Objective:To explore the dosimetric characteristics of proton and photon radiotherapy in the treatment of breast cancer.Methods:Four female breast cancer patients who needed radiotherapy at Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute from January 2024 to May 2024 were selected as the research subjects. The target area ranges of 4 patients were left-sided breast cancer with lymph node involvement, left-sided breast cancer with lymph node involvement and internal mammary node, right-sided breast cancer with lymph node involvement and internal mammary node and synchronous bilateral breast cancer. Intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans were designed respectively based on the prescribed dose in the target area and the limits of organs at risk (tomotherapy plan for bilateral breasts). The conformity index (CI), homogeneity index (HI), gradient index (GI) and organs at risk doses were evaluated. The dosimetric characteristics of IMPT and photon radiotherapy were compared.Results:Both IMPT and photon radiotherapy plans of the 4 breast cancer cases met the clinical dose requirements. The HI value of IMPT plans (0.10-0.14) was comparable to that of photon radiotherapy plans (0.10-0.12), and the average CI of the photon radiotherapy plans was 0.10 higher than that of the IMPT plans, and the average GI was 0.55 lower than that of the IMPT plans. The D mean of ipsilateral lung and heart of IMPT was lower, especially in the low-dose area (V 0-3), which was significantly lower than the photon radiotherapy plans, D mean of ipsilateral lung was reduced by 12.2%, 6.1%, 16.1% and 34.8%, respectively, D mean of heart was reduced by 47.2%, 57.0%, 72.4% and 83.0%, respectively. The ipsilateral lung V 20 of IMPT was not lower than photon radiotherapy plans (unilateral breast: IMPT was 30.0%-34.0%, IMRT was 29.0%-35.9%) . Conclusions:IMPT significantly reduces the D mean to the ipsilateral lung and heart while ensuring dose coverage of the target in breast cancer, preventing more volume of surrounding normal tissues from being irradiated. However, IMPT does not show much more advantage than photon radiotherapy plans in the ipsilateral lung V 20.

Objective To compare the effects of single antiplatelet therapy(SAPT)versus dual antiplatelet therapy(DAPT)on bleeding and ischemic events in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR)without long-term anticoagulation indications.Methods This randomized controlled trial included 90 post-TAVR patients without anticoagulation indications,who were allocated to the SAPT group(n=46,aspirin 100 mg/d)or DAPT group(n=44,aspirin 100 mg/d+clopidogrel 75 mg/d for 3 months,followed by aspirin monotherapy).Maximum aggregation rates of platelets induced by arachidonic acid(MARAA)and adenosine diphosphate(MARADP)were measured 1,3,6,and 12 months postoperatively.Bleeding and ischemic events were recorded during the follow-up visits.Results The SAPT group exhibited significantly higher MARAA and MARADP scores at 1 and 3 months,and higher MARAA scores at 6 months compared to the DAPT group(P<0.05).At the 12-month follow-up,the SAPT group had a significantly lower inci-dence of bleeding events compared to the DAPT group(13.0%vs.31.8%,P=0.043).No statistically significant difference was observed in ischemic events between the groups(15.2%vs.11.4%,P=0.759).Conclusion For TAVR patients without anticoagulation indica-tions,SAPT significantly reduced the 1-year bleeding risk compared to DAPT,without increasing ischemic events.These findings support the safety and efficacy of SAPT after TAVR.

Objective To compare the effects of single antiplatelet therapy(SAPT)versus dual antiplatelet therapy(DAPT)on bleeding and ischemic events in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR)without long-term anticoagulation indications.Methods This randomized controlled trial included 90 post-TAVR patients without anticoagulation indications,who were allocated to the SAPT group(n=46,aspirin 100 mg/d)or DAPT group(n=44,aspirin 100 mg/d+clopidogrel 75 mg/d for 3 months,followed by aspirin monotherapy).Maximum aggregation rates of platelets induced by arachidonic acid(MARAA)and adenosine diphosphate(MARADP)were measured 1,3,6,and 12 months postoperatively.Bleeding and ischemic events were recorded during the follow-up visits.Results The SAPT group exhibited significantly higher MARAA and MARADP scores at 1 and 3 months,and higher MARAA scores at 6 months compared to the DAPT group(P<0.05).At the 12-month follow-up,the SAPT group had a significantly lower inci-dence of bleeding events compared to the DAPT group(13.0%vs.31.8%,P=0.043).No statistically significant difference was observed in ischemic events between the groups(15.2%vs.11.4%,P=0.759).Conclusion For TAVR patients without anticoagulation indica-tions,SAPT significantly reduced the 1-year bleeding risk compared to DAPT,without increasing ischemic events.These findings support the safety and efficacy of SAPT after TAVR.

Objective To investigate the clinical features of chronic hepatitis C(CHC)patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 3(HCV GT3)infection and the risk factors for disease progression.Methods A multicenter retrospective cohort study was conducted among 1 002 CHC patients from 11 clinical centers in Northwest China from December 2017 to November 2023,and according to their genotype,they were divided into GT1,GT2,GT3,and GT6 groups.Clinical features were compared between the patients with different genotypes.The one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups,and the Scheffe test was used for further comparison between two groups.The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of data with skewed distribution between groups;the chi-square test or Fisher test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups.The multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors for the progression of CHC to liver cirrhosis.Results In terms of the genotype,there were 427 patients with GT1 infection,242 with GT2 infection,299 with GT3 infection(210 patients with GT3a infection,87 with GT3b infection,and 2 with unclassified genotype),and 34 with GT6 infection.The patients with GT3 infection had a significantly younger age than those with GT1 infection(51.3±0.5 years vs 53.2±0.6 years,P<0.05)or GT2 infection(51.3±0.5 years vs 53.7±0.8 years,P<0.05),and for the patients with liver cirrhosis,the patients with GT3 infection had a significantly younger age than those with GT1 infection(52.1±0.5 years vs 59.4±0.9 years,P<0.001)or GT2 infection(52.1±0.5 years vs 58.1±1.1 years,P<0.001).Among the patients with GT3 infection,male patients accounted for 77.9%and the patients with liver cirrhosis accounted for 46.2%,which were significantly higher than those among the patients with GT1,GT2 or GT6 infection(all P<0.001).At baseline,the patients with GT3 infection had significantly higher levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST)than those with GT1 or GT2 infection,significantly higher aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index(APRI)and fibrosis-4(FIB4)than those with GT1,GT2 or GT6 infection,a significantly lower platelet count(PLT)than those with GT2 or GT6 infection,a significantly higher level of alpha-fetoprotein than those with GT2 or GT6 infection,and a significantly lower level of albumin(Alb)than those with GT6 infection(all P<0.05).There were no significant differences between the patients with GT3a infection and those with GT3b infection in age,sex,the proportion of patients with liver cirrhosis,comorbidities,HCV RNA quantification,PLT,ALT,AST,alkaline phosphatase,Alb,APRI,and FIB-4(all P>0.05).The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that PLT≤150×109/L(odds ratio[OR]=10.72,95%confidence interval[CI]:5.76-35.86,P<0.001)and Alb≤35 g/L(OR=3.74,95%CI:1.22-11.45,P=0.021)were risk factors for liver cirrhosis.Conclusion Most CHC patients with GT3 infection are male in Northwest China,and compared with the patients with other genotypes,such patients tend to have a younger age of onset and higher degrees of liver inflammation activity and fibrosis.Low PLT and a low level of Alb are risk factors for progression to liver cirrhosis in CHC patients with GT3 infection.

Objective To investigate the clinical features of chronic hepatitis C(CHC)patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 3(HCV GT3)infection and the risk factors for disease progression.Methods A multicenter retrospective cohort study was conducted among 1 002 CHC patients from 11 clinical centers in Northwest China from December 2017 to November 2023,and according to their genotype,they were divided into GT1,GT2,GT3,and GT6 groups.Clinical features were compared between the patients with different genotypes.The one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups,and the Scheffe test was used for further comparison between two groups.The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of data with skewed distribution between groups;the chi-square test or Fisher test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups.The multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors for the progression of CHC to liver cirrhosis.Results In terms of the genotype,there were 427 patients with GT1 infection,242 with GT2 infection,299 with GT3 infection(210 patients with GT3a infection,87 with GT3b infection,and 2 with unclassified genotype),and 34 with GT6 infection.The patients with GT3 infection had a significantly younger age than those with GT1 infection(51.3±0.5 years vs 53.2±0.6 years,P<0.05)or GT2 infection(51.3±0.5 years vs 53.7±0.8 years,P<0.05),and for the patients with liver cirrhosis,the patients with GT3 infection had a significantly younger age than those with GT1 infection(52.1±0.5 years vs 59.4±0.9 years,P<0.001)or GT2 infection(52.1±0.5 years vs 58.1±1.1 years,P<0.001).Among the patients with GT3 infection,male patients accounted for 77.9%and the patients with liver cirrhosis accounted for 46.2%,which were significantly higher than those among the patients with GT1,GT2 or GT6 infection(all P<0.001).At baseline,the patients with GT3 infection had significantly higher levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST)than those with GT1 or GT2 infection,significantly higher aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index(APRI)and fibrosis-4(FIB4)than those with GT1,GT2 or GT6 infection,a significantly lower platelet count(PLT)than those with GT2 or GT6 infection,a significantly higher level of alpha-fetoprotein than those with GT2 or GT6 infection,and a significantly lower level of albumin(Alb)than those with GT6 infection(all P<0.05).There were no significant differences between the patients with GT3a infection and those with GT3b infection in age,sex,the proportion of patients with liver cirrhosis,comorbidities,HCV RNA quantification,PLT,ALT,AST,alkaline phosphatase,Alb,APRI,and FIB-4(all P>0.05).The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that PLT≤150×109/L(odds ratio[OR]=10.72,95%confidence interval[CI]:5.76-35.86,P<0.001)and Alb≤35 g/L(OR=3.74,95%CI:1.22-11.45,P=0.021)were risk factors for liver cirrhosis.Conclusion Most CHC patients with GT3 infection are male in Northwest China,and compared with the patients with other genotypes,such patients tend to have a younger age of onset and higher degrees of liver inflammation activity and fibrosis.Low PLT and a low level of Alb are risk factors for progression to liver cirrhosis in CHC patients with GT3 infection.

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical features and outcomes of critically ill pregnant and parturient women with chronic hepatitis B virus （HBV） infection， and to provide clinical experience for the rescue of critically ill pregnant and parturient women and the prevention and treatment of the severe exacerbation of liver disease. MethodsA total of 41 pregnant and parturient women with chronic HBV infection who were admitted to Department of Critical Care Medicine， Nanjing Second Hospital， from March 2013 to March 2023 were enrolled in this study， and their clinical data were collected through the electronic medical record system of hospital to summarize the main causes of transfer to the intensive care unit （ICU）， the causes of death， and treatment. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. ResultsAmong the 41 patients， 13 （31.71%） did not receive regular antenatal examination and 8 （19.51%） with a high viral load （HBV DNA ≥2×10⁵ IU/mL） did not receive antiviral therapy. Cesarean section was the main mode of delivery in 32 patients （78.05%）； 23 patients （56.10%） had premature delivery， and 5 patients died （12.20%）. The top three causes of transfer to the ICU were liver failure， postpartum hemorrhage， and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Liver failure mainly occurred in late pregnancy， with hepatic encephalopathy as the most common complication （28.57%） and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy as the most common comorbidity （21.43%）； among the 14 patients with liver failure， 6 （42.86%） received regular antenatal examination， and 13 （92.86%） did not receive antiviral therapy before admission. The mean length of ICU stay was 3.31±1.65 days for the patients with postpartum hemorrhage， among whom the patients with severe liver disease had coagulation disorders before delivery， which were difficult to correct after 48 hours of treatment. ConclusionPregnant and parturient women with chronic HBV infection tend to have complex conditions and a relatively high mortality rate. For pregnant and parturient women with chronic HBV infection， assessment of liver status， regular antenatal examination， and timely antiviral therapy are of vital importance to reduce severe exacerbation and mortality rate.

Artificial blood is a type of liquid preparation with oxygen-loading capacity and can temporarily substitute some function of blood.The developed artificial blood can be divided into four categories:artificial synthetic hemo-globin,artificial red blood cells made from natural hemoglobin,perfluorocarbons,and stem cell-differentiated red blood cells.This review focuses on the domestic and foreign research progress of artificial blood in recent years,and discusses its clinical application value,development trend,and future research,in order to provide new ideas to the development the artificial blood products and promote clinical application.

Objective·To examine the expression level of protein arginine methyltransferase 6(PRMT6)in breast carcinoma tissues and to assess its impact on the proliferative and migratory behaviors of breast cancer cells.Methods·The PRMT6 transcriptome sequencing data between 33 tumor tissues and normal tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)database was analyzed through the R language.The gene expression profile interactive analysis(GEPIA2)online database was used to analyze the difference of PRMT6 expression in normal breast tissues and breast cancer tissues.By using the immunohistochemistry(IHC)data of human normal breast tissues and breast cancer tissues from Human Protein Atlas(HPA)database to analyze the protein expression of PRMT6.IHC was used to detect the expression of PRMT6 in breast cancer tissues and paired para-tumor tissues from 27 clinical samples.After PRMT6 was knocked down with small interfering RNA(siRNA)in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells,the expression of PRMT6 was detected by qRT-PCR and Western blotting.The proliferation ability of breast cancer cells was measured with cell counting kit-8(CCK-8)assay and colony formation assay.The effect of PRMT6 on the migration ability of breast cancer cells was detected by wound healing assay and Transwell assay.By using the RNA-sequence data from GSE210948 of Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database,differentially expressed genes were analyzed in control and low expression groups of PRMT6.Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis was performed to reveal the signaling pathways associated with PRMT6.Cell cycle analysis was detected by flow cytometry.The expressions of cyclin D1 and EMT-related proteins(E-cadherin,N-cadherin and Vimentin)were detected by Western blotting after knocking down PRMT6.Results·Bioinformatics analysis and IHC results showed that PRMT6 was highly expressed in breast cancer tissues compared with normal tissues(P=0.000)and para-tumor tissues(P=0.001).qRT-PCR and Western blotting results verified that the siRNA significantly reduced the expression level of PRMT6 in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell lines compared with the control group(mRNA:P=0.006,P=0.004;P=0.001,P=0.043.Protein:P=0.035,P=0.001;P=0.003,P=0.002).After knocking down PRMT6,the proliferation(P=0.014,P=0.000;P=0.003,P=0.003)and migration(P=0.000,P=0.000;P=0.000,P=0.002)ability of breast cancer cells were inhibited significantly.The KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that the expression of PRMT6 affected the cell cycle pathway.After knocking down PRMT6,the expression of cyclin D1 decreased in protein level(P=0.021,P=0.000;P=0.034,P=0.014)and transcription level(P=0.036,P=0.001;P=0.044,P=0.000).Knock down of PRMT6 increased the number of cells in G0/G1 phase(P=0.000;P=0.003)and decreased the number of cells in G2/M phase of the cell cycle.The expression level of E-cadherin increased(P=0.002,P=0.012;P=0.043,P=0.003),while the expression levels of N-cadherin(P=0.004,P=0.041;P=0.032,P=0.034)and Vimentin(P=0.028,P=0.005;P=0.024,P=0.001)decreased in PRMT6 knockdown cells.Conclusion·PRMT6 is highly expressed in breast cancer,which can promote the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells.

Objective: To evaluate 99mtechnetium-three polyethylene glycol spacers-arginine-glycine-aspartic acid ( 99mTc-3PRGD2) singlephoton emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT) imaging for diagnosing lymph node metastasis of primary malignant lung neoplasms. Materials and Methods: We prospectively enrolled 26 patients with primary malignant lung tumors who underwent 99mTc-3PRGD2 SPECT/CT and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose ( 18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT imaging. Both imaging methods were analyzed in qualitative (visual dichotomous and 5-point grades for lymph nodes and lung tumors, respectively) and semiquantitative (maximum tissue-to-background radioactive count) manners for the lymph nodes and lung tumors. The performance of the differentiation of lymph nodes with and without metastasis was determined at the per-lymph node station and perpatient levels using histopathological results as the reference standard. Results: Total 42 stations had metastatic lymph nodes and 136 stations had benign lymph nodes. The differences between metastatic and benign lymph nodes in the visual qualitative and semiquantitative analyses of 99mTc-3PRGD2 SPECT/CT and18F-FDG PET/CT were statistically significant (all P < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC)in the semi-quantitative analysis of 99mTc-3PRGD2 SPECT/CT was 0.908 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.851–0.966), and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 0.86 (36/42), 0.88 (120/136), 0.69 (36/52), and 0.95 (120/126), respectively. Among the 26 patients (including two patients each with two lung tumors), 15 had pathologically confirmed lymph node metastasis. The difference between primary lung lesions in patients with and without lymph node metastasis was statistically significant only in the semi-quantitative analysis of 99mTc-3PRGD2 SPECT/CT (P = 0.007), with an AUC of 0.807 (95% CI, 0.641–0.974). Conclusion 99mTc-3PRGD2 SPECT/CT imaging may notably perform in the direct diagnosis of lymph node metastasis of primary malignant lung tumors and indirectly predict the presence of lymph node metastasis through uptake in the primary lesions.

Objective:To analyze the quality of surgical specimens of rectal cancer in the Chinese transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) registry collaborative (CTRC) database.Methods:The retrospective and descriptive study was conducted. Based on the concept of real-world research, the clinicopathological data of 1 761 patients with rectal cancer in the CTRC database who underwent taTME in 40 medical centers, including the Beijing Friendship Hospital of Capital Medical University et al, from November 15, 2017 to December 31, 2022 were collected. There were 1 212 males and 549 females, aged 62(range, 53-68)years. Observation indicators: (1) preoperative examinations; (2) neoadjuvant therapy; (3) postoperative examinations. Measurement data with skewed distri-bution were represented as M(range). Count data were described as absolute numbers. Results:(1) Preoperative examinations. Of the 1 761 patients, 1 324 patients underwent preoperative pelvic magnetic resonance imaging examination, and the results showed that 4 cases as clinical T0 stage, 30 cases as clinical T1 stage, 250 cases as clinical T2 stage, 828 cases as clinical T3 stage, 141 cases as clinical T4 stage, 11 cases as clinical Tx stage, 60 cases missing clinical T staging data, 490 cases as clinical N0 stage, 373 cases as clinical N1 stage, 311 cases as clinical N2 stage, 86 cases as clinical Nx stage, 64 cases missing clinical N staging data, 156 cases with mesorectal fascia invasion, 223 cases with extraintestinal blood vessels invasion. The distance from lower margin of tumor to anal margin of 1 324 patients was 50(range, 40-60)mm. (2) Neoadjuvant therapy. Of the 1 761 patients, 873 patients underwent neoadjuvant therapy, including 17 cases receiving radiotherapy alone, 155 cases receiving chemotherapy alone, 43 cases receiving short-course simultaneous chemoradiotherapy, 26 cases receiving short-course simultaneous chemoradiotherapy and delayed surgery, 1 case receiving contact radiotherapy, 277 cases receiving long-course simultaneous chemoradiotherapy, 9 cases receiving other treatments, and 345 cases missing neoadjuvant therapy data. (3) Postoperative examinations. Of the 1 761 patients, 1 584 cases achieved R 0 resection, 23 cases achieved R 1 resection, 1 case achieved R 2 resection, and there were 153 cases missing surgical margin data. The tumor diameter, number of lymph nodes harvest and positive rate of intravascular tumor thrombus were 30(range, 20-45)cm, 13(range, 10-17) and 20.794%(330/1 587) in 1 761 patients. There were 1 647 patients with circumferential margin records, which showed positive in 51 cases, and the minimum distance from deep part of tumor to circumferential margin was 5(rang, 3-13)mm in 1 647 patients. There were 547 cases with distal margin records, which showed positive in 4 cases, and the distance from lower margin of tumor to distal margin was 20(10-25)mm in 547 cases. There were 1 698 patients with specimen integrity records, which showed intact specimen in 1 436 cases, fair specimen in 233 cases, poor specimen in 8 cases, unevaluated specimen in 21 cases, and there were 20 cases with rectal tube perforation. Of the 1 761 patients, cases as pathological T0 stage, Tis stage, T1 stage, T2 stage, T3 stage, T4 stage was 103, 23, 145, 515, 712, 179, respectively, and there were 4 cases of pathology that could not be evaluated and 80 cases missing pathological T staging data. Of the 1 761 patients, cases as pathological N0 stage, N1a stage, N1b stage, N1c stage, N2a stage, N2b stage was 1 117, 189, 133, 66, 109, 68, respectively, and there were 79 cases missing pathological N staging data. Of the 1 761 patients, there were 79 cases with distant metastasis, 1 591 cases without distant metastasis, and 91 cases without data of tumor metastasis. Of the 873 patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy, there were 405 patients with tumor regression grade records including 105 cases as grade 1, 142 cases as grade 2, 91 cases as grade 3, 43 cases as grade 4, 24 cases as grade 5. Conclusions:In China, the quality of surgical specimens of taTME for rectal cancer is good with low positive rate of resection margin. It is recommended that using a formatted postoperative pathological report for good quality control of pathological report of surgical specimen.