Objective To analyze the clinical efficacy of valve surgeries for infective endocarditis and the affecting factors, and compare the early- and long-term postoperative outcomes of different surgery approaches. Methods The patients with infective endocarditis who underwent valve replacement/valvuloplasty in our hospital from 2010 to 2022 were retrospectively collected. The clinical data of the patients were analyzed. Results A total of 343 patients were enrolled, including 197 patients with mechanical valve replacement, 62 patients with bioprosthetic valve replacement, and 84 patients with valvuloplasty. There were 238 males and 105 females with an average age of (44.2±14.8) years. Single-valve endocarditis was present in 200 (58.3%) patients, and multivalve involvement was present in 143 (41.7%) patients. Sixty (17.5%) patients had suffered thrombosis before surgery, including cerebral embolisms in 32 patients. The mean follow-up time was (60.6±43.8) months. Early mortality within one month after the surgery occurred in 17 (5.0%) patients, while later mortality occurred in 19 (5.5%) patients. Eight (2.3%) patients underwent postoperative dialysis, 13 (3.8%) patients suffered postoperative stroke, 6 patients underwent reoperation, and 3 patients suffered recurrence of infective endocarditis. Smoking (P=0.002), preoperative embolisms (P=0.001), duration of surgery (P=0.001), and postoperative dialysis (P=0.001) were risk factors for early mortality, and left ventricular ejection fraction ≥60% (P=0.022) was protective factor for early mortality. New York Heart Association classification Ⅲ-Ⅳ (P=0.010) and ≥3 valve procedures (P=0.028) were risk factors for late mortality. The rate of composite endpoint events was significantly lower in the valvuloplasty group than that in the valve replacement group. Conclusion For patients with infective endocarditis, smoking and preoperative embolisms are associated with high postoperative mortality, multiple-valve surgery is associated with a poorer prognosis, and valvuloplasty has advantages over valve replacement and should be attempted in the surgical management of patients with infective endocarditis.

Objective:To explore the correlation between peripheral blood B cell count and clinical features and prognosis of patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL).Methods:The relationship of peripheral blood B cell count with clinical features,laboratory indexes and prognosis in 67 patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL was retrospectively analyzed.Results:Patients were divided into low B-cell count group(B cell＜0.1 × 109/L,n=34)and high B-cell count group(B cell≥0.1 × 109/L,n=33)according to the median B cell count values.Compared with the high B cell count group,the low B cell count group had a higher proportion of patients with Lugano stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ,elevated LDH,elevated β2-MG and IPI score 3-5 and increased CRP(P=0.033,0.000,0.023,0.001,0.033).The peripheral CD3+and CD4+cell counts of patients in the low B cell count group were significantly lower than those in the high B cell count group(P=0.010,0.017).After initial treatment,overall response rate(ORR)and complete remission(CR)rate in high B cell count group were significantly higher than those in low B cell count group(P=0.032,0.013).The median follow-up time of patients was 23(2-77)months,progression-free survival(PFS)and overall survival(OS)of patients in the high B cell count group were significantly better than those in the low B cell count group(P=0.001,0.002).Univariate analysis showed that pretreatment low B cell count in the peripheral blood was associated with shortened PFS and OS(HR=4.108,P=0.002;HR=8.218,P=0.006).Multivariate analysis showed that low B cell count was an independent prognostic factor for shortened PFS(HR=3.116,P=0.037).Conclusion:Decreased peripheral blood B cell count in newly diagnosed DLBCL patients is associated with high-risk clinical features and may affect the efficacy of immunochemotherapy,which is associated with poor clinical prognosis.

Objective:To analyze the genes related to platelet activation in essential thrombocythemia (ET)based on transcriptome sequencing technology (RNA-seq ),and to explore the potential targets related to ET thrombosis. Methods:Blood samples from ET patients and healthy individuals were collected for RNA-seq,and differentially expressed lncRNAs,miRNAs,and mRNAs were selected to construct a lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network. Differential mRNAs in the regulatory network were enriched and analyzed using Gene Ontology (GO ) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG).The real-time PCR method was applied to validate differential mRNAs on crucial signaling pathways.Results:A total of 32 lncRNAs (3 up-regulated,29 down-regulated),16 miRNAs (8 up-regulated,8 down-regulated),and 35 mRNAs (27 up-regulated,8 down-regulated)were identified as differentially expressed.Among them,5 lncRNAs,12 miRNAs,and 19 mRNAs constituted the regulatory network.KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the differential mRNAs were related to the platelet activation signaling pathway,and there were 6 differential mRNAs related to platelet activation,namely F2R,ITGA2B,ITGB1,ITGB3,PTGS1,and GP1 BB,which were all up-regulated in their expression.RT-PCR results showed that the expression of five mRNAs including F2R,ITGA2B,ITGB1,ITGB3,and GP1BB were upregulated in ET patients compared with healthy subjects,and consistent with RNA-seq results,while PTGS1 expression was not significantly different.Conclusion:Differential mRNAs in ET patients are related to the platelet activation pathway,and F2R,ITGA2B,ITGB1,ITGB3,and GP1BB mRNAs may serve as novel targets associated with platelet activation in ET.

Objective:To analyze the safety and efficacy of ultrasound-guided percutaneous thermal ablation treatment for multiple T1N0M0 papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC)with over 5 years follow-up.Methods:From January 2014 to January 2019,a retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with multiple T1N0M0 PTC who underwent ultrasound-guided thermal ablation.Patients with bilateral or unilateral lobes with isthmus PTC were enrolled in this study and were followed up at 1,3,6,12,24,36,48,and 60 months after ablation.The clinical data,ultrasound characteristics and ablation parameters of recurrent and non-recurrent patients were compared,and the efficacy and influencing factors of thermal ablation for multiple T1N0M0 PTC were analyzed.Results:After over 5 years follow-up,a total of 11 patients(16.18％)relapsed,57 patients(83.82％)did not re-lapse.No lymph node and distant metastasis were found.No significant correlation was detected between the recurrence and clinical features,ultrasound findings and ablation parameters(P＞0.05).Among the patients with recurrence,1 patient underwent observation,2 patients underwent total thyroidectomy,and the other 8 patients successfully underwent secondary ablation,all of which had no obvious adverse reactions.Conclusion:The ablation of multiple PTC in T1N0M0 stage is safe and effective,with a recurrence rate of 16.18％over 5 years follow-up,and ablation has no effect on second treatment for recurrent patients.

Objective: There is controversy among different guidelines regarding the use of thermal ablation to treat clinical T1a renal cell carcinomas with tumor sizes ranging from 3.1–4 cm. Therefore, we compared oncological outcomes between heat-based thermal ablation (hTA) and cryoablation (CA) in patients with solid T1a renal cell carcinomas, including those with a tumor size ≤3 cm and a tumor size of 3.1–4 cm. Materials and Methods: Within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (2000–2019), we identified patients with clinical T1a renal cell carcinomas that were histologically confirmed and treated with hTA or CA. After propensity score matching using a 1:1 ratio, the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were estimated and compared between the two methods. Cancer-specific mortality (CSM) was also analyzed, considering other-cause mortality as a competing risk. Results: Of the 3513 assessable patients, 1426 (40.6%) and 2087 (59.4%) were treated with hTA and CA, respectively. After propensity score matching, the hTA and CA groups included 1393 and 1393 patients, respectively. hTA was associated with shorter OS than CA with a hazard ratio of 1.17 (95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.32; P = 0.010). The hTA and CA groups did not reveal statistically significant differences in CSS with a hazard ratio of 1.07 (95% confidence interval, 0.76–1.50; P = 0.706). The hTA and CA groups did not show statistically significant differences in CSM (P = 0.849). However, the hTA group showed a significantly higher other-cause mortality (P = 0.011). Conclusion In patients with clinical stage T1a renal cell carcinomas, hTA was comparable to CA in terms of CSS and CSM.However, hTA resulted in a slightly shorter OS than CA. Large-scale randomized clinical trials are required to obtain more robust evidence.

Objective:To investigate the clinical features and therapeutic efficacy of patients with hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell carcinoma(RCC) syndrome-associated RCC (HLRCC-RCC) in China.Methods:The clinical data of 119 HLRCC-RCC patients with fumarate hydratase (FH) germline mutation confirmed by genetic diagnosis from 15 medical centers nationwide from January 2008 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 73 were male and 46 were female. The median age was 38(13, 74) years. The median tumor diameter was 6.5 (1.0, 20.5) cm. There were 38 cases (31.9%) in stage Ⅰ-Ⅱand 81 cases (68.1%) in stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ. In this group, only 11 of 119 HLRCC-RCC patients presented with skin smooth muscle tumors, and 44 of 46 female HLRCC-RCC patients had a history of uterine fibroids. The pathological characteristics, treatment methods, prognosis and survival of the patients were summarized.Results:A total of 86 patients underwent surgical treatment, including 70 cases of radical nephrectomy, 5 cases of partial nephrectomy, and 11 cases of reductive nephrectomy. The other 33 patients with newly diagnosed metastasis underwent renal puncture biopsy. The results of genetic testing showed that 94 patients had FH gene point mutation, 18 had FH gene insertion/deletion mutation, 4 had FH gene splicing mutation, 2 had FH gene large fragment deletion and 1 had FH gene copy number mutation. Immunohistochemical staining showed strong 2-succinocysteine (2-SC) positive and FH negative in 113 patients. A total of 102 patients received systematic treatment, including 44 newly diagnosed patients with metastasis and 58 patients with postoperative metastasis. Among them, 33 patients were treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) combined with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI), 8 patients were treated with bevacizumab combined with erlotinib, and 61 patients were treated with TKI monotherapy. Survival analysis showed that the median progression-free survival (PFS) of TKI combined with ICI was 18 (5, 38) months, and the median overall survival (OS) was not reached. The median PFS and OS were 12 (5, 14) months and 30 (10, 32) months in the bevacizumab combined with erlotinib treatment group, respectively. The median PFS and OS were 10 (3, 64) months and 44 (10, 74) months in the TKI monotherapy group, respectively. PFS ( P=0.009) and OS ( P=0.006) in TKI combined with ICI group were better than those in bevacizumab combined with erlotinib group. The median PFS ( P=0.003) and median OS ( P=0.028) in TKI combined with ICI group were better than those in TKI monotherapy group. Conclusions:HLRCC-RCC is rare but has a high degree of malignancy, poor prognosis and familial genetic characteristics. Immunohistochemical staining with strong positive 2-SC and negative FH can provide an important basis for clinical diagnosis. Genetic detection of FH gene germ line mutation can confirm the diagnosis. The preliminary study results confirmed that TKI combined with ICI had a good clinical effect, but it needs to be confirmed by the results of a large sample multi-center randomized controlled clinical study.

Objective:To explore the effect of combining hand-brain perception training with hand-brain motor training based on mirror neuron theory on the recovery of upper limb function after a stroke.Methods:A group of 105 stroke survivors with upper limb dysfunction were randomly divided into a hand-brain perception (HP) group, a hand-brain motor (HM) group, and a combination (C) group, each of 35. In addition to conventional rehabilitation treatment (including exercise therapy, occupational therapy and physical factor therapy), the HP and HM groups were given hand-brain perception training and hand-brain motor training respectively, while group C was provided with both. Before the intervention and after 4 weeks, the upper limb motor functioning of all of the participants was assessed using the simplified version of the Fugl-Meyer upper limb motor function scale (FMA-UE). Sensory functioning was quantified using the tactile Semmes Weinstein monofilament examination (SWME), and the modified Barthel index (MBI) was used to quantify the participants′ ability in the activities of daily living.Results:After the intervention the average FMA-UE, MBI and SWME scores of all three groups had improved significantly, with group C′s average FMA-UE and MBI scores significantly better than the other two groups′ averages. The average SWME score of group C was then significantly better than that of group HM.Conclusions:Hand-brain perception combined with hand-brain motor training based on mirror neuron theory can further promote the recovery of upper limb sensory and motor functioning of stroke survivors., Such therapy is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

Objective: There is controversy among different guidelines regarding the use of thermal ablation to treat clinical T1a renal cell carcinomas with tumor sizes ranging from 3.1–4 cm. Therefore, we compared oncological outcomes between heat-based thermal ablation (hTA) and cryoablation (CA) in patients with solid T1a renal cell carcinomas, including those with a tumor size ≤3 cm and a tumor size of 3.1–4 cm. Materials and Methods: Within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (2000–2019), we identified patients with clinical T1a renal cell carcinomas that were histologically confirmed and treated with hTA or CA. After propensity score matching using a 1:1 ratio, the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were estimated and compared between the two methods. Cancer-specific mortality (CSM) was also analyzed, considering other-cause mortality as a competing risk. Results: Of the 3513 assessable patients, 1426 (40.6%) and 2087 (59.4%) were treated with hTA and CA, respectively. After propensity score matching, the hTA and CA groups included 1393 and 1393 patients, respectively. hTA was associated with shorter OS than CA with a hazard ratio of 1.17 (95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.32; P = 0.010). The hTA and CA groups did not reveal statistically significant differences in CSS with a hazard ratio of 1.07 (95% confidence interval, 0.76–1.50; P = 0.706). The hTA and CA groups did not show statistically significant differences in CSM (P = 0.849). However, the hTA group showed a significantly higher other-cause mortality (P = 0.011). Conclusion In patients with clinical stage T1a renal cell carcinomas, hTA was comparable to CA in terms of CSS and CSM.However, hTA resulted in a slightly shorter OS than CA. Large-scale randomized clinical trials are required to obtain more robust evidence.

Objective: There is controversy among different guidelines regarding the use of thermal ablation to treat clinical T1a renal cell carcinomas with tumor sizes ranging from 3.1–4 cm. Therefore, we compared oncological outcomes between heat-based thermal ablation (hTA) and cryoablation (CA) in patients with solid T1a renal cell carcinomas, including those with a tumor size ≤3 cm and a tumor size of 3.1–4 cm. Materials and Methods: Within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (2000–2019), we identified patients with clinical T1a renal cell carcinomas that were histologically confirmed and treated with hTA or CA. After propensity score matching using a 1:1 ratio, the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were estimated and compared between the two methods. Cancer-specific mortality (CSM) was also analyzed, considering other-cause mortality as a competing risk. Results: Of the 3513 assessable patients, 1426 (40.6%) and 2087 (59.4%) were treated with hTA and CA, respectively. After propensity score matching, the hTA and CA groups included 1393 and 1393 patients, respectively. hTA was associated with shorter OS than CA with a hazard ratio of 1.17 (95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.32; P = 0.010). The hTA and CA groups did not reveal statistically significant differences in CSS with a hazard ratio of 1.07 (95% confidence interval, 0.76–1.50; P = 0.706). The hTA and CA groups did not show statistically significant differences in CSM (P = 0.849). However, the hTA group showed a significantly higher other-cause mortality (P = 0.011). Conclusion In patients with clinical stage T1a renal cell carcinomas, hTA was comparable to CA in terms of CSS and CSM.However, hTA resulted in a slightly shorter OS than CA. Large-scale randomized clinical trials are required to obtain more robust evidence.

Objective To construct a risk prediction model for healthcare-associated infection(HAI)in stroke pa-tients,accurately and effectively screen out potential high-risk groups,and formulate targeted preventive interven-tions to reduce the occurrence of infection.Methods Stroke patients in the"Henan Stroke Cohort"in 2019-2021 were selected as the study objects,and relevant clinical data were collected as the main analysis data for model con-struction and internal validation.The relevant data of stroke patients in three hospitals that had never participated in the cohort construction from January to September 2022 were randomly selected as a test set for external validation of the risk prediction model.The main analysis data were randomly divided into a training set and a test set,and a risk prediction model was constructed based on logistic regression,artificial neural network(ANN)algorithm,extreme gradient boosting algorithm and random forest algorithm,respectively.Multiple indicators were used to evaluate the prediction performance of the model,and the optimal model was externally validated based on the test set data.Results The infection rate of stroke patients was 20.6％in the main analysis data and 56.4％in the test set data.The accuracy of the risk prediction model based on logistic regression was 91.2％,the area under the re-ceiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve(AUC)was 0.938,the precision rate,recall rate,specificity,and the F1 score were 0.851,0.695,0.968,and 0.765,respectively.The accuracy rate,precision rate,specificity and AUC of the logistic risk prediction model and the ANN risk prediction model were all significantly better than other models,while the recall rate and F1 score of the logistic risk prediction model were slightly better than the ANN risk prediction model.The logistic risk prediction model had excellent prediction performance in external validation.Conclusion HAI risk prediction model of stroke patients based on logistic regression can better screen out high-risk stroke patients with infection risk,and can contribute to formulate targeted preventive interventions to reduce the occurrence of infection.