Objective:To explore the diagnostic value of a clinical-radiomics model based on the T 1 mapping and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)-based radiomics, and the clinical indicator for renal fibrosis (RF) caused by chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods:This cross-sectional study prospectively and consecutively enrolled 122 patients with CKD at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from September 2021 to December 2023 who were randomly allocated to a training set ( n=85) or a validation set ( n=37) in an approximate 7∶3 ratio using simple random sampling. Patients underwent T 1 mapping and diffusion-weighted imaging scans. Renal biopsy was performed within 3 days after the MRI scans. Patients were categorized into three groups based on the degree of RF: no RF ( n=25), mild RF ( n=55), and moderate to severe RF ( n=42). To differentiate the presence of RF (no RF vs. any RF) and the severity of RF (mild RF vs. moderate to severe RF), univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to optimize the independent clinical predictor, which constituted the clinical model. Radiomics features were extracted from regions of interest delineated within the renal parenchyma of the right kidney on T 1 mapping and ADC maps. Features were selected using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression to build the radiomics model. A clinical-radiomics model was subsequently constructed by integrating the independent clinical predictors with the selected radiomics features. Model diagnostic performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Calibration curve was plotted to assess model calibration, and decision curve analysis was performed to evaluate clinical net benefit. Results:Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen exhibited statistically significant differences ( P0.05) in distinguishing both the presence and severity of RF. Multivariate analysis identified eGFR as an independent clinical predictor for both the presence of RF ( OR=0.939, 95% CI 0.898-0.982, P=0.006) and RF severity ( OR=0.956, 95% CI 0.917-0.997, P=0.037). From the MRI images, 7 radiomics features were selected to build the radiomics model for distinguishing the presence of RF, and 8 features were selected for the model assessing RF severity. These radiomics models were then combined with eGFR to construct the clinical-radiomics models. The clinical-radiomics models demonstrated the highest diagnostic performance, with an AUC of 0.935 (95% CI 0.859-0.977) for RF presence and 0.967 (95% CI 0.891-0.995) for RF severity in the training set, and 0.914 (95% CI 0.774-0.981) and 0.908 (95% CI 0.748-0.981) in the validation set. Calibration curves and decision curve analysis confirmed that the clinical-radiomics models exhibited excellent calibration and provided the highest clinical net benefit for assessing RF in CKD patients. Conclusion:The clinical-radiomics model integrating T 1 mapping and ADC-based radiomics and eGFR can effectively improve the diagnostic performance for RF in CKD patients.

Objective:To investigate the expression of Cullin associated NEDD8 dissociated protein 1 in colorectal cancer and its effect on the biological behavior of colorectal cancer.Method:A total of 70 pairs of colorectal cancer and paired normal tissue specimens were collected from Jun to Dec 2017 at the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery at Peking University People's Hospital. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of Cullin associated NEDD8 dissociated protein 1 and analyze its relationship with clinical pathological indicators and prognosis. CCK8, colony formation assay, transwell assay, and wound healing assay were used to evaluate the effects of Cullin associated NEDD8 dissociated protein 1 on the proliferation, migration, and invasion ability of colon cancer cells.Result:Compared with normal tissues, Cullin associated NEDD8 dissociated protein 1 was highly expressed in colorectal cancer (Immunohistochemistry score: 3.685±1.257 vs. 2.000±0.851, Z=6.536, P<0.001). The expression level of Cullin associated NEDD8 dissociated protein 1 was significantly correlated with T stage ( χ2=5.67, P=0.017), N stage ( χ2=7.20, P=0.007), and pathology stage ( χ2=4.66, P=0.031). Patients with high expression of Cullin associated NEDD8 dissociated protein 1 had a worse prognosis than those with low expression ( χ2=4.80, P=0.037). Knocking down Cullin associated NEDD8 dissociated protein 1 significantly reduced the proliferation, colony formation, and invasive migration ability of DLD1 cells (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Cullin associated NEDD8 dissociated protein 1 is significantly overexpressed in colorectal cancer and has a promoting effect on the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer.

Objective:To share our experience of single-port transoral Da Vinci robotic surgery for laryngeal and pharyngeal benign tumors.Methods:Three patients aged over 18 years and diagnosed respectively with epiglottic cyst, aryepiglottic fold cyst and thyroglossal duct cyst at tongue base were included who received operations in Hainan Hospital of Ruijin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (Boao Research Hospital of Hainan) between August 1, 2023 and April 10, 2024. There were 1 male and 2 females, with an average age of 59 years old. The clinical diagnosis of these 3 patients was respectively epiglottic cyst, aryepiglottic fold cyst and thyroglossal duct cyst at tongue base. Intraoperative conversion rate, blood loss, operation time, hospital stay, pain score and swallowing function score were analyzed.Results:All three patients successfully underwent the operations with the single-port Da Vinci robotic system. The clean-contaminated resection rate of the tumors was 100%. The conversion rate was nil. The blood loss was 0-7 ml. The operation time was 5-30 minutes. There were no adverse events such as loosening of teeth and soft tissue abrasions of pharyngeal side wall. The rate of oral feeding within 24 hours after surgery was 100%. No postoperative coughing, bleeding, or dyspnea occurred. The average length of hospital stay was 3.7 days. The VAS score decreased 3 days after surgery compared to 1 day after surgery. The swallowing function recovered 1 month after surgery.Conclusion:The single-port transoral robotic surgery for laryngeal and pharyngeal benign lesions is safe and efficient, with fewer complications.

Objective:To investigate the mechanisms of baicalin in treating septic acute liver injury through a combination of network pharmacology and animal experiments.Methods:Thirty male C57BL/6 mice (6 weeks old) were divided into five groups ( n=6): control group (normal saline), model group [lipopolysaccharide (LPS) 10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal injection], low-dose baicalin group (10 mg/kg), high-dose baicalin group (20 mg/kg), and baicalin-only group (20 mg/kg, without LPS). Baicalin was administered orally for 14 consecutive days prior to modeling. Mice were sacrificed 24 h after LPS injection. Alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase liver tissue histopathology were measured; neutrophil infiltration was visualized using immunofluorescence; mRNA expression levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-17, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were detected by RT-qPCR; and the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and phosphorylated nuclear factor (NF)-κB proteins were analyzed by Western blotting. Results:In the LPS model group, the ALT, AST, and histopathological injury score were (148.60±22.02) U/L, (81.58±11.59) U/L, and 8.50(7.75, 9.25), respectively. These indicators were significantly reduced in the high-dose baicalin group with (77.90±16.79) U/L, (49.92±14.89) U/L, and 1.00(1.00, 2.25) (all P<0.05). Compared with the LPS group, neutrophil infiltration in the liver of high-dose baicalin group was also significantly reduced [1.18%(0.98%, 1.22%) vs. 6.13%(5.41%, 8.69%), P<0.05]. RT-qPCR results showed that the relative mRNA expression levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β [(1.03±0.06) vs. (2.60±0.34)], IL-17 [(1.21±0.12) vs. (2.94 ± 0.39)], IL-6 [(1.37±0.26) vs. (2.73±0.18)], and TNF-α [(1.18±0.10) vs. (3.30±0.92)] were significantly decreased in the high-dose baicalin group compared with the LPS group (all P<0.05). Western blot analysis revealed that the relative protein expression levels of TLR4 [(1.25±0.13) vs. (1.73±0.06)] and phosphorylated NF-κB [(1.25±0.25) vs. (1.79±0.12)] were also significantly lower in the high-dose baicalin group (both P<0.05). Conclusion:Baicalin reduces liver injury in septic mice by downregula-ting the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-17, potentially through the inhibition of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with common pathophysiological processes, such as inflammation and fibrosis, in both the heart and the kidney. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms that drive these processes are not yet fully understood. Therefore, this study focused on the molecular mechanism of heart and kidney injury in CKD. METHODS: We generated an microRNA (miR)-26a knockout (KO) mouse model to investigate the role of miR-26a in angiotensin (Ang)-II-induced cardiac and renal injury. We performed Ang-II modeling in wild type (WT) mice and miR-26a KO mice, with six mice in each group. In addition, Ang-II-treated AC16 cells and HK2 cells were used as in vitro models of cardiac and renal injury in the context of CKD. Histological staining, immunohistochemistry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and Western blotting were applied to study the regulation of miR-26a on Ang-II-induced cardiac and renal injury. Immunofluorescence reporter assays were used to detect downstream genes of miR-26a, and immunoprecipitation was employed to identify the interacting protein of LIM and senescent cell antigen-like domain 1 (LIMS1). We also used an adeno-associated virus (AAV) to supplement LIMS1 and explored the specific regulatory mechanism of miR-26a on Ang-II-induced cardiac and renal injury. Dunnett's multiple comparison and t -test were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Compared with the control mice, miR-26a expression was significantly downregulated in both the kidney and the heart after Ang-II infusion. Our study identified LIMS1 as a novel target gene of miR-26a in both heart and kidney tissues. Downregulation of miR-26a activated the LIMS1/integrin-linked kinase (ILK) signaling pathway in the heart and kidney, which represents a common molecular mechanism underlying inflammation and fibrosis in heart and kidney tissues during CKD. Furthermore, knockout of miR-26a worsened inflammation and fibrosis in the heart and kidney by inhibiting the LIMS1/ILK signaling pathway; on the contrary, supplementation with exogenous miR-26a reversed all these changes. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that miR-26a could be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of cardiorenal injury in CKD. This is attributed to its ability to regulate the LIMS1/ILK signaling pathway, which represents a common molecular mechanism in both heart and kidney tissues.
Animals ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Angiotensin II/toxicity* ; Mice ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/chemically induced* ; Mice, Knockout ; Disease Models, Animal ; Male ; Signal Transduction/genetics* ; LIM Domain Proteins/genetics* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Cell Line ; Humans

Objective:To explore the diagnostic value of a clinical-radiomics model based on the T 1 mapping and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)-based radiomics, and the clinical indicator for renal fibrosis (RF) caused by chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods:This cross-sectional study prospectively and consecutively enrolled 122 patients with CKD at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from September 2021 to December 2023 who were randomly allocated to a training set ( n=85) or a validation set ( n=37) in an approximate 7∶3 ratio using simple random sampling. Patients underwent T 1 mapping and diffusion-weighted imaging scans. Renal biopsy was performed within 3 days after the MRI scans. Patients were categorized into three groups based on the degree of RF: no RF ( n=25), mild RF ( n=55), and moderate to severe RF ( n=42). To differentiate the presence of RF (no RF vs. any RF) and the severity of RF (mild RF vs. moderate to severe RF), univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to optimize the independent clinical predictor, which constituted the clinical model. Radiomics features were extracted from regions of interest delineated within the renal parenchyma of the right kidney on T 1 mapping and ADC maps. Features were selected using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression to build the radiomics model. A clinical-radiomics model was subsequently constructed by integrating the independent clinical predictors with the selected radiomics features. Model diagnostic performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Calibration curve was plotted to assess model calibration, and decision curve analysis was performed to evaluate clinical net benefit. Results:Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen exhibited statistically significant differences ( P0.05) in distinguishing both the presence and severity of RF. Multivariate analysis identified eGFR as an independent clinical predictor for both the presence of RF ( OR=0.939, 95% CI 0.898-0.982, P=0.006) and RF severity ( OR=0.956, 95% CI 0.917-0.997, P=0.037). From the MRI images, 7 radiomics features were selected to build the radiomics model for distinguishing the presence of RF, and 8 features were selected for the model assessing RF severity. These radiomics models were then combined with eGFR to construct the clinical-radiomics models. The clinical-radiomics models demonstrated the highest diagnostic performance, with an AUC of 0.935 (95% CI 0.859-0.977) for RF presence and 0.967 (95% CI 0.891-0.995) for RF severity in the training set, and 0.914 (95% CI 0.774-0.981) and 0.908 (95% CI 0.748-0.981) in the validation set. Calibration curves and decision curve analysis confirmed that the clinical-radiomics models exhibited excellent calibration and provided the highest clinical net benefit for assessing RF in CKD patients. Conclusion:The clinical-radiomics model integrating T 1 mapping and ADC-based radiomics and eGFR can effectively improve the diagnostic performance for RF in CKD patients.

Objective:To investigate the expression of Cullin associated NEDD8 dissociated protein 1 in colorectal cancer and its effect on the biological behavior of colorectal cancer.Method:A total of 70 pairs of colorectal cancer and paired normal tissue specimens were collected from Jun to Dec 2017 at the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery at Peking University People's Hospital. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of Cullin associated NEDD8 dissociated protein 1 and analyze its relationship with clinical pathological indicators and prognosis. CCK8, colony formation assay, transwell assay, and wound healing assay were used to evaluate the effects of Cullin associated NEDD8 dissociated protein 1 on the proliferation, migration, and invasion ability of colon cancer cells.Result:Compared with normal tissues, Cullin associated NEDD8 dissociated protein 1 was highly expressed in colorectal cancer (Immunohistochemistry score: 3.685±1.257 vs. 2.000±0.851, Z=6.536, P<0.001). The expression level of Cullin associated NEDD8 dissociated protein 1 was significantly correlated with T stage ( χ2=5.67, P=0.017), N stage ( χ2=7.20, P=0.007), and pathology stage ( χ2=4.66, P=0.031). Patients with high expression of Cullin associated NEDD8 dissociated protein 1 had a worse prognosis than those with low expression ( χ2=4.80, P=0.037). Knocking down Cullin associated NEDD8 dissociated protein 1 significantly reduced the proliferation, colony formation, and invasive migration ability of DLD1 cells (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Cullin associated NEDD8 dissociated protein 1 is significantly overexpressed in colorectal cancer and has a promoting effect on the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer.

Objective:To share our experience of single-port transoral Da Vinci robotic surgery for laryngeal and pharyngeal benign tumors.Methods:Three patients aged over 18 years and diagnosed respectively with epiglottic cyst, aryepiglottic fold cyst and thyroglossal duct cyst at tongue base were included who received operations in Hainan Hospital of Ruijin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (Boao Research Hospital of Hainan) between August 1, 2023 and April 10, 2024. There were 1 male and 2 females, with an average age of 59 years old. The clinical diagnosis of these 3 patients was respectively epiglottic cyst, aryepiglottic fold cyst and thyroglossal duct cyst at tongue base. Intraoperative conversion rate, blood loss, operation time, hospital stay, pain score and swallowing function score were analyzed.Results:All three patients successfully underwent the operations with the single-port Da Vinci robotic system. The clean-contaminated resection rate of the tumors was 100%. The conversion rate was nil. The blood loss was 0-7 ml. The operation time was 5-30 minutes. There were no adverse events such as loosening of teeth and soft tissue abrasions of pharyngeal side wall. The rate of oral feeding within 24 hours after surgery was 100%. No postoperative coughing, bleeding, or dyspnea occurred. The average length of hospital stay was 3.7 days. The VAS score decreased 3 days after surgery compared to 1 day after surgery. The swallowing function recovered 1 month after surgery.Conclusion:The single-port transoral robotic surgery for laryngeal and pharyngeal benign lesions is safe and efficient, with fewer complications.

Objective:To investigate the mechanisms of baicalin in treating septic acute liver injury through a combination of network pharmacology and animal experiments.Methods:Thirty male C57BL/6 mice (6 weeks old) were divided into five groups ( n=6): control group (normal saline), model group [lipopolysaccharide (LPS) 10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal injection], low-dose baicalin group (10 mg/kg), high-dose baicalin group (20 mg/kg), and baicalin-only group (20 mg/kg, without LPS). Baicalin was administered orally for 14 consecutive days prior to modeling. Mice were sacrificed 24 h after LPS injection. Alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase liver tissue histopathology were measured; neutrophil infiltration was visualized using immunofluorescence; mRNA expression levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-17, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were detected by RT-qPCR; and the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and phosphorylated nuclear factor (NF)-κB proteins were analyzed by Western blotting. Results:In the LPS model group, the ALT, AST, and histopathological injury score were (148.60±22.02) U/L, (81.58±11.59) U/L, and 8.50(7.75, 9.25), respectively. These indicators were significantly reduced in the high-dose baicalin group with (77.90±16.79) U/L, (49.92±14.89) U/L, and 1.00(1.00, 2.25) (all P<0.05). Compared with the LPS group, neutrophil infiltration in the liver of high-dose baicalin group was also significantly reduced [1.18%(0.98%, 1.22%) vs. 6.13%(5.41%, 8.69%), P<0.05]. RT-qPCR results showed that the relative mRNA expression levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β [(1.03±0.06) vs. (2.60±0.34)], IL-17 [(1.21±0.12) vs. (2.94 ± 0.39)], IL-6 [(1.37±0.26) vs. (2.73±0.18)], and TNF-α [(1.18±0.10) vs. (3.30±0.92)] were significantly decreased in the high-dose baicalin group compared with the LPS group (all P<0.05). Western blot analysis revealed that the relative protein expression levels of TLR4 [(1.25±0.13) vs. (1.73±0.06)] and phosphorylated NF-κB [(1.25±0.25) vs. (1.79±0.12)] were also significantly lower in the high-dose baicalin group (both P<0.05). Conclusion:Baicalin reduces liver injury in septic mice by downregula-ting the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-17, potentially through the inhibition of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Objective:This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of thioamide as a maintenance therapy for peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) .Methods:This study retrospectively analyzed the data from 58 patients with PTCL who were treated in the Department of Hematology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2015 to July 2022. Chidamide was orally administered as a maintenance therapy after first-line or salvage treatment. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety were analyzed.Results:Among the 58 patients with PTCL, 43 were males and 15 were females, and the median age was 66 (range: 29-83) years. Thirty-nine patients received thioamide as first-line maintenance therapy, and 19 patients received thioamide as maintenance therapy after salvage treatment. The median maintenance therapy duration was 16 months (range: 1-72 months), with a median PFS time of 33 (2-74) months, and the median OS time had not been reached. Patients who received first-line maintenance therapy with thioamide demonstrated superior PFS and OS outcomes compared with patients who received thioamide maintenance therapy after salvage treatment (median PFS time: not reached vs 7 months, P<0.001; median OS time: not reached vs 67 months, P=0.009). The most prevalent adverse reaction was a hematologic adverse reaction (77.6%). Twelve (20.7%) patients underwent a dose reduction and three patients discontinued treatment. Conclusion:Patients receiving thioamide maintenance therapy demonstrated a promising PFS and OS with a manageable safety profile, especially as the first-line maintenance therapy.