Real-world study (RWS), based on multi-source data from real medical environments, is gradually becoming an important supplement to traditional randomized controlled trials, and its application in the field of transfusion medicine is becoming increasingly widespread. This article systematically reviews the definition and methodological system of RWS, examines its application cases in clinical blood transfusion research, and discusses the advantages, limitations, and future research directions of RWS, aiming to provide a reference for evidence-based research in blood transfusion medicine.

Real-world study (RWS), based on multi-source data from real medical environments, is gradually becoming an important supplement to traditional randomized controlled trials, and its application in the field of transfusion medicine is becoming increasingly widespread. This article systematically reviews the definition and methodological system of RWS, examines its application cases in clinical blood transfusion research, and discusses the advantages, limitations, and future research directions of RWS, aiming to provide a reference for evidence-based research in blood transfusion medicine.

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, computational pathology has been seamlessly integrated into the entire clinical workflow, which encompasses diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and biomarker discovery. This integration has significantly enhanced clinical accuracy and efficiency while reducing the workload for clinicians. Traditionally, research in this field has depended on the collection and labeling of large datasets for specific tasks, followed by the development of task-specific computational pathology models. However, this approach is labor intensive and does not scale efficiently for open-set identification or rare diseases. Given the diversity of clinical tasks, training individual models from scratch to address the whole spectrum of clinical tasks in the pathology workflow is impractical, which highlights the urgent need to transition from task-specific models to foundation models (FMs). In recent years, pathological FMs have proliferated. These FMs can be classified into three categories, namely, pathology image FMs, pathology image-text FMs, and pathology image-gene FMs, each of which results in distinct functionalities and application scenarios. This review provides an overview of the latest research advancements in pathological FMs, with a particular emphasis on their applications in oncology. The key challenges and opportunities presented by pathological FMs in precision oncology are also explored.
Humans ; Precision Medicine/methods* ; Medical Oncology/methods* ; Artificial Intelligence ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; Computational Biology/methods*

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the role of concentrated growth factors (CGF) in the treatment of periodontal cement defects using calcium phosphate cement (CPC) with self-curing properties. METHODS: Thirty-six intrabony defects were randomly divided into two groups. The experimental group received CGF+CPC treatment (n=18), while the control group received CPC treatment alone (n=18). The probing depth, clinical attachment loss, and hard tissue filling as measured by cone beam CT (CBCT) were evaluated at baseline and 1 year postoperatively in both groups, and the levels of major growth factors in CGF and serum were compared [platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)]. RESULTS: At baseline, there were no statistically significant differences in probing depth, clinical attachment loss and CBCT measurements between the two groups (P>0.05). At 1 year postoperatively, significant improvements were observed in parameters mentioned above in both groups (P < 0.05). The CGF+CPC group seemed more effective compared with the CPC group in reduction of probing depth [(4.5±1.3) mm vs. (3.2±1.1) mm] and clinical attachment gain [(3.8±0.9) mm vs. (2.0±0.5) mm, P < 0.05]. Compared with the group treated with CPC alone, the hard tissue filling degree shown by CBCT in the CGF+CPC group was significantly increased [the reduction of the depth of the intrabony defects was (3.9±1.2) mm vs. (2.1±0.7) mm, respectively, P < 0.01]. At 1 year post-operatively, the volume of the intrabony defects shown by CBCT in the CGF+CPC group was reduced by (0.031 8±0.004 1) mL, which was significantly more than that in the CPC group [(0.019 7±0.001 2) mL, P < 0.05]. In addition, the concentration of the main growth factors (PDGF-BB, TGF-β1, IGF-1, and VEGF) in CGF were higher than those in serum (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION After 1 year of follow-up, the results of the present study indicated that CGF could significantly improve the clinical and radiological effects of CPC on the treatment of periodontal intrabony defects.
Humans ; Calcium Phosphates/therapeutic use* ; Male ; Female ; Bone Cements/therapeutic use* ; Middle Aged ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Alveolar Bone Loss/therapy* ; Becaplermin ; Adult ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/therapeutic use* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis/blood* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/blood* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/blood*

Wastewater-based epidemiology has emerged as a transformative surveillance tool for estimating substance consumption and monitoring disease prevalence, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. It enables the population-level monitoring of illicit drug use, pathogen prevalence, and environmental pollutant exposure. In this perspective, we summarize the key challenges specific to the Chinese context: (1) Sampling inconsistencies, necessitating standardized 24-hour composite protocols with high-frequency autosamplers (≤ 15 min/event) to improve the representativeness of samples; (2) Biomarker validation, requiring rigorous assessment of excretion profiles and in-sewer stability; (3) Analytical method disparities, demanding inter-laboratory proficiency testing and the development of automated pretreatment instruments; (4) Catchment population dynamics, reducing estimation uncertainties through mobile phone data, flow-based models, or hydrochemical parameters; and (5) Ethical and data management concerns, including privacy risks for small communities, mitigated through data de-identification and tiered reporting platforms. To address these challenges, we propose an integrated framework that features adaptive sampling networks, multi-scale wastewater sample banks, biomarker databases with multidimensional metadata, and intelligent data dashboards. In summary, wastewater-based epidemiology offers unparalleled scalability for equitable health surveillance and can improve the health of the entire population by providing timely and objective information to guide the development of targeted policies.
China/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Wastewater/analysis* ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Public Health ; Wastewater-Based Epidemiological Monitoring ; SARS-CoV-2

Background::Oral anti-coagulants (OAC) are the intervention for the prevention of stroke, which consistently improve clinical outcomes and survival among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The main purpose of this study is to identify problems in OAC utilization among hospitalized patients with AF in China.Methods::Using data from the Improving Care for Cardiovascular Disease in China-Atrial Fibrillation (CCC-AF) registry, guideline-recommended OAC use in eligible patients was assessed.Results::A total of 52,530 patients with non-valvular AF were enrolled from February 2015 to December 2019, of whom 38,203 were at a high risk of stroke, 9717 were at a moderate risk, and 4610 were at a low risk. On admission, only 20.0% (6075/30,420) of patients with a diagnosed AF and a high risk of stroke were taking OAC. The use of pre-hospital OAC on admission was associated with a lower risk of new-onset ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack among the diagnosed AF population (adjusted odds ratio: 0.54, 95% confidence interval: 0.43–0.68; P <0.001). At discharge, the prescription rate of OAC was 45.2% (16,757/37,087) in eligible patients with high stroke risk and 60.7% (2778/4578) in eligible patients with low stroke risk. OAC utilization in patients with high stroke risk on admission or at discharge both increased largely over time (all P <0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that OAC utilization at discharge was positively associated with in-hospital rhythm control strategies, including catheter ablation (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 11.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] 10.04–13.47; P <0.001), electronic cardioversion (adjusted OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.65–3.51; P <0.001), and anti-arrhythmic drug use (adjusted OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.38–1.53; P <0.001). Conclusions::In hospitals participated in the CCC-AF project, >70% of AF patients were at a high risk of stroke. Although poor performance on guideline-recommended OAC use was found in this study, over time the CCC-AF project has made progress in stroke prevention in the Chinese AF population.Registration::ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02309398.

Objective:To explore the role of mechanical hemodynamic support (MHS) in mapping and catheter ablation of patients with hemodynamically unstable ventricular tachycardia (VT), report single-center experience in a cohort of consecutive patients receiving VT ablation during MHS therapy, and provide evidence-based medical evidence for clinical practice.Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study. Patients with hemodynamically unstable VT who underwent catheter ablation with MHS at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University between August 2021 and December 2023 were included. Patients were divided into rescue group and preventive group according to the purpose of treatment. Their demographic data, periprocedural details, and clinical outcomes were collected and analyzed.Results:A total of 15 patients with hemodynamically unstable VT were included (8 patients in the rescue group and 7 patients in the preventive group). The acute procedure was successful in all patients. One patient in the rescue group had surgical left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation, remaining 14 patients received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for circulation support. ECMO decannulation was performed in 12 patients due to clinical and hemodynamic stability, of which 6 patients were decannulation immediately after surgery and the remaining patients were decannulation at 2.0 (2.5) d after surgery. Two patients in the rescue group died during the index admission due to refractory heart failure and cerebral hemorrhage. During a median follow-up of 30 d (1 d to 12 months), one patient with LVAD had one episode of ventricular fibrillation at 6 months after discharge, and no further episodes of ventricular fibrillation and/or VT occurred after treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs. No malignant ventricular arrhythmia occurred in the remaining 12 patients who were followed up.Conclusions:MHS contributes to the successful completion of mapping and catheter ablation in patients with hemodynamically unstable VT, providing desirable hemodynamic status for emergency and elective conditions.

Objective:To investigate the genetic, clinical, and post-treatment characteristics of patients with glycogen storage disease type Ⅲ (GSD Ⅲ).Methods:A retrospective cohort analysis was performed on the genetic and clinical data of 26 cases with GSD Ⅲ who visited the Children's Hospital affiliated with Fudan University from June 2017 to December 2023. The patients were divided into non-missense variation and missense variation groups according to the types of mutation in the AGL gene.The correlation between genotype and phenotype was analyzed. All patients were treated with uncooked cornstarch after diagnosis. The changes before and after treatment were compared in patients who underwent more than twelve months of follow-up. A P value of <0.05 was used to denote statistical significance. Results:Among the 26 cases enrolled, 13 were female and 13 were male, and the median age of diagnosis was 28 (6 to 134) months. A total of thirty-five different types of AGL gene variation were detected, with c.1735+1G＞T (9/52, 17.3%) as the hotspot variation. The common clinical manifestations were elevated aminotransferases (26/26, 100%), hepatomegaly (25/26, 96.2%), fasting hypoglycemia (25/26, 96.2%), hyperketonemia (16/18, 88.9%), hypertriglyceridemia (TG) (20/26, 76.9%), elevated CK (16/25, 64.0%), and an abnormal electrocardiogram (12/16, 75.0%). Four cases (15.4%) had symptoms of myopathy at diagnosis. Liver biopsy was performed in eighteen cases, among whom 83.3% (15/18) had liver fibrosis≥S2. The number of cases with elevated levels of CK ( P＝0.031) and ALT ( P＝0.038)was pronounced in the non-missense variation group compared to that in the missense variation group. There were no statistically significant differences in age, height, liver size, degree of fibrosis, fasting blood glucose (Glu) and TG ( P>0.05). The median follow-up time of 14 cases was 40.5 (20-73) months, with improvement in body stature, reduced liver size, decreased ALT and TG, and improved Glu. However, four (28.6%) cases had new myopathy symptoms with raised CK ( P<0.05) and with advancing age, increased ALT diminished while CK level elevated ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The common clinical manifestations at the early stage of the GSD Ⅲdiagnosis are elevated aminotransferases, hepatomegaly, fasting hypoglycemia, hyperketonemia, high triglycerides, elevated CK, and fibrotic liver in China. Myopathy symptoms may arise following uncooked cornstarch treatment; however, there is significant improvement in height, liver-related, and metabolic parameters.

Objective:To explore the clinical effects of flaps or myocutaneous flaps transplantation after debridement to repair the wounds with exposed titanium mesh after cranioplasty on the premise of retaining the titanium mesh.Methods:This study was a retrospective observational study. From February 2017 to October 2022, 22 patients with titanium mesh exposure after cranioplasty who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the Department of Plastic, Aesthetic & Maxillofacial Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, including 15 males and 7 females, aged from 19 to 68 years. After admission, treatments such as bacterial culture of wound exudate sample, anti-infection, and dressing change were carried out. Thorough surgical debridement was performed when the wound improved, and the wound area was 3.0 cm×2.0 cm to 11.0 cm×8.0 cm after debridement. The wound was repaired with local flaps, expanded flaps, or free latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps according to the size, location, severity of infection, and surrounding tissue condition of the wounds, and the areas of flaps or myocutaneous flaps were 5.5 cm×4.0 cm to 18.0 cm×15.0 cm. The donor areas of flaps were sutured directly or repaired by split-thickness skin grafts from head. The wound repair method was recorded. The survivals of flaps or myocutaneous flaps after surgery and wound healing in 2 weeks after surgery were recorded. During postoperative follow-up, recurrence of infection or titanium mesh exposure in the implanted area of titanium mesh was observed; the head shapes of patients, scar formation of the operative incision, and baldness were observed. At the last follow-up, the satisfaction of patients with the treatment effect (dividing into three levels: satisfied, basically satisfied, and dissatisfied) was evaluated. The total treatment costs of patients during their hospitalization were calculated.Results:The wounds in 11 cases were repaired with local flaps, the wounds in 5 cases were repaired with expanded flaps, and the wounds in 6 cases were repaired with free latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps. All flaps or myocutaneous flaps survived completely after surgery, and all wounds healed well in 2 weeks after surgery. Follow up for 6 to 48 months after operation, only one patient with local flap grafting experienced a recurrence of infection in the titanium mesh implanted area at more than one month after surgery, and the titanium mesh was removed because of ineffective treatment. Except for one patient who had a local depression in the head after removing the titanium mesh, the rest of the patients had a full head shape. Except for myocutaneous flap grafting areas in 6 cases and skin grafting area in 1 case with local flaps grafting had no hair growth, the other patients had no baldness. All the scars in surgical incision were concealed. At the last follow-up, 19 cases were satisfied with the treatment effects, 2 cases were basically satisfied, and 1 case was dissatisfied. The total treatment cost for patients in this group during hospitalization was 11 764-36 452 (22 304±6 955) yuan.Conclusions:For patients with titanium mesh exposure after cranioplasty, on the premise of adequate preoperative preparation and thorough debridement, the wound can be repaired with appropriate flaps or myocutaneous flaps according to the wound condition. The surgery can preserve all or part of the titanium mesh. The postoperative wound healing is good and the recurrence of infection or titanium mesh exposure in the titanium mesh implanted area is reduced, leading to good head shape, reduced surgical frequency, and decreased treatment costs.

Objective:To investigate the effects of thinned anterolateral thigh perforator flaps combined with finger splitting and webplasty in sequential treatment of degloving destructive wound of total hand.Methods:This study was a retrospective observational study. From January 2012 to January 2023, a total of 15 cases who met the inclusion criteria with degloving destructive wound of total hand were admitted to Ningbo No.6 Hospital, including 10 males and 5 females, aged 17-75 years. The wounds were all combined with exposed bones or tendon. Emergency debridement and vacuum sealing drainage were performed in all cases before flap transplantation in stage Ⅰ. After thorough debridement, the wound area was 11.0 cm×3.0 cm-23.0 cm×13.5 cm. One or both anterolateral thigh perforator flaps with size of 12.5 cm×5.0 cm-25.0 cm×15.5 cm were designed, cut, and thinned to repair the skin and soft tissue defects of the hand. The donor site was sutured directly or repaired with medium-thickness skin graft from the opposite thigh. As needed, the flap was reconstructed by finger splitting and webplasty once or more times every 3 months after stage Ⅰoperation. The survival and complications of flap and wound healing at the donor site were observed after stage Ⅰoperation. The appearance of flap, two-point discrimination distance, and hand function were observed during the follow-up. At the final follow-up, the function of the affected hand was evaluated by the trial standards for evaluation of partial function of upper extremity by the Hand Surgery Society of Chinese Medical Association.Results:After the operation of stage Ⅰ, all the flaps of 15 cases of patients survived completely, including 1 case that had arterial crisis of flap but survived completely after exploration and re-anastomosis of blood vessels; all the wounds at the donor site healed. During the follow-up period of 6 to 18 months after stage Ⅰ, the flap was slightly swollen, with a little pigmentation, and the two-point discrimination distance in the finger flap was 8-11 mm. The fingers could complete the basic life actions such as flexion, extension, pinch, and grip. At the final follow-up, 3 cases were excellent, 9 cases were good, and 3 cases were acceptable in function evaluation of the affected hand.Conclusions:For degloving destructive wound of total hand, free transplantation of one or both thinned anterolateral thigh perforator flaps is used for repair in stage Ⅰ, and finger splitting and webplasty are used to reconstruct the flaps in the later stage, which can basically restore the pinch and grip function of the affected hand that is required for daily life, and is worthy of clinical promotion.