Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of gemcitabine and cisplatin (GP) regimen in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitor sintilimab as neoadjuvant therapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) patients and the feasibility of the following selective bladder sparing surgery. Materials and Methods: Patients with histopathologically confirmed urothelial carcinoma without distant metastases (T2-4a, N ≤ 1, M0, American Joint Committee of Cancer 8th) and with adequate organ function will be enrolled. The therapeutic regimen was sintilimab 200 mg once on day 8, gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2 and cisplatin 35 mg/m2 once on days 1 and 8, every 21 days for four cycles. The primary endpoint was pathologic complete response (pCR, pT0N0) rate. The secondary end points were ypT < 2 rate, R0 resection rate, event-free survival, and safety. Results: From May 4, 2020, to May 20, 2023, 55 patients were enrolled. Forty-six patients were evaluated for efficacy. Among the 42 patients who underwent surgery, 16 patients (38.0%) achieved pCR. Thirty-three patients (78.6%) achieved pT < 2. With a median follow-up of 15.7 months, the 1-year event-free survival was 91.3%. Notwithstanding the poor pathological baseline characteristic of a high T3-T4a proportion (39.1%), a promising bladder preservation (including 22 patients transurethral resection of bladder tumor, 5 patients partial cystectomy, and 4 surveillances) rate was achieved (67.4%). The most common grade ≥ 3 treatment-related adverse events was neutropenia (n=15, 27.3%), which was related to chemotherapy. There were no grade 3 immune-related adverse events. Conclusion Neoadjuvant GP plus sintilimab is a promising regimen for MIBC patients, with relatively high pT < 2 rate and triggering the emerging roles for the multi-disciplinary team decision-making for bladder sparing surgery.

ObjectiveTo establish a highly specific and sensitive triplex TaqMan quantitative PCR method for the detection of mouse hepatitis virus (MHV), mouse parvovirus (MPV), and reovirus type 3 (Reo-3) in laboratory mice. MethodsRecombinant plasmid standards were constructed using conserved genomic regions of the three target viruses. Specific primers and probes were designed, and a triplex TaqMan quantitative PCR (qPCR) system was optimized through preliminary experiments. Sensitivity was evaluated using 10-fold serial dilutions (10¹-10⁷ copies/μL). Intra- and inter-assay repeatability were assessed via reproducibility experiments. ResultsA strong linear correlation (R ²>0.99) was observed between copy number and Ct value at template concentrations of 10²-10⁷ copies/μL. Intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation (CV) were both below 5%. No cross-reactivity was observed with mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV), vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), Sendai virus (SeV), or pneumonia virus of mice (PVM). ConclusionThe triplex TaqMan quantitative PCR method established in this study has high sensitivity, good repeatability, and strong specificity. It enables the rapid, specific, and sensitive detection of MHV, MPV, and Reo-3, allows the simultaneous detection of multiple pathogens in a single tube, and can be applied to the detection of clinical samples from laboratory animals and to epidemiological investigations, thereby providing effective scientific and technological support for the prevention and control of viral infection and the interruption of transmission.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms by which the combination of berberine （BBR） and baicalin （BAI） ameliorates type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） due to internal accumulation of dampness-heat from the perspectives of gut microbiota and metabolomics. MethodsAntibiotics were used to induce pseudo-sterile mice. Thirty pseudo-sterile mice were randomized into a normal fecal microbiota transplantation group （n=10） and a T2DM （syndrome of internal accumulation of dampness-heat） fecal microbiota transplantation group （n=20）. The mice were then administrated with suspensions of fecal microbiota from healthy volunteers and a patient with T2DM due to internal accumulation of dampness-heat by gavage， respectively. Each mouse received 200 µL suspension every other day for a total of 15 times to reshape the gut microbiota. The T2DM model mice were then assigned into a model group （n=8） and a BBR-BAI group （n=11）. BBR was administrated at a dose of 200 mg·kg^-1， and BAI was administrated in a ratio of BBR-BAI 10∶1 based on preliminary research findings. The administration lasted for 8 consecutive weeks. Fasting blood glucose （FBG）， glycated hemoglobin （HbA1c）， insulin （INS）， triglycerides （TG）， total cholesterol （CHOL）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， and alanine aminotransferase （ALT） levels were measured to evaluate the effects of the BBR-BAI combination on glucose and lipid metabolism and liver function in T2DM mice. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was employed to observe pathological changes in the colon tissue. The expression of claudin-1， zonula occludens-1 （ZO-1）， and occludin in the colon tissue was determined by Western blot. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） was employed to assess the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and interleukin-6 （IL-6） in the colon tissue. The fecal microbiota composition and differential metabolites were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-TOF-MS）， respectively. ResultsThe BBR-BAI combination lowered the FBG， HbA1c， and INS levels （P<0.05， P<0.01） and alleviated insulin resistance （P<0.01） in T2DM mice. Additionally， BBR-BAI elevated the levels of ZO-1， occludin， and claudin-1 （P<0.05， P<0.01） and down-regulated the expression levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6 in the colon （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The results of 16S rRNA sequencing showed that BBR-BAI increased the relative abundance of Ligilactobacillus， Phascolarctobacterium， and Akkermansia （P<0.05）， while significantly decreasing the relative abundance of Alistipes， Odoribacter， and Colidextribacter （P<0.05）. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS identified 28 differential metabolites， which were primarily involved in arachidonic acid metabolism and α-linolenic acid metabolism. ConclusionBBR-BAI can ameliorate T2DM due to internal accumulation of dampness-heat by modulating the relative abundance of various bacterial genera in the gut microbiota and the expression of fecal metabolites.

Heart failure(HF)is the final stage of various cardiovascular diseases.The period of high incidence of death and readmission in patients with HF within 2 to 3 months after discharge is defined as the"vulnerable period".The management of vulnerable period focuses on how to identify high-risk groups with the need of close follow-up and more active intervention.Despite the application of various effective medical treatment and nursing strategies,readmissions in HF patients remain high,which not only poses a significant financial burden on the healthcare system but also carries the prognostic impact of worsening survival associated with repeated hospitalizations.Remote monitoring is a promising approach for early detection of worsening HF and intervention before apparent decompensation.Remote monitoring includes patient reporting of remote vital signs monitoring,wearable devices,information from cardiac implantable electronic devices and invasive remote hemodynamic monitoring.Remote cardiac monitoring devices have developed rapidly.A wide variety of monitoring devices have been developed,and trials have been conducted to explore the availability and safety of remote monitoring devices and their effectiveness in reducing the risk of HF re-hospitalization.Wearable devices are easy to be accepted by patients because of their non-invasive,portable,cost and other factors.

Objective To explore the preoperative diagnostic value of a radiomics nomogram based on intratumoral and peritumoral apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)maps for prostate cancer.Methods A retrospective collection was conducted on MRI images of 503 patients with prostate lesions confirmed by pathology.The region of interest(ROI)was delineated on the ADC maps and extended 1-5 mm outward to form the peritumoral region.Radiomics features were extracted from both intratumoral and peritumoral regions,and radiomics models were established.A combined model integrating clinical model was constructed and a nomogram was drawn.The performance of each model and nomogram were evaluated.Results The combined model achieved the highest area under the curve(AUC)in the test set(AUC=0.823)at a peritumoral distance of 3 mm.The nomogram based on the combined model showed good predictive performance and clinical utility on both decision curve analysis(DCA)and calibration curve.Conclusion The radiomics nomogram based on intratumoral and peritumoral ADC maps has the greatest diagnostic value in distinguishing benign and malignant prostate cancer at a peritumoral distance of 3 mm before surgery.

Objective To investigate the population density and seasonal fluctuations of Aedes albopictus in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, from 2021 to 2023, so as to provide insights into A. albopictus control and management of dengue fever. Methods The surveillance of A. albopictus density was performed in all surveillance sites assigned across all streets (townships) in Guangzhou City during the period from January to December from 2021 to 2023. The surveillance frequency was twice every half month from May to September, and once every month for the rest of a year. In each surveillance period, A. albopictus mosquito larvae were captured from indoor and outdoor small water containers in residential areas, parks, medical facilities, schools, other government sectors and social organizations, construction sites, special industries and others for mosquito species identification. Adult mosquitoes were captured using electric mosquito suction apparatus for species identification and gender classification. Adult mosquitoes and mosquito eggs were collected with mosquito and egg traps at the breeding and dwelling places of Aedes mosquitoes for identification. The mosquito oviposition index (MOI), Breteau index (BI), adult mosquito density index (ADI) and standard space index (SSI) were calculated. The A. albopictus density was classified into grades 0, 1, 2 and 3 in each surveillance site, with Grade 0 density defined eligible, and the eligible rate of A. albopictus density was calculated at all surveillance sites each year from 2021 to 2023. In addition, the changing trends in MOI, SSI, BI and ADI of A. albopictus were analyzed in Guangzhou City from 2021 to 2023. Results The eligible rates of A. albopictus density were 61.69%, 68.75% and 55.15% in surveillance sites of Guangzhou City from 2021 to 2023 (χ² = 297.712, P < 0.001), and appeared a tendency towards a reduction followed by a rise each year, which gradually reduced since January, maintained at a low level during the period between May and October, and gradually increased from November to December. The MOI, SSI, BI and ADI of A. albopictus all appeared a tendency towards a rise followed by a reduction in Guangzhou City during the period between January and December from 2021 to 2023. The BI of A. albopictus peaked in the first half of June in 2021 (4.03), the first half of July in 2022 (3.89) and the last half of August in 2023 (5.02), and the SSI of A. albopictus peaked in the last half of June in 2021 (0.93), the last half of May in 2022 (0.59), and the last half of June (0.94) and the first half of September in 2023 (1.12). In addition, the MOI of A. albopictus peaked in the first half of May in 2021 (8.64), the first half of June in 2022 (8.96), and the last half of May (10.21) and the last half of June in 2023 (10.89), and the ADI of A. albopictus peaked in the first half of June in 2021 (3.41), the last half of June in 2022 (4.06), and the first half of July in 2023 (3.61). Conclusions The density of A. albopictus is high in Guangzhou City during the period from May to October, and the risk of local outbreak caused by imported dengue fever is high. Persistent intensified surveillance of the density and seasonal fluctuation of A. albopictus is recommended and timely mosquito prevention and control is required according to the fluctuation in the A. albopictus density.

Objective:To evaluate the accuracy of the oral healthcare information provided by different large language models (LLM) to explore their feasibility and limitations in the application of oral auxiliary, treatment and health consultation.Methods:This study designed eight items comprising 47 questions in total related to the diagnosis and treatment of oral diseases [to assess the performance of LLM as an artificial intelligence (AI) medical assistant], and five items comprising 35 questions in total about oral health consultations (to assess the performance of LLM as a simulated doctor). These questions were answered individually by the five LLM models (Erine Bot, HuatuoGPT, Tongyi Qianwen, iFlytek Spark, ChatGPT). Two attending physicians with more than 5 years of experience independently rated the responses using the 3C criteria (correct, clear, concise), and the consistency between the raters was assessed using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient, and the Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn post hoc test were used to assess the statistical differences between the models. Additionally, this study used 600 questions from the 2023 dental licensing examination to evaluate the time taken to answer, scores, and accuracy of each model.Results:As an AI medical assistant, LLM can assist doctors in diagnosis and treatment decision-making, with an inter-evaluator Spearman coefficient of 0.505 ( P<0.01). As a simulated doctor, LLM can carry out patient popularization, with an inter-evaluator Spearman coefficient of 0.533 ( P<0.01). The 3C scores of each model as an AI medical assistant and a simulated doctor were respectively: 2.00 (1.00, 3.00) and 2.00 (2.00, 3.00) points of Erine Bot, 1.00 (1.00, 2.00) and 2.00 (1.00, 2.00) points of HuatuoGPT, 2.00 (1.00, 2.00) and 2.00 (1.00, 3.00) points of Tongyi Qianwen, 2.00 (1.00, 2.00) and 2.00 (1.75, 2.25) points of iFlytek Spark, 3.00 (2.00, 3.00) and 3.00 (2.00, 3.00) points of ChatGPT (full score of 4 points). The Kruskal-Wallis test results showed that, as an AI medical assistant or a simulated doctor, there were statistically differences in the 3C scores among the five large language models (all P<0.001). The average score of the 5 LLMs on the dental licensing examination was 370.2, with an accuracy rate of 61.7% (370.2/600) and a time consumption of 94.6 min. Specifically, Erine Bot took 115 min, scored 363 points with an accuracy rate of 60.5% (363/600), HuatuoGPT took 224 min and scored 305 points with an accuracy rate of 50.8% (305/600), Tongyi Qianwen took 43 min, scored 438 points with an accuracy rate of 73.0% (438/600), iFlytek Spark took 32 min, scored 364 points with an accuracy rate of 60.7% (364/600), and ChatGPT took 59 min, scored 381 points with an accuracy rate of 63.5% (381/600). Conclusions:Based on the evaluation of LLM′s dual roles as an AI medical assistant and a simulated doctor, ChatGPT performes the best, with basically correct, clear and concise answers, followed by Erine Bot, Tongyi Qianwen and iFlytek Spark, with HuatuoGPT lagging behind significantly. In the dental licensing examination, all the 4 LLM, except for HuatuoGPT, reach the passing level, and the time consumpution for answering is significantly reduced compared to the 8 h required for the exam regulations in all of the five models. LLM has the feasibility of application in oral auxiliary, treatment and health consultation, and it can help both doctors and patients obtain medical information quickly. Howere, their outputs carry a risk of errors (since the 3C scoring results do not reach the full marks), so prudent judgment should be exercised when using them.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of oral maintenance therapy with tegafur for residual lesions in patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after chemoradiotherapy.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted. A total of 38 patients with locally advanced ESCC who had residual lesions after receiving albumin bound paclitaxel combined with platinum chemoradiotherapy from March 2019 to September 2021 in Jiangsu Province Suqian Hospital were selected. All patients were divided into the maintenance treatment group (20 cases) and the non-maintenance treatment group (18 cases) based on whether they received oral maintenance therapy with tegafur after chemoradiotherapy. The progression-free survival (PFS) of both groups was compared and the adverse reactions of the maintenance treatment group were analyzed.Results:There were no statistically significant differences in baseline data between the 2 groups (both P > 0.05). The 1, 2, 3-year PFS rates for the maintenance treatment group were 95.0%, 78.1%, and 58.3%, respectively, with a median PFS time of 33.65 months (95% CI: 29.04-38.26 months); the 1, 2, 3-year PFS rates in the non-maintenance treatment group were 88.9%, 54.5%, and 12.1%, respectively, with a median PFS time of 25.08 months (95% CI: 20.97-29.18 months); there was a statistically significant difference in PFS between the 2 groups ( χ2 = 5.36, P = 0.021). The common adverse reactions in the maintenance treatment group included hematological adverse reactions, hand foot syndrome, decreased appetite, and fatigue. The more common adverse reactions were neutropenia [85.0% (17/20)] and leukopenia [65.0% (13/20)]; 9 cases experienced grade 3-4 adverse reactions, which were relieved by adjusting the dosage or discontinuing the medication. Conclusions:Oral maintenance therapy with tegafur may improve the survival of ESCC patients with residual lesions after chemoradiotherapy and the adverse reactions are controllable.

Objective:To develop a novel fibroblast activation protein (FAP) cyclic peptide imaging agent, Al 18F-FAP-NOX, evaluate its in vitro and in vivo properties, and explore its feasibility of PET/CT imaging in tumors with FAP positive expression. Methods:Al 18F-FAP-NOX was manually synthesized. The in vitro stability of Al 18F-FAP-NOX was determined using radio high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The lipid water partition coefficient log P, in vitro cell uptake experiments, microPET/CT imaging and biodistribution in 293T-FAP tumor-bearing mice were conducted to preliminarily evaluate the pharmacokinetics and biological efficacy of Al 18F-FAP-NOX. Afterwards, a patient (male, 65 years old) with lung cancer underwent Al 18F-FAP-NOX PET/CT imaging. Results:Al 18F-FAP-NOX was successfully synthesized with a yield of (26.28±2.31)% without attenuation correction ( n=4), and the radiochemical purity was more than 95%. Al 18F-FAP-NOX exhibited good stability and hydrophilicity (log P=-3.02±0.08, n=5). In cell assays, the uptake of Al 18F-FAP-NOX in HT1080-FAP cells reached the plateau phase at 15 min ((7.31±0.53) percentage activity of injection dose per million cells (%ID/mio cells)), exhibiting high cellular uptake. The uptake of Al 18F-FAP-NOX could be significantly inhibited by 1, 4, 7, 10-tetraazacyclododecane-1, 4, 7, 10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA)-FAP-2286. The microPET/CT results of 293T-FAP tumor-bearing mice in vivo showed that Al 18F-FAP-NOX was highly uptaken in FAP-positive tumor tissues (60 min: (12.47±1.66) percentage activity of injection dose per gram of tissue (%ID/g)), while the uptake was very low in FAP-negative tumors. The biodistribution results were similar to the microPET/CT imaging results of tumor-bearing mice. The human clinical imaging showed an abnormal increase in Al 18F-FAP-NOX uptake (SUV max 5.5) of the lung cancer lesions. Conclusions:A novel cyclic peptide radiopharmaceutical, Al 18F-FAP-NOX, demonstrates good stability and hydrophilicity. It can be quickly distributed to tumor tissue in vivo. The human clinical PET/CT imaging shows certain diagnostic ability of Al 18F-FAP-NOX for lung cancer lesions. It is a promising cyclic peptide agent for PET imaging.

Objective:To systematically evaluate the safety and efficacy of the novel fibroblast activation protein (FAP)-targeted tracer 64Cu-FAP inhibitor (FAPI)-XT117 in patients with malignant solid tumors, and to compare with 18F-FDG. Methods:This self-controlled study was conducted on fifteen patients (8 males, 7 females; age (60 ±9) years) with malignant solid tumors from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University between July 2023 and December 2023. Each subject underwent 64Cu-FAPI-XT117 PET/CT at 30, 60, and 120min post-injection and was assigned to three dose cohorts (111MBq, 148MBq, and 185MBq; 5 patients in each cohort), and safety assessments were conducted within 24h after injection. In addition, all patients underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT at 60min post-injection. Time-activity curves were generated for 64Cu-FAPI-XT117, and the dosimetry was calculated. Image quality was evaluated using a 5-point Likert scale, and the optimal injected activity and imaging time point were determined. The paired t test was used to compare differences of the lesion detection count and SUV max between 64Cu-FAPI-XT117 and 18F-FDG PET/CT. Results:64Cu-FAPI-XT117 was well tolerated, with no adverse events reported. Time-activity curves of 68Ga-FAPI-XT117 revealed prominent uptake in the uterus, while the background activity in other organs remained low, with the whole-body effective dose of (0.0084±0.0021)mSv/MBq. The optimal imaging time point for 64Cu-FAPI-XT117 PET/CT was 60min post-injection, with an optimal administered activity of 111MBq. Compared with 18F-FDG, 64Cu-FAPI-XT117 demonstrated significantly higher uptake and more lesions in lymph-node metastases (SUV max: 8.6±3.8 vs 15.3±6.8, t=2.33, P=0.048; number of lesions: 8.3±5.4 vs 15.0±6.4; t=4.21, P=0.003) and distant metastases (SUV max: 11.8±3.7 vs 20.9±7.2, t=3.66, P=0.022; number of lesions: 7.0±3.2 vs 12.4±3.7, t=2.86, P=0.046). Conclusions:64Cu-FAPI-XT117 PET/CT is well tolerated in patients with solid tumors, with a controllable radiation risk. Moreover, it outperforms 18F-FDG PET/CT in the assessment of metastases.