Despite therapy with potent antiviral agents, chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients remain at high risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While metabolites have been rediscovered as active drivers of biological processes including carcinogenesis, the specific metabolites modulating HCC risk in CHB patients are largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that baseline plasma from CHB patients who later developed HCC during follow-up exhibits growth-promoting properties in a case-control design nested within a large-scale, prospective cohort. Metabolomics analysis reveals a reduction in long-chain acylcarnitines (LCACs) in the baseline plasma of patients with HCC development. LCACs preferentially inhibit the proliferation of HCC cells in vitro at a physiological concentration and prevent the occurrence of HCC in vivo without hepatorenal toxicity. Uptake and metabolism of circulating LCACs increase the intracellular level of acetyl coenzyme A, which upregulates histone H3 Lys14 acetylation at the promoter region of KLF6 gene and thereby activates KLF6/p21 pathway. Indeed, blocking LCAC metabolism attenuates the difference in KLF6/p21 expression induced by baseline plasma of HCC/non-HCC patients. The deficiency of circulating LCACs represents a driver of HCC in CHB patients with viral control. These insights provide a promising direction for developing therapeutic strategies to reduce HCC risk further in the antiviral era.

Objective:To develop a deep learning-based segmentation model for anterior segment ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) images to automatically segment the anterior segment tissues of patients with primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG).Methods:A single-center retrospective case series was conducted.A small-scale dataset comprised 468 UBM images of the anterior chamber angle closure from 156 patients with PACG who underwent the UBM examination at Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital between July 12, 2022, and February 20, 2023.The UBM images were randomly split into a training dataset of 228 images and a testing dataset of 152 images using a random seed method in a ratio of 6∶4.The models were trained using the PSPNet model with MobileNet V2 and ResNet50 as backbones, the DeepLab v3+ model with MobileNet V2 and Xception as backbones, and the SegFormer model with MiT-B0 and MiT-B2 as backbones.The testing dataset was used for result prediction and to achieve segmentation of four regions: the cornea and sclera, iris, ciliary body, and anterior lens surface.To evaluate the performance of the models in segmenting the anterior segment structures, multiple metrics were assessed, including the mean intersection over union (mIoU), Dice coefficient, precision, recall, false negative rate, and specificity.A comparative analysis of the test results across the different models was subsequently performed.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital (No.2023KY-05).Results:The two models with the best segmentation performance were PSPNet and DeepLab v3+ .The PSPNet model with ResNet50 as the backbone achieved the mIoU of 85.11%, Dice coefficient of 91.38%, precision of 91.83%, recall of 90.94%, false negative rate of 9.06%, and specificity of 98.89%.The DeepLab v3+ model with MobileNet V2 as the backbone achieved an mIoU of 85.84%, Dice coefficient of 92.01%, precision of 92.67%, recall of 91.36%, false negative rate of 8.64%, and specificity of 98.90%.Among the five key metrics, mIoU, Dice coefficient, recall, false negative rate, and specificity, DeepLab v3+ exhibited the best segmentation performance.In addition, the DeepLab v3+ model with Xception as the backbone had the highest precision among all models, reaching 92.77%.Conclusions:The deep learning-based DeepLab v3+ model achieves precise segmentation of anterior segment tissue structures in PACG anterior segment UBM image segmentation, providing auxiliary support for clinical diagnosis.

Peritoneal fibrosis(PF)is an important reason that restricts long-term treatment of peritoneal dialysis(PD).Based on the theory of collateral disease,PF is considered to be an abdominal collateral disease,with dampness as the main pathogenic factor,and collateral qi deficiency and stagnation,toxicity and blood stasis as the core pathogenesis.The peritoneum is chronically exposed to an inflammatory microenvironment induced by non-biocompatible peritoneal dialysis fluid,reflecting the pathogenic mechanism of dampness-induced pathology.The resultant pathological processes,including damage of peritoneal mesothelial cells,accumulation of inflammatory mediators and metabolic products,and angiogenesis—elucidate the scientific connotation of dampness impairing collaterals and inducing deficiency,toxicity,and stasis.On this basis,the treatment principles of invigorating qi,detoxifying,resolving stasis and unblocking collaterals were proposed,and the Qixue Huazheng prescription was formed with Astragalus as the main ingredient and Centella asiatica and Ligusticum wallichii as the compatibility,which provides a reference for the prevention and treatment of PD-relat-ed PF by traditional Chinese medicine.

Objective:To develop a deep learning-based segmentation model for anterior segment ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) images to automatically segment the anterior segment tissues of patients with primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG).Methods:A single-center retrospective case series was conducted.A small-scale dataset comprised 468 UBM images of the anterior chamber angle closure from 156 patients with PACG who underwent the UBM examination at Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital between July 12, 2022, and February 20, 2023.The UBM images were randomly split into a training dataset of 228 images and a testing dataset of 152 images using a random seed method in a ratio of 6∶4.The models were trained using the PSPNet model with MobileNet V2 and ResNet50 as backbones, the DeepLab v3+ model with MobileNet V2 and Xception as backbones, and the SegFormer model with MiT-B0 and MiT-B2 as backbones.The testing dataset was used for result prediction and to achieve segmentation of four regions: the cornea and sclera, iris, ciliary body, and anterior lens surface.To evaluate the performance of the models in segmenting the anterior segment structures, multiple metrics were assessed, including the mean intersection over union (mIoU), Dice coefficient, precision, recall, false negative rate, and specificity.A comparative analysis of the test results across the different models was subsequently performed.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital (No.2023KY-05).Results:The two models with the best segmentation performance were PSPNet and DeepLab v3+ .The PSPNet model with ResNet50 as the backbone achieved the mIoU of 85.11%, Dice coefficient of 91.38%, precision of 91.83%, recall of 90.94%, false negative rate of 9.06%, and specificity of 98.89%.The DeepLab v3+ model with MobileNet V2 as the backbone achieved an mIoU of 85.84%, Dice coefficient of 92.01%, precision of 92.67%, recall of 91.36%, false negative rate of 8.64%, and specificity of 98.90%.Among the five key metrics, mIoU, Dice coefficient, recall, false negative rate, and specificity, DeepLab v3+ exhibited the best segmentation performance.In addition, the DeepLab v3+ model with Xception as the backbone had the highest precision among all models, reaching 92.77%.Conclusions:The deep learning-based DeepLab v3+ model achieves precise segmentation of anterior segment tissue structures in PACG anterior segment UBM image segmentation, providing auxiliary support for clinical diagnosis.

Peritoneal fibrosis(PF)is an important reason that restricts long-term treatment of peritoneal dialysis(PD).Based on the theory of collateral disease,PF is considered to be an abdominal collateral disease,with dampness as the main pathogenic factor,and collateral qi deficiency and stagnation,toxicity and blood stasis as the core pathogenesis.The peritoneum is chronically exposed to an inflammatory microenvironment induced by non-biocompatible peritoneal dialysis fluid,reflecting the pathogenic mechanism of dampness-induced pathology.The resultant pathological processes,including damage of peritoneal mesothelial cells,accumulation of inflammatory mediators and metabolic products,and angiogenesis—elucidate the scientific connotation of dampness impairing collaterals and inducing deficiency,toxicity,and stasis.On this basis,the treatment principles of invigorating qi,detoxifying,resolving stasis and unblocking collaterals were proposed,and the Qixue Huazheng prescription was formed with Astragalus as the main ingredient and Centella asiatica and Ligusticum wallichii as the compatibility,which provides a reference for the prevention and treatment of PD-relat-ed PF by traditional Chinese medicine.

Objective To propose an improved YOLOv5s-based lesion area detection method for ophthalmic ultrasound images so as to solve the problems due to high complexity,difficult deployment and low accuracy of the model during ophthalmic ultrasound imaging detection and diagnosis.Methods Firstly,an ophthalmic ultrasound image dataset was established contai-ning Lhe images of stellate vitreous degeneration,retinal detachment,vitreous hemorrhage,posterior vitreous detachment and posterior scleral staphyloma.Secondly,a YOLOv5s-MobileNetV2 model was constructed based on YOLOv5s with the original backbone feature extraction network CSPDarkNet replaced by the lightweight network MobileNet.Thirdly,the model's performance in recognizing lesion areas in ophthalmic ultrasound images was evaluated by multi-category mean average precision(mAP),number of parameters and frames per second(FPS).Finally,the intelligent detection software for ophthalmic ultrasound images was designed based on PyQt5 library.Results The YOLOv5s-MobileNetV2 model had the mAP,number of parameters and FPS being 97.73％,4.61×106 and 47 f/s respectively,which gained advantages in timeliness over YOLOv5s by decreasing the mAP by 0.22％and the number of parameters by 34.98％.The developed intelligent detection software for ophthalmic ultrasound images behaved in human-computer interaction and clinical applicability of YOLOv5s-MobileNetV2 model.Conclusion The improved YOLOv5s-based lesion area detection method for ophthalmic ultrasound images meets clinical diagnosis requirements for ophthalmic diseases by involving in lightweight models and detecting lesion areas accurately.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(11):1-7]

Objective To explore the clinical manifestations,endoscopic findings,histopathological changes,treatment,and prognosis of eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease(EGID)in children,with the aim of enhancing awareness among pediatricians about this condition.Methods Data of 267 children with EGID were prospectively collected from January 2019 to July 2022 at Jiangxi Children's Hospital,Hunan Children's Hospital,and Henan Children's Hospital.The age of onset,symptoms,physical signs,laboratory examination results,endoscopic findings,histopathological changes,and treatment outcomes were observed.Results Among the 267 children with EGID,the majority had mild(164 cases,61.4% )or moderate(96 cases,35.6% )clinical severity.The disease occurred at any age,with a higher prevalence observed in school-age children(178 cases).The main symptoms in infants were vomiting and hematemesis,while in toddlers,vomiting and bloody stools were prominent.Abdominal pain and vomiting were the primary symptoms in preschool and school-age children.Nearly half(49.4% )of the affected children showed elevated platelet counts on hematological examination,but there was no significant difference in platelet counts among children with mild,moderate,and severe EGID(P>0.05).Endoscopic findings in EGID children did not reveal significant specificity,and histopathological examination showed no specific structural damage.Among them,85.0% (227 cases)received acid suppression therapy,34.5% (92 cases)practiced dietary avoidance,20.9% (56 cases)received anti-allergic medication,and a small proportion(24 cases,9.0% )were treated with prednisone.Clinical symptoms were relieved in all patients after treatment,but three cases with peptic ulcers experienced recurrence after drug discontinuation.Conclusions Mild and moderate EGID are more common in children,with no specific endoscopic findings.Dietary avoidance,acid suppression therapy,and anti-allergic medication are the main treatment methods.The prognosis of EGID is generally favorable in children.[Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics,2024,26(2):139-144]

Objective To analyze the molecular markers of various nuclei in the human basal ganglia and the differentially expressed genes(DEGs)among different nuclei,gender,and Parkinson's disease(PD),followed by the biological function annotations of the DEGs.Methods Forty-five specimens of basal ganglia from 10 human postmortem brains were divided into control and PD groups,and the control group was further categorized into female and male groups.RNA from each sample was extracted for high-throughput transcriptome sequencing.Bioinformatic analysis was conducted to identify molecular markers of each nuclei in the control group,nuclei-specific,gender-specific,and PD-specific DEGs,followed by gene enrichment analysis and functional annotation.Results Sequencing analysis revealed top DEGs such as DRD1,FOXG1,and FAM183A in the caudate;SLC6A3,EN1,SLC18A2,and TH in the substantia nigra;MEPE and FGF10 in the globus pallidus;and SLC17A6,PMCH,and SHOX2 in the subthalamic nucleus.In them,putamen showed some overlapping DEGs with caudate,such as DRD1 and FOXG1.A significant number of DEGs were identified among different nuclei in the control group,with the highest number between caudate and globus pallidus(9321),followed by putamen and globus pallidus(6341),caudate and substantia nigra(6054),and substantia nigra and subthalamic nucleus(44).Gene enrichment analysis showed that downregulated DEGs between caudate and globus pallidus were significantly enriched in processes like myelination of neurons and cell migration.Upregulated DEGs between putamen and globus pallidus were enriched processes like chemical synaptic transmission and regulation of membrane potential,while downregulated DEGs were enriched in myelination and cell adhesion.Upregulated DEGs between caudate and substantia nigra were enriched in processes like chemical synaptic transmission and axonal conduction,while downregulated DEGs were enriched in myelination of neurons.Totally 468,548,1402,333,and 341 gender-specific upregulated DEGs and 756,988,2532,444,and 1372 downregulated DEGs were identified in caudate,putamen,substantia nigra,globus pallidus,and subthalamus nucleus.Gene enrichment analysis revealed upregulated DEGs mostly enriched in pathways related to immune response and downregulated DEGs in chemical synaptic transmission.At last,709,852,276,507,and 416 PD-specific upregulated DEGs and 830,2014,1218,836,and 1730 downregulated DEGs were identified in caudate,putamen,substantia nigra,globus pallidus,and subthalamus nucleus.Gene enrichment analysis revealed upregulated DEGs mostly enriched in apoptotic regulation and downregulated DEGs in chemical synaptic transmission and action potential regulation.Conclusion We identified and analysed the molecular markers of different human basal ganglia nuclei,as well as DEGs among different nuclei,different gender,and between control and PD.

Objective:To introduce a surgical technique of " short distances and multi-segment" buried-guiding suture method and its effects in the surgery of early descent of prosthesis after augmentation mammaplasty.Methods:From August 2019 to January 2022, 15 cases of early descent of prosthesis after augmentation mammaplasty due to axillary approach breast augmentation for micromastia were admitted to the Plastic Surgery Department of Sichuan Provincial People′s Hospital, aged 23-35 years (27.3±3.6) and duration of dislocation from 16 to 35 days (23.8±5.8). There were 12 patients showed unilateral prosthesis drops and 3 patients showed bilateral prosthesis drops. " Short distances and multi-segment" buried-guiding suture method was used to solve the problem, i. e., 2-0 non-absorbable sutures were used to eliminate the lower pole of prosthetic cavity with " short distances and multi-segment" sutures. The distance from the nipple to the midline of the sternum, the distance from the sternotomy to the nipple, the distance from the nipple to the inframammary fold and the distance from the midclavicular point to the inframammary fold were measured bilaterally before and after surgery, and statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the efficacy of the " short distances and multi-segment" buried-guiding suture method for early descent of prosthesis after breast augmentation.Results:All incisions healed by first intention without complications such as hematoma, infection, or scar hyperplasia. 15 patients were followed up for 6-12 months (8.0±1.9). 14 patients were satisfied with the results after surgery, and 1 patient received satisfactory results after secondary surgery. The distance from nipple to inframammary fold was shortened by 0.8-1.4 cm after surgery (1.2±0.2), and the distance from mid-clavicle to inframammary fold was shortened by 1.0-1.6 cm (1.3±0.4), and the differences were statistically significant as compared with the values before surgery ( t=31.17, P<0.05; t=33.78, P<0.05). After surgery, the change in the distance from nipple to sternal was 0.1-0.3 cm (0.16±0.10), and the change in the distance from sternal notch to nipple was 0-0.2 cm (0.12±0.10), and the differences were not statistically significant ( P>0.05). Conclusions:With the advantages of simple operation, little trauma and no additional incision, the " short distance and multi-stage" buried-guiding suture method in the surgery of early descent of prosthesis after augmentation mammaplasty is worthy of clinical application.

Objective To investigate the safety and efficacy of novel bioabsorbable vascular scaffold(BVS)in the treatment of patients with complex coronary artery disease.Methods This was a retrospective,matched,single-center observational study.45 patients with coronary atherosclerotic cardiopathy received BVS treatment in the cardiovascular medicine department Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University from June 2020 to June 2021(BVS),and 45 patients treated with drug-eluting stents(DES)group were selected according to matching study requirements during the same period.Baseline,surgical,and follow-up data were compared between the two groups to evaluate safety and efficacy.The main measures of safety were:surgical time,intraoperative adverse events,etc.,and the end point of efficacy was target lesion failure(TLF),including cardiac death,target vessel myocardial infarction,and ischa-driven target lesion revascularization.Results A total of 90 patients were enrolled in this study,all of whom were followed up for at least 3 years.There were 20 cases of bifurcation lesions and 25 cases of diffuse long lesions in the two groups,and 50 cases of imaging were reviewed among the 90 patients.The proportion of stable coronary heart disease,history of diabetes,history of hypertension,history of smoking,pre-dilated balloon pressure and postoperative diastolic blood pressure in BVS group was higher than that in DES group,and the proportion of family history was lower than that in DES group(all P＜0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in the rates of cardiac death,target vessel myocardial infarction,and ischemia-driven revascularization of target lesions between the two groups(all P＞0.05).Binary Logistic regression model analysis showed that the diameter stenosis ratio of target lesions was an independent risk factor for intrastent restenosis(OR 2.786,95％CI 1.096-7.081,P=0.031).Conclusions Compared with traditional DES,BVS implantation has consistent safety and efficacy in the treatment of complex coronary artery disease within 3 years.The diameter stenosis ratio of target lesions was an independent risk factor for intrastent restenosis.