Objective To explore the diagnostic value of endoscopic grading of gastric intestinal metaplasia (EGGIM) score under acetic acid-enhanced narrow band imaging (AA-NBI) observation mode for gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM). Methods A total of 120 patients who underwent gastroscopy at Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University from February 2022 to February 2023 were selected. All patients underwent both white light and AA-NBI endoscopy, with photographic records of intestinal metaplasia in five areas: greater curvature of antrum, lesser curvature of antrum, greater curvature of corpus, lesser curvature of corpus and incisura. EGGIM score was performed: 0 for no intestinal metaplasia, 1 point for focal intestinal metaplasia (GIM area ratio≤30%), 2 points for extensive intestinal metaplasia (GIM area ratio＞30%), with a total score of 10 points. Targeted biopsies were performed on suspicious GIM lesions found during endoscopy. If no suspicious GIM lesions were observed, random biopsies were performed according to the updated Sydney system. The pathological histological examination results were staged based on the operative link on gastric intestinal metaplasia assessment (OLGIM) system. The diagnostic value of EGGIM score for OLGIM stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ patients was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of AA-NBI in detecting GIM were 96.3%, 91.6%, 94.5%, 95.0%, and 93.6%, respectively. The area under the ROC curve for EGGIM diagnosing OLGIM stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ was 0.952 (95%CI 0.914-0.990). The optimal cut-off value for EGGIM was 5 points, with a sensitivity of 96.7% (95%CI 87.6%-99.4%) and specificity of 88.1% (95%CI 76.5%-94.7%). Conclusions EGGIM score (≥5 points) under AA-NBI mode has good diagnostic capability for patients with OLGIM stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ.

Objective:To evaluate the value of a combined model based on primary lesion 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose ( 18F-FDG) PET/CT radiomics for predicting lymph node metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) . Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 203 NSCLC patients who underwent pre-treatment PET/CT imaging at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from June 2013 to July 2023. Patients were randomly assigned to the training set ( n=142) and the validation set ( n=61) at a ratio of 7∶3. A predictive model was developed in the training set, and its predictive performance and clinical application value were assessed in both the training and validation sets. Traditional PET/CT parameters and PET/CT radiomics features of the primary lesion were obtained by 3D-slicer software. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), random forest, and extreme gradient boosting were performed to extract features. Support vector machine was used to construct a radiomics score (Radscore). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to predict the influencing factors of lymph node metastasis in NSCLC patients and to establish models. Predictive performance of the models was evaluated by receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves and clinical application value was assessed by calibration curves and decision curve analysis (DCA) . Results:Among 203 NSCLC patients, 116 had lymph node metastasis, with 64 cases in the training set and 52 cases in the validation set. Three complementary classical machine learning methods were used for feature screening, and finally 10 radiomics features were obtained. The optimal threshold for Radscore-PET was 0.43 and the optimal threshold for Radscore-CT was 0.39. Univariate analysis showed that, sex ( OR=0.48, 95% CI: 0.24-0.95, P=0.036), tumor marker levels ( OR=3.81, 95% CI: 1.84-7.91, P<0.001), long diameter of tumor ( OR=2.56, 95% CI: 1.27-5.16, P=0.009), short diameter of tumor ( OR=3.73, 95% CI: 1.75-7.92, P=0.001), vacuolar sign ( OR=0.32, 95% CI: 0.12-0.86, P=0.024), ring-like metabolism ( OR=3.67, 95% CI: 1.33-10.13, P=0.012), maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max) ( OR=6.57, 95% CI: 3.03-14.25, P<0.001), metabolic tumor volume (MTV) ( OR=2.91, 95% CI: 1.43-5.92, P=0.003), total lesion glycolysis (TLG) ( OR=4.23, 95% CI: 2.08-8.59, P<0.001), Radscore-PET ( OR=21.93, 95% CI: 9.04-53.20, P<0.001) and Radscore-CT ( OR=13.72, 95% CI: 6.12-30.76, P<0.001) were all influencing factors for predicting lymph node metastasis in NSCLC patients. Multivariate analysis showed that, tumor marker levels ( OR=2.55, 95% CI: 1.11-5.90, P=0.028), vacuolar sign ( OR=0.26, 95% CI: 0.08-0.83, P=0.023), SUV max ( OR=5.94, 95% CI: 1.99-17.75, P=0.001), Radscore-PET ( OR=25.51, 95% CI: 5.92-110.22, P<0.001), and Radscore-CT ( OR=8.68, 95% CI: 2.73-27.61, P<0.001) were independent influencing factors for predicting lymph node metastasis in patients with NSCLC. Based on the above independent influencing factors, models were constructed: the traditional model (tumor marker levels, vacuolar sign, SUV max), the PET model (SUV max, Radscore-PET), the CT model (vacuolar sign, Radscore-CT), and the combined model (tumor marker levels, vacuolar sign, SUV max, Radscore-PET, Radscore-CT). ROC curve analysis showed that, the area under curve (AUC) of the traditional, PET, CT, and combined models in the training set were 0.75 (95% CI: 0.67-0.82), 0.90 (95% CI: 0.84-0.95), 0.85 (95% CI: 0.78-0.90), and 0.94 (95% CI: 0.88-0.97), respectively. The predictive value of the combined model was higher than that of the traditional model ( Z=5.01, P<0.001), the PET model ( Z=1.99, P=0.047), and the CT model ( Z=3.25, P=0.001). In the validation set, the AUCs for the traditional model, PET model, CT model, and combined model were 0.65 (95% CI: 0.52-0.77), 0.86 (95% CI: 0.74-0.93), 0.85 (95% CI: 0.73-0.93), and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.80-0.96), respectively. The predictive value of the combined model was superior to that of the traditional model ( Z=3.23, P=0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of the combined model in the training set were 84.37% and 91.03%, while in the validation set, the sensitivity and specificity were 82.61% and 94.74%, respectively. Calibration curves showed a good agreement between the predicted and actual probabilities in both the training and validation sets. DCA showed that the combined models had good discriminative ability in both the training and validation sets. Conclusions:Tumor marker levels, vacuolar sign, SUV max, Radscore-PET, and Radscore-CT are all independent influencing factors for predicting lymph node metastasis in patients with NSCLC. The combined model based on these factors demonstrates excellent predictive performance and clinical application value for predicting lymph node metastasis in NSCLC.

Objective To explore the role of pseudogene AC106872.1 in maintaining the self-renewal capacity of human embryonic stem cells(hESCs).Methods AC106872.1 was knocked out in hESCs and knockout effi-ciency was validated by PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis.The colony formation of hESCs was assessed through colony formation assays and alkaline phosphatase(AP)staining.The expression level of pluripotency and differ-entiation marker genes was analyzed by qPCR and flow cytometry.RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)was performed to assess transcriptomic changes upon AC106872.1 knockout.Results Knockout of AC106872.1 significantly in-hibited the colony formation of hESCs(P＜0.05).The expression level of pluripotency marker genes was signifi-cantly reduced(P＜0.000 1),while the expression of differentiation marker genes was markedly increased(P＜0.000 1).Conclusions The pseudogene AC 1 06872.1 plays a crucial role in maintaining human embryonic stem cell self-renewal through regulation of pluripotency genes expression.

Objective To explore the changes of the thickness of myometrium(MT),apparent diffusion coefficient value of myometrium(ADCM),thickness of junctional zone(JZT)and apparent diffusion coefficient value of junctional zone(ADCJz)in patients with endometrial fibrosis.Methods A total of 59 patients with endometrial fibrosis and 34 healthy women(volunteer)of childbearing age were prospectively included.The JZT,ADCJz,MT and ADCM were measured.Independent samples t-test was used to compare the differences in JZT,ADCJZ,MT,and ADCM between the two groups.A combined prediction model was established using binary logistic regression analysis(combining mean JZT,mean ADCJZ,and mean MT).The efficiency of each parameter's mean value and the combined prediction model in diagnosing endometrial fibrosis was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results JZT(anterior wall,posterior wall,fundus and mean;P=0.007,0.035,0.001 and＜0.001,respectively),ADCJZ(anterior wall,posterior wall,fundus and mean;all P＜0.001)and MT(anterior wall,posterior wall and mean;P=0.003,＜0.001 and 0.003,respectively)were significantly larger in patients with endometrial fibrosis compared to volunteer.Mean ADCJZ[area under the curve(AUC)=0.872]and the combined prediction model(AUC=0.953)had high value for diagnosing endometrial fibrosis.Conclusion MRI can be used for noninvasively assessing the changes of myometrium and JZ in patients with endometrial fibrosis.

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy between bone cement-augmented pedicle screw fixation and bone filling vertebroplasty for stable osteoporotic thoracolumbar burst fracture (TBF).Methods From August 2014 to August 2017,48 patients with stable osteoporotic TBF but no neurological symptoms were treated at Department of Orthopedics,The First Affiliated Hospital to Chongqing Medical University.Those undergoing bone cement-augmented pedicle screw fixation were assigned into Group A while those undergoing bone filling vertebroplasty into Group B.The clinical efficacy was evaluated by comparing visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain assessment,Oswestry disability index (ODI),compression ratio of anterior vertebral height,and cobb kyphotic angle between preoperation and postoperation.The 2 groups were compared in terms of operation time,bone cement consumption,blood loss,hospital stay and relative medical costs.Results Of the 48 patients included in this study,27 were in Group A and 21 in Group B.The 2 groups were comparable as their baseline characteristics were insignificantly different (P ＞ 0.05).At 3 days after operation,the VAS (2.8 ± 1.0) and ODI (26.0 ±3.5) scores for group B were significantly lower than those for group A (4.6 ± 1.3 and 34.3 ± 2.9) (P ＜ 0.05).In group A at 3 months after operation and final follow-up,the VAS (2.9 ±0.9 and 2.3 ±0.7) and ODI (24.7 ±3.1 and 23.1 ±4.6) scores were significantly lower than those at 3 days after operation (4.6 ± 1.3 and 34.3 ± 2.9) (P ＜ 0.05).In group B at 3 months after operation and final follow-up,the VAS (2.8 ±0.9 and 2.3 ± 1.0) and ODI (23.8 ±3.7 and 22.8 ± 5.6) scores were insignificantly better than those at 3 days after operation (2.8 ± 1.0 and 26.0 ± 3.5) (P ＞ 0.05).At 3 days and 3 months after operation and final follow-up,group B had significantly smaller compression ratios of anterior vertebral height (81.1％ ± 3.7％,81.1％ ± 3.4％ and 75.6％ ± 5.8％) than group A did (91.4％ ±4.4％,90.1％ ±2.9％ and 83.5％ ±4.4％) but significantly larger cobb kyphotic angles (17.0° ± 4.0°,18.0° ± 3.5 ° and 22.1 ° ± 3.6°) than group A (14.0° ± 3.2°,14.3° ± 5.5° and 19.2° ± 3.2°) (P ＜ 0.05).The compression ratio of anterior vertebral height and cobb kyphotic angle at the final follow-up in all the patients were significantly improved compared with those at 3 days and 3 months after operation (P ＜ 0.05).Group B had significantly less operation time (51.5 ±7.3 min),blood loss (16.0 ± 8.2 mL),hospital stay (3.4 ±0.9 d) and medical costs per person (34,000 ±4,000 RMB yuan) than group A (91.5 ± 9.8 min,77.4 ± 16.5 mL,8.7 ± 2.2 d and 55,000 ± 9,000 RMB yuan),but significantly larger bone cement consumption (5.1 ± 0.7 mL) than group A (1.9 ± 0.7 mL) (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion For patients with stable osteoporotic TBF,both bone cement-augmented pedicle screw fixation and bone filling vertebroplasty can lead to similar clinical outcomes,but the latter may have advantages of less invasion,faster recovery and lower medical costs.

OBJECTIVEThis study aims to investigate the feasibility and clinical application value of a new method for primary donor-site closure of radial forearm flaps with the use of rotation and advancement of radial-based fasciocutaneous flaps.

METHODSThe forearm donor-site defects of 36 patients were primarily closed by rotation and advancement of radial-based fasciocutaneous flaps after radial flap harvest from November 2014 to May 2015. Patients included 28 males and 8 females aged 28 to 67 years (53.6 years old on average). Flap size ranged from 3.0 cm×5.0 cm to 4.0 cm×6.0 cm. Wound healing, scar hyperplasia, and forearm appearance were recorded and evaluated. Wrist flexion angle, dorsal extension angle, ulnar deviation angle, and radial deviation angle were measured three and six months after the operation. Wrist joint loss index was calculated and compared with the preoperative index to evaluate wrist function recovery. The results were subjected to comparative t-
test to perform statistical analysis with SPSS 19.0 statistical software package.

RESULTSForearm donor sites were successfully closed without skin grafting in all patients. Skin ischemia caused by excessive tension was observed at the incision edge in five cases, thereby leading to skin exfoliation and pigment loss without affecting wound healing. All patients were followed up at six and twelve months, and presented a satisfactory appearance. No scar hyperplasia was observed. No significant difference was observed in radial deviation, ulnar deviation, palmar flexion, dorsiflexion, radial deflection angle, or wrist joint loss index (P>0.05) after the operation.

CONCLUSIONSApplication of rotation and advancement of radial-based fasciocutaneous flaps can directly close small-to-medium radial forearm flap donor defects. Satisfactory postoperative appearance can be achieved with no loss in wrist joint function. The novel method prove worthy of promotion and application in clinical work.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Forearm ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; Rotation ; Skin ; Skin Transplantation ; Surgical Flaps ; Wound Healing ; Wrist

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the feasibility and outcomes of chimeric deep circumflex iliac artery perforator flap (DCIAPF) applied in the simultaneous reconstruction of the oromandibular defect.

METHODSSix patients underwent simultaneous oromandibular reconstruction using DCIAPF following segmental mandibulectomy in Xiangya Hospital from March 2014 to July 2014. The skin paddle was designed to be centered on the pre-operative perforator mapping. Retrograde dissection was performed through the underlying abdominal wall to raise the skin paddle. The pedicle was isolated from the groin, and the iliac crest was cut. The deep iliac circumflex vessels were dissected until the skin paddle was reached. Finally, the donor site was strictly sutured layer by layer to avoid ventral hernia.

RESULTSThe skin paddles ranged from 3.5 cmx5.0 cm to 7.0 cmx 10.0 cm. The length of the bone components was 5.0 cm to 11.0 cm. All donor sites closed primarily without skin grafting. DCIAPF was harvested successfully in five patients, except for one patient whose perforator originated from the superficial iliac circumflex vessels. An additional pair of anastomoses was performed. All iliac flaps survived. However, slight skin-edge necrosis and exfoliation caused by flap thinning occurred in one patient and healed after pruning and dressing change. The heights of all alveolar ridges were significantly restored, and no serious donorsite complication was observed during the three to six months' follow-up.

CONCLUSIONDCIAPF is a reconstructive option for mandibular defects because of its adequate bone tissue and rich blood supply. Satisfactory alveolar ridge restoration greatly facilitates future denture retention. DCIAPF also has a great degree of mobility between the skin paddle and the bone component when appliedin composite oromandibular defect reconstruction.

Humans ; Iliac Artery ; Ilium ; Mandible ; surgery ; Maxillofacial Abnormalities ; surgery ; Perforator Flap ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Skin

Objective??To?evaluate?the?feasibility?and?outcomes?of?chimeric?deep?circumflex?iliac?artery?perforator?flap?(DCIAPF)?applied?in?the?simultaneous?reconstruction?of?the?oromandibular?defect. Methods??Six?patients?underwent?simul-taneous?oromandibular?reconstruction?using?DCIAPF?following?segmental?mandibulectomy?in?Xiangya?Hospital?from?March?2014?to?July?2014.?The?skin?paddle?was?designed?to?be?centered?on?the?pre-operative?perforator?mapping.?Retrograde?dissection?was?performed?through?the?underlying?abdominal?wall?to?raise?the?skin?paddle.?The?pedicle?was?isolated?from?the?groin,?and?the?iliac?crest?was?cut.?The?deep?iliac?circumflex?vessels?were?dissected?until?the?skin?paddle?was?reached.?Finally,?the?donor?site?was?strictly?sutured?layer?by?layer?to?avoid?ventral?hernia.?Results??The?skin?paddles?ranged?from?3.5?cm×5.0?cm?to?7.0?cm× 10.0?cm.?The?length?of?the?bone?components?was?5.0?cm?to?11.0?cm.?All?donor?sites?closed?primarily?without?skin?grafting.?DCIAPF?was?harvested?successfully?in?five?patients,?except?for?one?patient?whose?perforator?originated?from?the?superficial?iliac?circumflex?vessels.?An?additional?pair?of?anastomoses?was?performed.?All?iliac?flaps?survived.?However,?slight?skin-edge?necrosis?and?exfoliation?caused?by?flap?thinning?occurred?in?one?patient?and?healed?after?pruning?and?dressing?change.?The?heights?of?all?alveolar?ridges?were?significantly?restored,?and?no?serious?donorsite?complication?was?observed?during?the?three?to?six?months’?follow-up.?Conclusion??DCIAPF?is?a?reconstructive?option?for?mandibular?defects?because?of?its?adequate?bone?tissue?and?rich?blood?supply.?Satisfactory?alveolar?ridge?restoration?greatly?facilitates?future?denture?retention.?DCIAPF?also?has?a?great?degree?of?mobility?between?the?skin?paddle?and?the?bone?component?when?applied?in?composite?oromandibular?defect?reconstruction.

Objective To investigate the feasibility of quantitative measurement of fat concentration by CT spectral imaging in a mice model of fatty liver.Methods Twenty-four mice with different degrees of fatty liver underwent CT spectral imaging.CT values of liver parenchyma under mixed X-ray energy and 65 keV,fat concentration based on various basic material pairs (fat/water,fat/io-dine,fat/calcium)and spectral curves were obtained.Liver specimens were obtained to measure the concentration of triglyceride , and HE staining was performed.Correlations between various CT indexes and triglyceride concentration were analyzed.Results Correlation between fat concentration (fat/water pair)and triglyceride (r =0.91 5 )was better than that between CT values on 65 keV and triglyceride (r=-0.858),as well as polychromatic CT values (r=-0.81 6).All the P values were<0.001.Correlations between fat concentrations based on fat/iodine or fat/calcium pairs and triglyceride were relatively low (r=-0.726,-0.660).CT indexes on 1.25 mm slice thickness performed better than those on 2.5 mm.With fatty liver degree increased,the shape of spectral curve changed gradually.Conclusion Liver fat concentration can be measured by CT spectral imaging noninvasively,accurately and quantitatively in a mice model of fatty liver.

OBJECTIVETo construct a prokaryotic expression vector of human tau multiepitope peptide for examining the immunogenicity of a TauP1/P2 DNA vaccine in mice using the expressed product.

METHODSThe coding sequence of Tau multiepitope peptide gene was amplified from the plasmid pVAX1-Tau by PCR and inserted into the prokaryotic expression vector pGEX-4T-2 to construct the recombinant plasmid pGEX-4T-2-TauP1/P2. The positive recombinants were transformed into E.coli BL21 cells, and the expression of fusion protein GST-TauP1/P2 was induced by IPTG and identified by SDS-PAGE. Mice was immunized with TauP1/P2 DNA vaccine and the production of the specific antibodies was detected by Dot-blot analysis using the purified fusion protein.

RESULTSA gene fragment 300 bp in length was amplified. Enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing verified correct construction of the prokaryotic expression plasmid pGEX-4T-2-TauP1/P2. The expression of target fusion protein GST-TauP1/P2 was detected by SDS-PAGE. Specific antibodies against TauP1/P2 were detected in the serum of mice immunized with the DNA vaccine using GST-TauP1/P2 fusion protein.

CONCLUSIONThe constructed prokaryotic expression plasmid of human Tau multiepitope peptide is capable of expressing the target fusion protein, which specifically recognizes the specific antibodies against TauP1/P2 in mice immunized with TauP1/P2 DNA vaccine.

Animals ; Epitopes ; immunology ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Peptides ; genetics ; metabolism ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; immunology ; Vaccines, DNA ; biosynthesis ; immunology ; tau Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; immunology