.Results:The patients treated with mitoxantrone liposome showed shorter time to recovery of leukocytes(17 vs 21 day),granulocytes(18 vs 24 day),platelets(17 vs 24 day),and hemoglobin(20 vs 26 day)compared with those treated with idarubicin,there were statistical differences(P＜0.05).The effective rate and MRD turning negative rate in the observation group were 90.9％and 72.7％,respectively,while those in the control group were 94.1％and 76.4％,with no statistical difference(P＞0.05).The overall response rate of the two groups of patients was similar.Conclusion:The efficacy of mitoxantrone liposome is not inferior to that of idarubicin in children with high-risk AML,but mitoxantrone liposome allows a significantly shorter duration of bone marrow suppression and the safety is better.

Objective:To investigate the prognostic value of minimal residual disease(MRD)detected by multi-parameter flow cytometry(MFC)in pediatric patients with acute myeloid leukemia(AML)after induction chemotherapy.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 97 pediatric patients initially diagnosed with AML at Wuhan Children's Hospital from August 2015 to December 2022.The study analyzed the results of MRD detection using MFC after the first and second cycles of induction chemotherapy,and its association with prognosis were analyzed.Results:Following the first cycle of induction treatment,57 of the 97 patients tested positive for MRD(MRD1+,58.8％).Subsequently,19 patients remained MRD positive(MRD2+,19.6％)after the second cycle of induction treatment.Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the estimated 3-year overall survival(OS)rate of the 37(64.9％)MRD1+patients who underwent transplantation was significantly higher than that of the 20(35.1％)MRD1+patients who did not undergo transplantation(84.6％vs 40.0％,P=0.0001).Among the 35 MRD1+MRD2-patients,the 3-year OS rate of the 25 children who underwent transplantation was higher than that of the 10 children who did not undergo transplantation(87.2％vs 70.0％,P=0.3229).The 3-year OS rate of the 19 MRD1+MRD2+patients was lower than that of the 35 MRD1+MRD2-patients(57.4％vs 81.8％,P=0.059).In the 19 MRD2+patients,the 3-year OS rate of the 12 children who underwent transplantation was significantly higher than that of the 7 children who did not undergo transplantation(80.8％vs 14.3％,P=0.0007).There was no significant difference in 3-year OS between the 12 MRD1+MRD2+patients and 25 MRD1+MRD2-patients,both treated with transplantation(80.8％vs 87.2％,P=0.8868).In those not treated with transplantation,the 7 MRD1+MRD2+patients had a significantly lower 3-year OS compared with the 10 MRD1+MRD2-patients(14.3％vs 70.7％,P=0.0114).Further multivariate analysis indicated that MRD2 positivity and transplantation were both independent prognostic factors(P=0.031,0.000),while MRD1 positivity was not significantly associated with the overall prognosis of 97 patients(P=0.902).Conclusion:MRD positivity following the second cycle of induction chemotherapy is an independent risk factor for unfavorable outcomes in children with AML.MRD2 positivity indicates a poorer prognosis and can help to identify the candidates requiring transplantation.MRD2 positivity is not a contraindication for transplantation in pediatric patients,and early transplantation significantly improves the prognosis of high-risk patients.

Objective:To summarize the clinical features of reversible posterior encephalopathy syndrome(PRES)after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(allo-HSCT)in children.Methods:The clinical data of six children who developed PRES after undergoing allo-HSCT in the Department of Hematology of Wuhan Children's Hospital from June 2016 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed,and their clinical characteristics,imaging examination,laboratory examination,and treatment regression were summarized.Results:Among 281 children underwent allo-HSCT,6 cases(2.14％)developed PRES,with a median age of 5.1(1.5-9.7)years old.4 cases underwent related haploidentical donor transplantation,and 2 cases underwent sibling allografting and unrelated donor allografting donor transplantation,respectively.All six children had an acute onset of illness,with clinical manifestations of nausea and vomiting,seizures,psychiatric disorders,visual disturbances.The five cases elevated blood pressure.All children with PRES were treated with oral immunosuppressive drugs during seizures,and 3 cases were combined with different degrees of graft-versus-host disease.Most of the children showed effective improvement in clinical symptoms and imaging after adjusting/discontinuing suspected medications(cyclosporine,etc.)and symptomatic supportive treatments(oral antihypertensive,diazepam for antispasmodic,mannitol to lower cranial blood pressure),and one of them relapsed more than 8 months after the first seizure.Conclusion:PRES is rare after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children,and its onset may be related to hypertension,cytotoxic drugs,graft-versus-host disease,etc.Most of them can be recovered after active treatment,but not completely reversible,and the prognosis of those who combined with TMA is poor.

Purpose: This study evaluated the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the ultrasound-guided microwave ablation (MWA) treatment of symptomatic focal uterine adenomyosis. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted between March 2020 and January 2023, enrolling 52 patients with symptomatic focal uterine adenomyosis who had undergone MWA. All patients were examined with CEUS before and after MWA. The non-perfused volume (NPV) was compared between CEUS and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCEMRI) following ablation. Therapeutic efficacy and safety were evaluated at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. Additionally, this study explored the correlations between pre-treatment CEUS features and a volume reduction ratio indicating sufficient ablation, defined as 50% or more at the 3-month follow-up. Results: No significant differences in NPV were noted between CEUS and DCE-MRI immediately after MWA and during follow-up (all P>0.05). At the 3-month follow-up, the median VRRs for the uterus and adenomyosis were 33.2% and 63.9%, respectively. Sufficient ablation was achieved in 69.2% (36/52) of adenomyosis cases, while partial ablation was observed in the remaining 30.8% (16/52). The identification of non-enhancing areas on pre-treatment CEUS was associated with sufficient ablation (P=0.016). At the 12-month follow-up, significant decreases were observed in both the uterine and adenomyosis volumes (all P<0.001). Dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia were significantly alleviated at 12 months, and no major complications were encountered. Conclusion CEUS can be used to evaluate the ablation zone of focal adenomyosis that has been treated with MWA, similarly to DCE-MRI. The identification of non-enhancing areas on pretreatment CEUS indicates satisfactory treatment outcomes.

Objective:To study the mechanism of icariin inhibiting the proliferation of human PCa PC-3 cells based on cell metabolomics technology.Methods:We determined the proliferation activity of human PC-3 cells by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT)assay,and compared the proliferation of the PC-3 cells among the control,5-fluorouracil and icariin intervention groups.Using the Bligh Dyer method,we extracted endogenous metabolites from the cells,analyzed the metabolic profile by ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry,identified the differential metabolites by principal component anal-ysis and orthogonal partial least-squares discrimination analysis,and enriched the metabolic pathways based on the MetaboAnalyst data-base.Results:Icariin significantly inhibited the proliferation of human PCa PC-3 cells.A total of 89 differential metabolites were i-dentified,mainly including amino acids,phosphatidylcholine,phosphatidylethanolamine,lysophosphatidylcholine,and lysophosphati-dylethanolamine,all with the tendency to return to the normal level after icariin intervention.Icariin significantly downregulated the metabolic levels of the glycerophospholipid metabolites phosphatidylcholine,phosphatidylethanolamine,lysophosphatidylcholine and ly-sophosphatidylethanolamine,and upregulated those of amino acid metabolites tryptophan,leucine,and proline in the PC-3 cells.Conclusion:Icariin inhibits the proliferation of human PCa PC-3 cells,which may be closely related to its regulatory effect on lipid metabolism(glycerophospholipid metabolism)and amino acid metabolism.

Objective:To explore the effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on interleukin-33 (IL-33)/growth stimulation expressed gene 2 (ST2) signaling pathway in the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) of rats modeling hyperalgesia (HP).Methods:This study consisted of two experiments. In the first, 30 Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a blank group, a Sham-HP group, an HP group, an antibody group and an inhibitor group, each of 6. HP was induced in all except the rats of the blank and Sham-HP groups by injecting carrageenan (Car) and prostaglandin E2 subcutaneously at the bottom of the left hind feet. The antibody and inhibitor groups were then given intrathecal injections of anti-ST2 antibody and a tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)-specific inhibitor, respectively. In the second experiment, 42 SD rats were randomly divided into a Sham-HP group, an HP group, a TENSⅠgroup, a TENS II group, a TENS I inhibitor group, a TENS II inhibitor group, and a Sham-TENS group, each of 6. All of the groups had HP induced as in experiment one. All of the rats except those in the Sham-HP, HP and Sham-TENS groups were then given TENS, and the TENS I and II inhibitor groups were offered intrathecal injection of TNF-α-specific inhibitors. Mechanical pain thresholds (MPTs) were documented 4h, 24h, 48h, 72h, 6d, 7d 4h, 7d 1h, and 7d after the Car injections. Western blotting was used to measure the protein expressions of IL-33, ST2 and TNF-α 6d after the Car injection in both experiments.Results:In experiment one, the average MPTs of the HP, antibody and inhibitor groups had decreased significantly 4 hours after the Car injection compared with the blank and Sham-HP groups. However, 7d 1h after the Car injection the value had increased significantly in the Sham-HP, antibody and inhibitor groups compared with the HP group, while the expressions of IL-33, ST2 and TNF-α had decreased significantly. In experiment two, by 4 hours after the Car injection, the average MPT of all the other groups had decreased significantly compared with the Sham-HP group. Moreover, by 7d 1h after the Car injection, the average MPTs of the groups receiving TENS had increased significantly, with significantly lower MPT in the TENS Ⅱ group than in group Ⅰ, on average. There was also significantly higher expression of IL-33, ST2 and TNF-α in group II. Compared with the TENS Ⅰ and Ⅱ groups, the average MPT was significantly higher in the TENS I and Ⅱ inhibitor groups, but IL-33, ST2 and TNF-α expression was lower.Conclusions:TENS can inhibit TNF-α expression, which influences the signals of the DRG IL-33/ST2 signaling pathway to reverse hyperalgesia. TENS combined with anti-TNF-α treatment is superior to TENS alone in treating hyperalgesia.

Purpose: This study evaluated the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the ultrasound-guided microwave ablation (MWA) treatment of symptomatic focal uterine adenomyosis. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted between March 2020 and January 2023, enrolling 52 patients with symptomatic focal uterine adenomyosis who had undergone MWA. All patients were examined with CEUS before and after MWA. The non-perfused volume (NPV) was compared between CEUS and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCEMRI) following ablation. Therapeutic efficacy and safety were evaluated at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. Additionally, this study explored the correlations between pre-treatment CEUS features and a volume reduction ratio indicating sufficient ablation, defined as 50% or more at the 3-month follow-up. Results: No significant differences in NPV were noted between CEUS and DCE-MRI immediately after MWA and during follow-up (all P>0.05). At the 3-month follow-up, the median VRRs for the uterus and adenomyosis were 33.2% and 63.9%, respectively. Sufficient ablation was achieved in 69.2% (36/52) of adenomyosis cases, while partial ablation was observed in the remaining 30.8% (16/52). The identification of non-enhancing areas on pre-treatment CEUS was associated with sufficient ablation (P=0.016). At the 12-month follow-up, significant decreases were observed in both the uterine and adenomyosis volumes (all P<0.001). Dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia were significantly alleviated at 12 months, and no major complications were encountered. Conclusion CEUS can be used to evaluate the ablation zone of focal adenomyosis that has been treated with MWA, similarly to DCE-MRI. The identification of non-enhancing areas on pretreatment CEUS indicates satisfactory treatment outcomes.

Purpose: This study evaluated the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the ultrasound-guided microwave ablation (MWA) treatment of symptomatic focal uterine adenomyosis. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted between March 2020 and January 2023, enrolling 52 patients with symptomatic focal uterine adenomyosis who had undergone MWA. All patients were examined with CEUS before and after MWA. The non-perfused volume (NPV) was compared between CEUS and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCEMRI) following ablation. Therapeutic efficacy and safety were evaluated at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. Additionally, this study explored the correlations between pre-treatment CEUS features and a volume reduction ratio indicating sufficient ablation, defined as 50% or more at the 3-month follow-up. Results: No significant differences in NPV were noted between CEUS and DCE-MRI immediately after MWA and during follow-up (all P>0.05). At the 3-month follow-up, the median VRRs for the uterus and adenomyosis were 33.2% and 63.9%, respectively. Sufficient ablation was achieved in 69.2% (36/52) of adenomyosis cases, while partial ablation was observed in the remaining 30.8% (16/52). The identification of non-enhancing areas on pre-treatment CEUS was associated with sufficient ablation (P=0.016). At the 12-month follow-up, significant decreases were observed in both the uterine and adenomyosis volumes (all P<0.001). Dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia were significantly alleviated at 12 months, and no major complications were encountered. Conclusion CEUS can be used to evaluate the ablation zone of focal adenomyosis that has been treated with MWA, similarly to DCE-MRI. The identification of non-enhancing areas on pretreatment CEUS indicates satisfactory treatment outcomes.