Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of CT-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) as an alternative for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in treating multiple pulmonary nodules. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 113 patients with multiple pulmonary nodules admitted to Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from October 2020 to October 2022. The patients were divided into the RFA group (n＝50) and the VATS group (n＝63) based on the treatment method. Perioperative indicators (operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative length of hospital stay), oncological outcomes (recurrence-free survival [RFS], overall survival [OS]), and postoperative complication rates were compared between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to identify independent prognostic factors. Results The operation time in the RFA group was significantly shorter than that in the VATS group ([75.2±20.1] min vs [102.3±28.7]) min, P＜0.001). No statistically significant differences were observed in intraoperative blood loss and postoperative length of hospital stay. After follow-up of 24 (12, 30) months, no statistically significant differences were found in RFS (HR＝1.25, P＝0.445) or OS (HR＝1.42, P＝0.402) between the two groups. Mixed ground-glass nodules with high solid component and solid nodule were identified as independent risk factors for RFS (HR＝2.44, P＝0.023; HR＝2.97, P＝0.007) and OS (HR＝2.87, P＝0.022; HR＝3.43, P＝0.005) in patients with multiple pulmonary nodules. The total complication rate in the RFA group was lower than that in the VATS group (12.0% vs 34.9%, P＝0.009). Conclusions The efficacy of CT-guided RFA in treating multiple pulmonary nodules is comparable to that of VATS, with good safety, and it shows promise as an alternative to surgical treatment for multiple pulmonary nodules.

Objective: To explore whether the long-term and frequent use of citrate anticoagulants negatively affects the bone metabolism balance of female frequent plateletpheresis donors, so as to better protect their health. Methods: A total of 65 female plateletpheresis donors and 55 female whole-blood donors from Guangzhou Blood Center (May to December 2024) were enrolled as experimental and control groups respectively, stratified into age subgroups (18-39 years and 40-60 years). Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide (PINP), osteocalcin (OC), and type I collagen carboxy-terminal telopeptide (CTX) were measured. Differences in bone metabolism markers between experimental and control groups across age subgroups were compared. ANOVA was used to analyze dose-response relationships between donation age, annual apheresis donation frequency, and biochemical indicators. Results: In the 40-60 age subgroup, 25(OH)D levels were significantly lower in the experimental group (P<0.05), exhibiting a linear increase with age and a linear decrease with annual donation frequency. No significant differences in CTX or PINP levels were observed between experimental and control groups in either age subgroup. Conclusion: High-frequency plateletpheresis donation does not disrupt bone metabolic balance in female donors. However, it is associated with reduced vitamin D levels in female donors aged >40 years, potentially increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Vitamin D supplementation is recommended for high-frequency female plateletpheresis donors in this age group.

Machado-Joseph disease, or spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), represents the most common autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia worldwide. Despite its progressive and debilitating nature, disease-modifying therapies remain elusive. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has emerged as a promising non-invasive intervention; however, its clinical application has been hindered by inconsistent protocols and a lack of mechanistic understanding. A recent landmark study published in Brain Stimulation by Chen et al. addressed these challenges by combining a high-dose intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) protocol with concurrent transcranial magnetic stimulation-electroencephalography (TMS-EEG). This commentary provides an in-depth analysis of their findings, highlighting the restoration of cerebello-cortical inhibition (CBI) as a key therapeutic mechanism. Furthermore, we discuss the broader implications of this work, proposing that future translational research should integrate accelerated iTBS (aiTBS) paradigms, cortical response measurements (CRM), and individualized neuro-navigation to establish a new era of precision neuromodulation for ataxia.

Machado-Joseph disease, or spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), represents the most common autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia worldwide. Despite its progressive and debilitating nature, disease-modifying therapies remain elusive. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has emerged as a promising non-invasive intervention; however, its clinical application has been hindered by inconsistent protocols and a lack of mechanistic understanding. A recent landmark study published in Brain Stimulation by Chen et al. addressed these challenges by combining a high-dose intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) protocol with concurrent transcranial magnetic stimulation-electroencephalography (TMS-EEG). This commentary provides an in-depth analysis of their findings, highlighting the restoration of cerebello-cortical inhibition (CBI) as a key therapeutic mechanism. Furthermore, we discuss the broader implications of this work, proposing that future translational research should integrate accelerated iTBS (aiTBS) paradigms, cortical response measurements (CRM), and individualized neuro-navigation to establish a new era of precision neuromodulation for ataxia.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of modified Xiaoyaosan （JJXYS） on behavioral abnormalities and hippocampal mitochondrial quality control （MQC） in the rat model of post-myocardial infarction depression （PMD） and preliminarily explore its potential mechanism. MethodsA rat model of PMD was established by left anterior descending coronary artery ligation combined with chronic unpredictable mild stress （CUMS）. Rats were randomized into a control group， a model group， a fluoxetine （FLX， 10 mg·kg^-1） group， and low-， medium-， and high-dose JJXYS （JJXYS-L/M/H， 1.12， 2.24， 4.48 g·kg^-1， respectively） groups. Depressive-like behaviors were evaluated by body weight monitoring， sucrose preference test， open field test， and forced swimming test. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and Nissl staining were used to observe hippocampal histomorphology and neuronal changes. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was conducted to determine the serum levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， dopamine （DA）， interleukin-1 beta （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor-alpha （TNF-α）. The mRNA levels of MQC-related genes including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1 alpha （PGC-1α）， nuclear respiratory factor 1 （Nrf1）， and transcription factor A， mitochondrial （TFAM） in the hippocampal tissue were measured by real-time PCR. The expression of proteins related to the dynamin-related protein 1 （Drp1）/PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 （PINK1）/Parkin signaling pathway was determined by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the control group， the model group showed restricted body weight gain， aggravated depressive-like behaviors， declined serum 5-HT and DA levels， evident hippocampal neuronal damage and reduced Nissl bodies， as well as downregulated expression of MQC-related genes and proteins （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， both FLX and JJXYS alleviated the above changes to varying degrees. Moreover， the JJXYS-M and JJXYS-H groups showed more pronounced effects， improving behavioral performance， restoring 5-HT and DA levels， alleviating hippocampal pathological injury， and upregulating the expression of PGC-1α/Nrf1/TFAM mRNA and Drp1/PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway-related proteins （P<0.05）. ConclusionJJXYS can significantly alleviate depressive-like behaviors and neurotransmitter imbalance in the rat model of PMD by regulating hippocampal MQC and upregulating the Drp1/PINK1/Parkin-related pathway. This study provides experimental evidence for the intervention of PMD with JJXYS.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of sex on phenotypic stability in mouse models of chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) induced by cyclophosphamide (CYP) or paclitaxel (PTX), and to explore potential mechanisms underlying phenotypic heterogeneity in female mice. MethodsTwenty-eight wild-type specific pathogen-free (SPF) C57BL/6J mice (half male and half female) aged 6-8 weeks were selected for synchronous back hair removal. On the 9th day after hair removal (T0), the mice were randomly divided into a wild-type female CYP group, a wild-type male CYP group, a female negative control group and a male negative control group. Mice in the CYP groups were intraperitoneally injected with a single dose of 120 mg/kg CYP, and mice in the negative control groups were intraperitoneally injected with the same volume of normal saline. Subsequently, the phenotypic changes of the CIA model induced by CYP were continuously observed and photographed. Eleven 6-week-old SPF female C57BL/6J mice underwent bilateral ovariectomy (OVX group). Following successful surgery, these mice and five XY (Sry⁻) mice bred from Four Core Genotypes breeding stock were used to establish the chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) model using the same protocol. Serum was collected from mice in the OVX group, wild-type female CYP group, and wild-type male CYP group on T7 after CYP administration for steroid hormone analysis by mass spectrometry to evaluate the effects of gonadal estrogen and sex chromosome background changes on the stability of the CYP-induced female alopecic phenotype. Finally, twenty SPF C57BL/6J mice aged 6-8 weeks (half male and half female) were randomly divided into a PTX low-dose group and a PTX high-dose group. On the 9th day after simultaneous hair removal, PTX was injected intraperitoneally at a single dose of 80 mg/kg or 120 mg/kg, respectively. Mice from the PTX low-dose group and the PTX high-dose group were continuously observed and photographed to compare the intra-group consistency of the phenotypes of female and male mice. Six SPF C57BL/6J mice (half male and half female) aged 6-8 weeks were used to repeat the construction method of the PTX low-dose group, and the hair follicle histological examination was performed at T0, T4, T7, T14 and T21, respectively, to observe the damage caused by PTX to hair follicle regeneration. ResultsThe phenotypes of CYP-induced male CIA mice are stable and reproducible. There are obvious individual differences in the alopecia phenotype in the CYP-induced female CIA model mice, which may be mainly caused by the differences in the relevant estrogens in the estrous cycle. The difference between OVX+CYP group and XY (Sry⁻) +CYP group disappeared, suggesting that ovarian-derived hormones and XY (Sry⁻) sex chromosome background may be involved in the formation of phenotypic heterogeneity of CYP-induced alopecia in female mice. The mice in the high-dose PTX group and the low-dose PTX group showed a relatively consistent alopecia and regrowth process, and there was no significant sex difference. ConclusionCYP-induced CIA is strongly influenced by sex, and ovariectomy or alteration of the sex chromosome background can improve the consistency of CYP-induced alopecic phenotypes in female mice. PTX-induced CIA shows good phenotypic consistency in both female and male mice, indicating broad applicability across sexes. Taken together, the choice of animal sex in CIA model construction, mechanistic studies, and evaluation of anti-alopecia interventions should take into account the type of chemotherapeutic agent, the study objective, and the required degree of phenotypic stability. Sex should therefore be considered an important variable in model standardization and interpretation of experimental findings.

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy of Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) and traditional Posterior Spinal Fusion (PSF) in treating children with paralytic scoliosis with pelvic obliquity (PSPO) following spinal cord injury.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 25 patients with PSPO who underwent surgical treatment at the Drum Tower Hospital affiliated with Nanjing University Medical School from January 2017 to June 2023. The cohort included 4 males and 21 females, aged 12.3±2.8 years (range 9-14 years). Patients were divided into the MIS group (12 cases) and the PSF group (13 cases). Radiological parameters were measured preoperatively, postoperatively, and at the last follow-up. Surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative blood transfusion volume, length of hospital stay, total hospitalization costs, and complications were recorded. The Scoliosis Research Society questionnaires-22 (SRS-22) Chinese version were used to assess patient satisfaction and efficacy.Results:There were no statistically significant differences between the MIS and PSF groups in age, gender, Risser sign, preoperative Cobb angle for scoliosis, pelvic tilt angle, or local kyphosis angle ( P>0.05). The MIS group demonstrated surgical time of 176±30 minutes, intraoperative blood loss of 300±70 ml, blood transfusion volume of 280±175 ml, and total hospitalization costs of 87'800± 13'300 yuan, all of which were lower than PSF group, with values of 280±91 minutes, 1'433±116 ml, 1'351±996 ml, and 14'8400±26'100 yuan, respectively. These differences were statistically significant ( t=3.789, P=0.001; t=29.328, P<0.001; t=3.667, P=0.001; t=7.271, P<0.001). In the MIS group, preoperative, postoperative, and last follow-up Cobb angles were 79.11°±6.74°, 35.86°±4.98°, and 36.27°±4.84° respectively; pelvic tilt angles were 24.79°±5.58°, 9.18°±3.32°, and 8.79°±2.94°; local kyphosis angles were 38.84°±4.18°, 12.96°±4.87°, and 11.43°±6.08°, respectively. Postoperative and last follow-up angles were significantly reduced compared to preoperative values, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). In the PSF group, preoperative, postoperative, and last follow-up Cobb angles were 82.06°±9.26°, 34.75°±5.14°, and 35.15°±5.04° respectively; pelvic tilt angles were 26.60°±6.21°, 10.12°±3.21°, and 9.91°±2.97°; local kyphosis angles were 40.92°±7.04°, 10.92°±7.26°, and 14.02°±5.58°, respectively. Differences from preoperative to postoperative measurements were statistically significant ( P<0.05). At the last follow-up, both groups showed no significant loss of scoliosis correction, and there were no statistically significant differences between the groups postoperatively or at the last follow-up ( P>0.05). In the MIS group, one case of superficial surgical site infection and one case of postoperative atelectasis occurred. In the PSF group, two cases of deep surgical site infection, one case of poor screw placement, and two cases were transferred to the ICU postoperatively due to excessive intraoperative bleeding. Preoperative SRS-22 total scores were 2.0±0.6 for PSF and 2.1±0.4 for MIS. Postoperative SRS-22 total scores (excluding satisfaction) were 3.0±0.5 for PSF and 2.9±0.3 for MIS. The within-group differences from preoperative to postoperative were statistically significant ( P<0.05), while the between-group differences from preoperative to postoperative were not statistically significant ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Compared to the PSF technique, MIS can shorten surgery time, reduce intraoperative blood loss and perioperative complications, and decrease hospitalization costs. MIS can achieve similar early clinical efficacy.

Objective:To evaluate the relationship between postoperative changes in femoral head coverage (FHC) after S 2-Alar-Iliac (S 2AI) screw fixation and the development of sagittal imbalance during follow-up in patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD), providing insights for clinical assessment and treatment strategies. Methods:A consecutive cohort of 98 ASD patients who underwent S2AI fixation between September 2019 and September 2021 was retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups based on changes in femoral head coverage (ΔFHC): the FHC-C group (upper quartile ΔFHC, 25 cases) and the FHC-NC group (lower quartile ΔFHC, 24 cases). Additionally, patients were classified into proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) and non-PJK groups based on their clinical outcomes at the last follow-up. Standing full-spine anteroposterior and lateral X-rays were taken preoperatively, postoperatively, and at the two-year follow-up to measure and document the following spinal parameters: Cobb angle, proximal lumbar lordosis (PLL), distal lumbar lordosis (DLL), lumbar lordosis (LL), lordosis distribution index (LDI), sagittal vertical axis (SVA), coronal balance distance (CBD), thoracic kyphosis (TK), T 1 pelvic angle (T 1PA), pelvic incidence (PI), pelvic tilt (PT), sacral slope (SS), PI-LL, and proximal junctional angle (PJA). Parameters related to hip joint coverage included: femoral head coverage (FHC), lateral center-edge angle (LCE angle), acetabular index (AI), Sharp angle, and extrusion index (EI). Comparisons of radiographic indicators between the two groups were performed at preoperative, postoperative, and final follow-up assessments. The visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the hip pain and back pain. Results:At final follow-up, the incidence of PJK was significantly higher in the FHC-NC group [37.5% (9/24)] compared to the FHC-C group [16.0% (4/25)] (χ 2=3.952, P=0.042). Moreover, the increase in sagittal vertical axis (ΔSVA) was significantly greater in the FHC-NC group (35.9±44.7 mm vs. 14.6±31.8 mm, t=2.216, P=0.031). Patients with PJK had significantly higher preoperative T 1PA (36.8°±10.8° vs. 31.9°±18.4°, t=2.150, P=0.034) and lower immediate postoperative ΔFHC (1.7%±1.5% vs. 3.3%±2.5%, t=2.987, P=0.004), as well as lower changes in lateral center-edge angle during follow-up (0.3°±3.0° vs. 1.1°±8.9°, t=2.334, P=0.022). Pearson correlation analysis revealed significant negative correlations between postoperative ΔFHC and both ΔSVA ( r=-0.374, P=0.008) and proximal junctional angle changes (ΔPJA, r=-0.429, P=0.006). Additionally, increases in VAS leg pain scores correlated negatively with immediate postoperative FHC ( r=-0.314, P=0.025) and ΔFHC ( r=-0.298, P=0.031). Logistic regression indicated that immediate postoperative ΔFHC was a protective factor against PJK [ OR=0.722, 95% CI (0.541, 0.963), P=0.009), with a ROC-determined optimal ΔFHC cut-off of 3.90% (AUC=0.723, Youden index=0.847). Conclusions:Postoperative evaluation of femoral head coverage is clinically important for ASD patients undergoing S2AI screw fixation. A pre-to-post ΔFHC below 3.90% may indicate reduced hip compensation capacity, increasing risks for hip pain, sagittal imbalance progression, and PJK postoperatively.

Objective:To predict mechanical complications (MC) following spinal deformity surgery for adult spine deformity (ASD) using machine learning models, identify key risk factors, and develop a visualizable tool for individualized risk assessment.Methods:Clinical and radiological data from 525 patients with ASD who underwent surgery in our hospital between January 2017 and December 2021 were collected. Patients were randomly assigned to a training set (70%) and a test set (30%) for model development. The cohort included 88 males and 437 females, with a mean age of 42.2±18.1 years. Variables included demographic data, comorbidities, local and systemic radiological parameters, paraspinal muscle fat infiltration (FI), and vertebral bone quality (VBQ) scores. Multiple machine learning algorithms: Random Forest (RF), Gaussian Naive Bayes (GNB), Light GBM, Support Vector Machine (SVM), XGBoost (XGB), and Logistic Regression (LR) were trained and evaluated. Model performance was compared using the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and precision-recall curve (PRC). SHAP (Shapley Additive Explanations) was used to rank risk factors, while LIME (Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations) was applied to visualize MC risk in individual cases.Results:Of the 525 patients, 135 (25.7%) developed postoperative MC. Among these, 80 (59.3%) experienced proximal junction kyphosis or failure (PJK/PJF), 7 (5.2%) had distal junction kyphosis or failure (DJK/DJF), 28 (20.7%) sustained rod fractures, and 29 (21.5%) showed significant loss of correction. In the validation cohort, the RF model achieved the highest area under the curve (AUC=0.80), followed by GNB (0.77), XGB (0.76), LR (0.74), LightGBM (0.73), and SVM (0.66). The RF model also demonstrated the best PRC value (0.58), highest sensitivity (0.65), and lowest Brier score (0.20). GNB, Light GBM, and LR models achieved the highest accuracy (0.78 each), while LightGBM exhibited the highest specificity (0.93). SHAP analysis identified higher preoperative VBQ scores, larger T 1 pelvic angle (TPA), and higher paraspinal muscle FI as the main risk factors for MC. Based on the RF model, a LIME-based tool was successfully constructed for individualized MC risk estimation. Conclusion:The RF model demonstrated the best overall predictive performance for MC. A machine learning-based prediction model has the potential to provide valuable guidance for surgical decision-making in ASD patients.

AIM To establish a UPLC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous content determination of liquiritin,liquiritin apioside,verbascoside,narirutin,isoacteoside,apigetrin,hesperidin,isoliquiritin,ononin,liquiritigenin,glycyrrhizic acid,isoliquiritigenin,honokiol,obovatol,pogostone and magnolol in Jiawei Huoxiang Zhengqi Soft Capsules.METHODS The analysis was performed on a 40 ℃ thermostatic ZORBAX Eclipse Plus C18 column(2.1 mm×100 mm,1.8 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of 0.1％formic acid-acetonitrile flowing at 0.4 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and electron spray ionization source was adopted in positive and negative ion scanning with multiple reaction monitoring mode.RESULTS Sixteen constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges(r＞0.990 0),whose average recoveries were 83.74％-105.12％with the RSDs of 1.10％-4.8％.CONCLUSION This accurate,sensitive,stable and reproducible method can provide a reference for the overall quality control of Jiawei Huoxiang Zhengqi Soft Capsules.