The vasculature plays a critical role in homeostasis and health as well as in the development and progression of a wide range of diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases (and their complications), chronic inflammatory diseases, ophthalmic diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases. As such, the growth of the vasculature mediates normal development and physiology, as well as disease, when pathologically induced vessels are morphologically and functionally altered owing to an imbalance of angiogenesis-stimulating and angiogenesis-inhibiting factors. This review offers an overview of the angiogenic process and discusses recent findings that provide additional interesting nuances to this process, including the roles of intussusception and angiovasculogenesis, which may hold promise for future therapeutic interventions. In addition, we review the methodology, including those of in vitro and in vivo assays, which has helped build the vast amount of knowledge on angiogenesis available today and identify important remaining knowledge gaps that should be bridged through future research.
Animals ; Signal Transduction/physiology* ; Humans ; Neovascularization, Pathologic/physiopathology* ; Neovascularization, Physiologic/physiology* ; Models, Animal ; Angiogenesis

Total knee arthroplasty(TKA)is mainly used for the treatment of advanced knee osteoarthritis.Accurate preoperative planning and rapid prosthesis recognition are essential for smooth operation and postoperative rehabilitation.However,manual prosthesis recognition rely on doctors'experience,easily leading to misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis.Recent years,artificial intelligence(AI)had been integrated with medical imaging,represented by machine learning(ML)and its branch deep learning(DL),and displayed relatively powerful auxiliary functions in TKA.The research status and application progresses of AI combined with imaging in TKA were reviewed in this article.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical outcomes of posterior approach vertebral column resection (VCR) osteotomy combined with titanium mesh bone-graft fusion and internal fixation for the treatment of special type stage IIIb Kummell disease.Methods:Twelve patients (3 males, 9 females) diagnosed with special type stage IIIb Kummell disease at Zhengzhou Orthopedics Hospital between October 2015 and June 2021 were enrolled. The mean age was 59.1±5.6 years (range, 53-67 years). All patients underwent VCR osteotomy, pedicle screw fixation, and posterior bone-graft fusion using titanium mesh. Preoperative and postoperative outcomes were assessed using visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores, American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grading, Cobb angle correction, and bone graft fusion rate. Intraoperative and postoperative complications were also recorded.Results:All surgeries were completed successfully. The average follow-up duration was 11.6±1.8 months (range, 10-13 months). Significant improvements were observed in VAS scores, ODI, JOA scores, and Cobb angles at both two weeks postoperatively and at the final follow-up ( P<0.05), with no significant differences between the two time points ( P>0.05). The final recovery rates were 79.5% for VAS score, 73.2% for ODI, 72.1% for JOA score, and 77.3% for Cobb angle correction. Neurological function showed marked improvement. One patient developed delayed incision healing due to fat liquefaction but recovered following physical therapy. The remaining 11 patients experienced uneventful wound healing without infection or internal fixation loosening. One patient developed postoperative deep venous thrombosis of the lower limbs, which resolved with drug therapy. Conclusion:Posterior approach VCR combined with titanium mesh bone-graft fusion and internal fixation provides an effective surgical option for stage IIIb Kummell disease characterized by fractured vertebral bodies with only the broken upper and lower endplates remaining.

Objective:To analyze the factors associated with non-radiographic bone erosion in gout pa-tients,to improve the understanding of bone erosion in gout,and to promote the early detection of bone erosion.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of gout patients treated at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital from January 2018 to January 2022.Bone erosion was detectable by ultra-sound but not detected by X-ray as non-radiographic bone erosion;no bone erosion was detected by both ultrasound and joint X-ray as undetected bone erosion.A case-control study was used,and the two groups were matched 1∶2 according to age and sex.The differences between the two groups were com-pared in terms of general information,joint involvement characteristics,laboratory indicators and compli-cations.In the univariate analysis,P＜0.1 was included in the multivariate analysis,and the conditional Logistic regression was used for the multivariate analysis.P＜0.05 was considered to have statistically significant differences.Results:Among the 41 patients with non-radiographic bone erosion,the top three joints with bone erosion before its occurrence were metatarsophalangeal joint(12 cases),ankle(10 ca-ses),and knee(7 cases).There were 82 patients undetected with bone erosion.There were no signifi-cant differences in general information between the two groups(P＞0.05),including age,gender,body mass index,and alcohol consumption history.The characteristics of affected joints in the non-radio-graphic bone erosion group were compared with those in the no bone erosion detected,and the former had more affected joints(P=0.02),and a higher proportion of patients with at least 3 attacks of gout per year(P＜0.001).There were no significant differences in serum uric acid,fasting blood glucose,cholesterol,triglycerides,low-density lipoprotein,high-density lipoprotein,creatinine,homocysteine,white blood cell count,and urine pH between the two groups(P＞0.05).The results of multivariate analysis showed that at least 3 flares of gout per year was an independent risk factor for radiologically negative bone erosion in patients with gout,with an OR(95％CI)of 5.139(1.529-17.271).Conclusion:At least 3 flares of gout per year predicts the occurrence of radiologically negative bone erosion,and these patients should be given more attention to achieving treatment targets.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of endoscopic treatment of superficial non-ampullary duodenal adenoma.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data and follow-up information of patients diagnosed with superficial duodenal non-ampullary adenomas via preoperative endoscopy and treated endoscopically at Peking University First Hospital between January 2013 and January 2024. The overall en bloc resection rate, complete resection rate of the lesion, perioperative complications, and recurrence rates were evaluated. Patients were categorized into three groups based on their treatment modality: endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR)（ n=46）, endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD)（ n=16）, and modified ESD (ESD with snare, ESD-S)（ n=24）. Comparative analyses were conducted to evaluate operative time, en bloc resection rate, and complete resection rate among the three groups. Results:Among 86 patients, the overall en bloc and complete resection rates were 87.2% (75/86) and 86.0% (74/86), respectively. No case of delayed bleeding was observed during the perioperative period. Intraoperative perforation occurred in two patients, both of whom improved following conservative management. Delayed perforation was noted in four patients, and three of them were successfully managed with surgical intervention, while one case was resolved after conservative treatment. During the follow-up period, local recurrence was identified in two patients. Following re-treatment with endoscopy and continuous surveillance, no further recurrence was observed. The operative times for the EMR group, ESD-S group, and ESD group were 4 (1-36) minutes, 25 (5-190) minutes, and 46 (5-150) minutes, respectively. Significant differences were observed in operative times among the three groups ( Hc=49.892, P<0.001). The en bloc resection rates for the EMR, ESD-S, and ESD groups were 80.4% (37/46), 91.7% (22/24), and 100.0% (16/16), respectively. The complete resection rates were 80.4% (37/46), 91.7% (22/24), and 93.8% (15/16) for the respective groups. Conclusion:Endoscopic treatment demonstrates favorable efficacy and safety for superficial non-ampullary duodenal adenoma. In addition to traditional EMR and ESD, ESD-S is also an effective procedure for endoscopic treatment of non-ampullary duodenal adenoma.

Objective To explore the CT and MR features of duodenal stromal tumors(DST).Methods The clinical,imaging and pathological data of patients with pancreaticoduodenal groove(PDG)mass detected by CT and/or MR,and pathologically diagnosed as DST were retrospectively analyzed.All imaging features were analyzed.Results Finally,all 11 patients were included,all of whom presented external mass in descending duodenum with clear boundary.There were 5 patients with irregular mass and 6 patients with circular mass.Two patients showed homogeneous mass on plain CT and MR imaging,while 9 patients presented heterogeneous mass(with varying degrees of calcification,hemorrhage,cystic degeneration,and necrosis),showed heterogeneous density on CT findings or high,low and iso signals on T1WI and T2WI without high signal on diffusion weighted imaging(DWI),and high enhancement on arterial phase,portal venous phase and delayed phase.There were no signs of air accumulation in all masses.Conclusion Stromal tumors commonly present external heterogeneous mass in descending duodenum with clear boundary.Familiarity with its predilection location and corresponding CT and MR findings are helpful for the qualitative diagnosis of DST.

Objective:To analyze the factors associated with non-radiographic bone erosion in gout pa-tients,to improve the understanding of bone erosion in gout,and to promote the early detection of bone erosion.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of gout patients treated at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital from January 2018 to January 2022.Bone erosion was detectable by ultra-sound but not detected by X-ray as non-radiographic bone erosion;no bone erosion was detected by both ultrasound and joint X-ray as undetected bone erosion.A case-control study was used,and the two groups were matched 1∶2 according to age and sex.The differences between the two groups were com-pared in terms of general information,joint involvement characteristics,laboratory indicators and compli-cations.In the univariate analysis,P＜0.1 was included in the multivariate analysis,and the conditional Logistic regression was used for the multivariate analysis.P＜0.05 was considered to have statistically significant differences.Results:Among the 41 patients with non-radiographic bone erosion,the top three joints with bone erosion before its occurrence were metatarsophalangeal joint(12 cases),ankle(10 ca-ses),and knee(7 cases).There were 82 patients undetected with bone erosion.There were no signifi-cant differences in general information between the two groups(P＞0.05),including age,gender,body mass index,and alcohol consumption history.The characteristics of affected joints in the non-radio-graphic bone erosion group were compared with those in the no bone erosion detected,and the former had more affected joints(P=0.02),and a higher proportion of patients with at least 3 attacks of gout per year(P＜0.001).There were no significant differences in serum uric acid,fasting blood glucose,cholesterol,triglycerides,low-density lipoprotein,high-density lipoprotein,creatinine,homocysteine,white blood cell count,and urine pH between the two groups(P＞0.05).The results of multivariate analysis showed that at least 3 flares of gout per year was an independent risk factor for radiologically negative bone erosion in patients with gout,with an OR(95％CI)of 5.139(1.529-17.271).Conclusion:At least 3 flares of gout per year predicts the occurrence of radiologically negative bone erosion,and these patients should be given more attention to achieving treatment targets.

Objective:To observe the effect of combining low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with melodic intonation therapy (MIT) in the treatment of aphasia soon after a stroke.Methods:Sixty survivors of a recent stroke with aphasia were randomly divided into a control group, an MIT group and an observation group, each of 20. All received conventional rehabilitation therapy, but for 4 weeks the MIT group was additionally given MIT while the observation group received MIT plus 1Hz rTMS applied over the right inferior frontal gyrus and the posterior superior temporal gyrus. The intensity was 80% of the resting motor threshold. Before and after the treatment, language function and communication ability were evaluated using the Chinese version of the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) and Communicative Activities of Daily Living (CADL) scale.Results:Significant improvements in the WAB and CADL scores and aphasia quotient (AQ) were observed in both the MIT group and the observation group after the treatment compared to their pre-treatment levels, but the observation group demonstrated significantly higher scores than the other two groups on all three assessments. The MIT group′s average scores were superior to those of the control group.Conclusions:Applying rTMS and MIT in combination significantly improves the speech and the daily communication abilities of aphasics early post-stroke, reducing the severity of their aphasia. The therapy exhibits considerable promise for clinical implementation.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical outcomes of posterior approach vertebral column resection (VCR) osteotomy combined with titanium mesh bone-graft fusion and internal fixation for the treatment of special type stage IIIb Kummell disease.Methods:Twelve patients (3 males, 9 females) diagnosed with special type stage IIIb Kummell disease at Zhengzhou Orthopedics Hospital between October 2015 and June 2021 were enrolled. The mean age was 59.1±5.6 years (range, 53-67 years). All patients underwent VCR osteotomy, pedicle screw fixation, and posterior bone-graft fusion using titanium mesh. Preoperative and postoperative outcomes were assessed using visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores, American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grading, Cobb angle correction, and bone graft fusion rate. Intraoperative and postoperative complications were also recorded.Results:All surgeries were completed successfully. The average follow-up duration was 11.6±1.8 months (range, 10-13 months). Significant improvements were observed in VAS scores, ODI, JOA scores, and Cobb angles at both two weeks postoperatively and at the final follow-up ( P<0.05), with no significant differences between the two time points ( P>0.05). The final recovery rates were 79.5% for VAS score, 73.2% for ODI, 72.1% for JOA score, and 77.3% for Cobb angle correction. Neurological function showed marked improvement. One patient developed delayed incision healing due to fat liquefaction but recovered following physical therapy. The remaining 11 patients experienced uneventful wound healing without infection or internal fixation loosening. One patient developed postoperative deep venous thrombosis of the lower limbs, which resolved with drug therapy. Conclusion:Posterior approach VCR combined with titanium mesh bone-graft fusion and internal fixation provides an effective surgical option for stage IIIb Kummell disease characterized by fractured vertebral bodies with only the broken upper and lower endplates remaining.

Objective:To observe the effect of combining low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with melodic intonation therapy (MIT) in the treatment of aphasia soon after a stroke.Methods:Sixty survivors of a recent stroke with aphasia were randomly divided into a control group, an MIT group and an observation group, each of 20. All received conventional rehabilitation therapy, but for 4 weeks the MIT group was additionally given MIT while the observation group received MIT plus 1Hz rTMS applied over the right inferior frontal gyrus and the posterior superior temporal gyrus. The intensity was 80% of the resting motor threshold. Before and after the treatment, language function and communication ability were evaluated using the Chinese version of the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) and Communicative Activities of Daily Living (CADL) scale.Results:Significant improvements in the WAB and CADL scores and aphasia quotient (AQ) were observed in both the MIT group and the observation group after the treatment compared to their pre-treatment levels, but the observation group demonstrated significantly higher scores than the other two groups on all three assessments. The MIT group′s average scores were superior to those of the control group.Conclusions:Applying rTMS and MIT in combination significantly improves the speech and the daily communication abilities of aphasics early post-stroke, reducing the severity of their aphasia. The therapy exhibits considerable promise for clinical implementation.