Objective To analyze the application value of 3D Slicer software in endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenoma resection.Methods A retrospective analysis was made on the clinical data of 36 patients with pituitary adenomas treated with 3D Slicer-assisted endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery(3D Slicer group)in the Department of Neurosurgery,The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University,from January 2024 to December 2024.Preoperatively,multimodal images were fused and reconstructed using 3D Slicer software to systematically evaluate bony anatomical structures such as sphenoid sinus ostia,intrasphenoidal septa,and sellar floor structures,design the size of pedicled nasoseptal flaps,and clarify the positional relationships between pituitary adenomas and surrounding vital structures including the internal carotid artery,pituitary gland,and optic chiasm,so as to provide real-time guidance for intraoperative procedures.Meanwhile,45 patients with pituitary adenomas treated with neuronavigation-assisted endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery from January 2023 to December 2023 were included as the control group(neuronavigation group).The surgical outcomes and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups.Results Compared with the neuronavigation group,the 3D Slicer group demonstrated higher identification rates of the optic nerve groove and carotid artery impression(94.4％vs.77.8％),shorter operative time[(2.9±0.6)h vs.(3.5±0.9)h],less intraoperative bleeding[(159.7±70.5)mL vs.(237.8±96.0)mL],and a lower incidence of postoperative olfactory dysfunction(8.3％vs.26.7％),with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).However,there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the identification rate of the sphenoid sinus ostium(100.0％vs.97.8％),gross total resection rate(75.0％vs.64.4％),and the incidence of other postoperative complications,including cerebrospinal fluid leakage(0.0％vs.6.7％),intracranial infection(2.8％vs.11.1％),transient diabetes insipidus(30.6％vs.22.2％),and hypopituitarism(38.9％vs.37.8％,P＞0.05).Conclusion 3D Slicer software helps improve the mastery of anatomical basics in endoscopic transsphenoidal approach among junior and primary physicians,enhancing the clinical efficacy and safety of pituitary adenoma resection,and thus is worthy of clinical promotion.

Objective To investigate the effects of Zhongfengting granule on plasma metabolites in acute cerebral ischemia MCAO model rats by non-targeted metabolomics techniques,and to elucidate the neuroprotective mechanism of Zhongfengting granule.Methods 24 male SD rats were randomly divided into blank group,model group and Chinese medicine group,with 8 rats in each group.Model group and Chinese medicine group were treated with middle cerebral artery thrombus method to establish the MCAO rat model,and the medicine was administered on the same day after the successful modeling.The Chinese medicine group was given(22.68 g·kg-1)Zhongfengting granule solution by gavage,and the blank group and model group were given equal volume normal saline for 7 days.After administration,blood was collected intravenously.Plasma samples from blank group,model group and Chinese medicine group were analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatogre-quadrupole tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometer,and differential metabolites were screened by multivariate statistical analysis.The metabolic pathways of the differentiated metabolites were analyzed based on KEGG database.Results Multivariate statistical analysis showed that the content of 22 potential biomarkers in the rat model of acute cerebral ischemia had significant changes,and the above-mentioned 22 potential biomarkers were significantly reversed by Zhongfengting granule(P<0.05).The enrichment results of metabolic pathways showed that Zhongfengting granule mainly affected phenylalanine metabolism,tyrosine metabolism,ascorbic acid metabolism and arachidonic acid metabolism.Conclusion Metabolites and metabolic pathways in MCAO model rats with acute cerebral ischemia are changed,and the different metabolites and metabolic pathways can be reversed by Zhongfengting granule,which mainly involve phenylalanine metabolism and regulate energy metabolism.

Background::An evidence gap still exists regarding the efficacy and safety of tegoprazan in patients with erosive esophagitis (EE) in China. This study aimed to verify the efficacy and safety of tegoprazan vs. esomeprazole in patients with EE in China. Methods::This study was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel, active-controlled, non-inferiority phase III trial of patients with EE randomized 1:1 to tegoprazan 50 mg/day vs. esomeprazole 40 mg/day. This study was conducted in 32 sites between October 24, 2018 and October 18, 2019. The primary endpoint was the cumulative endoscopic healing rate at week 8. The secondary endpoint included endoscopic healing rate at week 4, changes in the reflux disease questionnaire (RDQ) and gastroesophageal reflux disease health-related quality of life (GERD-HRQL) scores, and symptom improvement. Results::A total of 261 patients were randomized: 132 to the tegoprazan group and 129 to the esomeprazole group. The cumulative endoscopic healing rate at 8 weeks in the tegoprazan group was non-inferior to that of the esomeprazole group (91.1% vs. 92.8%, difference: -1.7%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -8.5%, 5.0%, P = 0.008). There were no statistically significant differences in the changes in RDQ (total, severity, and frequency) and GERD-HRQL scores between the two groups (all P >0.05). The percentages of days without symptoms, including daytime and nighttime symptoms based on patients' diaries, were similar between the two groups (all P >0.05). In the tegoprazan and esomeprazole groups, 71.5% (93/130) and 61.7% (79/128) of the participants reported adverse events (AEs), 2.3% and 0 experienced serious AEs, while 70.0% and 60.2% had treatment-emergent AEs, respectively. Conclusion::Tegoprazan 50 mg/day demonstrated non-inferior efficacy in healing EE, symptom improvement, and quality of life, and it has similar tolerability compared with esomeprazole 40 mg/day.

Objective To investigate the effects of Zhongfengting granule on plasma metabolites in acute cerebral ischemia MCAO model rats by non-targeted metabolomics techniques,and to elucidate the neuroprotective mechanism of Zhongfengting granule.Methods 24 male SD rats were randomly divided into blank group,model group and Chinese medicine group,with 8 rats in each group.Model group and Chinese medicine group were treated with middle cerebral artery thrombus method to establish the MCAO rat model,and the medicine was administered on the same day after the successful modeling.The Chinese medicine group was given(22.68 g·kg-1)Zhongfengting granule solution by gavage,and the blank group and model group were given equal volume normal saline for 7 days.After administration,blood was collected intravenously.Plasma samples from blank group,model group and Chinese medicine group were analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatogre-quadrupole tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometer,and differential metabolites were screened by multivariate statistical analysis.The metabolic pathways of the differentiated metabolites were analyzed based on KEGG database.Results Multivariate statistical analysis showed that the content of 22 potential biomarkers in the rat model of acute cerebral ischemia had significant changes,and the above-mentioned 22 potential biomarkers were significantly reversed by Zhongfengting granule(P<0.05).The enrichment results of metabolic pathways showed that Zhongfengting granule mainly affected phenylalanine metabolism,tyrosine metabolism,ascorbic acid metabolism and arachidonic acid metabolism.Conclusion Metabolites and metabolic pathways in MCAO model rats with acute cerebral ischemia are changed,and the different metabolites and metabolic pathways can be reversed by Zhongfengting granule,which mainly involve phenylalanine metabolism and regulate energy metabolism.

Objective To explore the value of MRI subtraction technique(ST)for evaluating the efficacy of systemic therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)and predicting prognosis after combining with surgery.Methods Totally 35 patients with 39 HCC lesions who received systemic therapy+radical resection were retrospectively collected.Based on preoperative MRI,tumor activity ratio(recorded as tumor activityST)was obtained with ST,while tumor activity value(recorded as tumor activitypathology)was obtained through postoperative pathology,and their correlation was analyzed.The patients were regularly followed up after surgery,and the survival data were recorded.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn to evaluate the efficacy of tumor activityST for predicting patients'survival status.Then the patients were divided into survival benefit group and no survival benefit group according to the cut-off value,and survival analysis was conducted.Results Tumor activityST was positively correlated with tumor activitypathology(r=0.900,P＜0.001).The median follow-up time was 32.93 months,during which 8 patients died,and the median survival time was 29.9 months.The area under the curve(AUC)of tumor activityST for predicting patients'survival status was 0.67,and the cut-off value was 0.36.Thirty patients with tumor activityST＜0.36 were enrolled in survival benefit group,while 5 patients≥0.36 were collected in no survival benefit group.The overall survival in survival benefit group was longer than that in no survival benefit group(P＜0.001).Conclusion MRI ST could be used to non-invasively evaluate the efficacy of systemic therapy for advanced HCC and predict prognosis after combining with surgery.

Objective:To investigate the alterations in brain functional activity before and after chemotherapy in breast cancer patients with chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and their relations with cognitive impairment.Methods:A prospective observational study was performed; female breast cancer patients with CRCI admitted to Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital 6 of Nantong University were recruited, and age- and education level-matched female healthy controls were chosen. Before and one month after chemotherapy, statuses of cognitive function, depression and anxiety in breast cancer patients with CRCI were evaluated by Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA), functional assessment of cancer therapy-cognitive function (FACT-cog), self-rating depression scale (SDS), and self-rating anxiety scale (SAS); subsequently, conventional MRI and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) were conducted. The healthy controls accepted MoCA, SDS, and SAS, followed by conventional MRI and rs-fMRI. Differences in clinical data and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF, rs-fMRI brain spontaneous neural activity index) were compared between breast cancer patients with CRCI before chemotherapy and healthy controls, and in the breast cancer patients with CRCI between before and after chemotherapy. Taking the brain regions with significant differences in ALFF before and after chemotherapy in breast cancer patients with CRCI as seed points, the difference in whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) before and after chemotherapy was compared in breast cancer patients with CRCI. Pearson or Spearman correlation tests were used to analyze the correlations of ALFF and FC in brain regions with significant differences in ALFF with cognitive function scores in breast cancer patients with CRCI.Results:(1) A total of 22 breast cancer patients with CRCI and 22 healthy controls were enrolled. Compared with the healthy controls, the breast cancer patients with CRCI before chemotherapy had significantly higher SDS and SAS scores ( P<0.05). Compared with breast cancer patients with CRCI before chemotherapy, the breast cancer patients with CRCI after chemotherapy had significantly lower MoCA, FACT-cog-perceived cognitive impairment, FACT-cog-comment from others on cognitive function, and FACT-cog-perceived cognitive ability ( P<0.05). (2) Compared with those before chemotherapy, breast cancer patients with CRCI after chemotherapy exhibited significantly increased ALFF in the right precuneus, right middle occipital gyrus, and left superior frontal gyrus, while statistically decreased FC in the right middle occipital gyrus-left middle temporal gyrus, right precentral gyrus-right middle temporal gyrus, and left superior frontal gyrus-left fusiform gyrus ( P<0.05). (3) ALFF in the right precentral gyrus in breast cancer patients with CRCI after chemotherapy was negatively correlated with difference value of FACT-cog before and after chemotherapy ( r=-0.497, P=0.018) and difference value of PCA before and after chemotherapy ( r s=-0.436, P=0.042); FC in the left superior frontal gyrus-left fusiform gyrus was positively correlated with score of FACT-cog-perceived cognitive impairment ( r=0.621, P=0.002). Conclusion:Chemotherapy induces compensatory enhancement of spontaneous neural activity in multiple brain regions in breast cancer patients with CRCI, accompanied by FC disruption at specific brain areas, which are associated with cognitive impairment.

Objective To explore the value of MRI subtraction technique(ST)for evaluating the efficacy of systemic therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)and predicting prognosis after combining with surgery.Methods Totally 35 patients with 39 HCC lesions who received systemic therapy+radical resection were retrospectively collected.Based on preoperative MRI,tumor activity ratio(recorded as tumor activityST)was obtained with ST,while tumor activity value(recorded as tumor activitypathology)was obtained through postoperative pathology,and their correlation was analyzed.The patients were regularly followed up after surgery,and the survival data were recorded.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn to evaluate the efficacy of tumor activityST for predicting patients'survival status.Then the patients were divided into survival benefit group and no survival benefit group according to the cut-off value,and survival analysis was conducted.Results Tumor activityST was positively correlated with tumor activitypathology(r=0.900,P＜0.001).The median follow-up time was 32.93 months,during which 8 patients died,and the median survival time was 29.9 months.The area under the curve(AUC)of tumor activityST for predicting patients'survival status was 0.67,and the cut-off value was 0.36.Thirty patients with tumor activityST＜0.36 were enrolled in survival benefit group,while 5 patients≥0.36 were collected in no survival benefit group.The overall survival in survival benefit group was longer than that in no survival benefit group(P＜0.001).Conclusion MRI ST could be used to non-invasively evaluate the efficacy of systemic therapy for advanced HCC and predict prognosis after combining with surgery.

Objective To analyze the application value of 3D Slicer software in endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenoma resection.Methods A retrospective analysis was made on the clinical data of 36 patients with pituitary adenomas treated with 3D Slicer-assisted endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery(3D Slicer group)in the Department of Neurosurgery,The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University,from January 2024 to December 2024.Preoperatively,multimodal images were fused and reconstructed using 3D Slicer software to systematically evaluate bony anatomical structures such as sphenoid sinus ostia,intrasphenoidal septa,and sellar floor structures,design the size of pedicled nasoseptal flaps,and clarify the positional relationships between pituitary adenomas and surrounding vital structures including the internal carotid artery,pituitary gland,and optic chiasm,so as to provide real-time guidance for intraoperative procedures.Meanwhile,45 patients with pituitary adenomas treated with neuronavigation-assisted endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery from January 2023 to December 2023 were included as the control group(neuronavigation group).The surgical outcomes and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups.Results Compared with the neuronavigation group,the 3D Slicer group demonstrated higher identification rates of the optic nerve groove and carotid artery impression(94.4％vs.77.8％),shorter operative time[(2.9±0.6)h vs.(3.5±0.9)h],less intraoperative bleeding[(159.7±70.5)mL vs.(237.8±96.0)mL],and a lower incidence of postoperative olfactory dysfunction(8.3％vs.26.7％),with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).However,there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the identification rate of the sphenoid sinus ostium(100.0％vs.97.8％),gross total resection rate(75.0％vs.64.4％),and the incidence of other postoperative complications,including cerebrospinal fluid leakage(0.0％vs.6.7％),intracranial infection(2.8％vs.11.1％),transient diabetes insipidus(30.6％vs.22.2％),and hypopituitarism(38.9％vs.37.8％,P＞0.05).Conclusion 3D Slicer software helps improve the mastery of anatomical basics in endoscopic transsphenoidal approach among junior and primary physicians,enhancing the clinical efficacy and safety of pituitary adenoma resection,and thus is worthy of clinical promotion.

Objective:To investigate the alterations in brain functional activity before and after chemotherapy in breast cancer patients with chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and their relations with cognitive impairment.Methods:A prospective observational study was performed; female breast cancer patients with CRCI admitted to Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital 6 of Nantong University were recruited, and age- and education level-matched female healthy controls were chosen. Before and one month after chemotherapy, statuses of cognitive function, depression and anxiety in breast cancer patients with CRCI were evaluated by Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA), functional assessment of cancer therapy-cognitive function (FACT-cog), self-rating depression scale (SDS), and self-rating anxiety scale (SAS); subsequently, conventional MRI and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) were conducted. The healthy controls accepted MoCA, SDS, and SAS, followed by conventional MRI and rs-fMRI. Differences in clinical data and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF, rs-fMRI brain spontaneous neural activity index) were compared between breast cancer patients with CRCI before chemotherapy and healthy controls, and in the breast cancer patients with CRCI between before and after chemotherapy. Taking the brain regions with significant differences in ALFF before and after chemotherapy in breast cancer patients with CRCI as seed points, the difference in whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) before and after chemotherapy was compared in breast cancer patients with CRCI. Pearson or Spearman correlation tests were used to analyze the correlations of ALFF and FC in brain regions with significant differences in ALFF with cognitive function scores in breast cancer patients with CRCI.Results:(1) A total of 22 breast cancer patients with CRCI and 22 healthy controls were enrolled. Compared with the healthy controls, the breast cancer patients with CRCI before chemotherapy had significantly higher SDS and SAS scores ( P<0.05). Compared with breast cancer patients with CRCI before chemotherapy, the breast cancer patients with CRCI after chemotherapy had significantly lower MoCA, FACT-cog-perceived cognitive impairment, FACT-cog-comment from others on cognitive function, and FACT-cog-perceived cognitive ability ( P<0.05). (2) Compared with those before chemotherapy, breast cancer patients with CRCI after chemotherapy exhibited significantly increased ALFF in the right precuneus, right middle occipital gyrus, and left superior frontal gyrus, while statistically decreased FC in the right middle occipital gyrus-left middle temporal gyrus, right precentral gyrus-right middle temporal gyrus, and left superior frontal gyrus-left fusiform gyrus ( P<0.05). (3) ALFF in the right precentral gyrus in breast cancer patients with CRCI after chemotherapy was negatively correlated with difference value of FACT-cog before and after chemotherapy ( r=-0.497, P=0.018) and difference value of PCA before and after chemotherapy ( r s=-0.436, P=0.042); FC in the left superior frontal gyrus-left fusiform gyrus was positively correlated with score of FACT-cog-perceived cognitive impairment ( r=0.621, P=0.002). Conclusion:Chemotherapy induces compensatory enhancement of spontaneous neural activity in multiple brain regions in breast cancer patients with CRCI, accompanied by FC disruption at specific brain areas, which are associated with cognitive impairment.

Background::An evidence gap still exists regarding the efficacy and safety of tegoprazan in patients with erosive esophagitis (EE) in China. This study aimed to verify the efficacy and safety of tegoprazan vs. esomeprazole in patients with EE in China. Methods::This study was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel, active-controlled, non-inferiority phase III trial of patients with EE randomized 1:1 to tegoprazan 50 mg/day vs. esomeprazole 40 mg/day. This study was conducted in 32 sites between October 24, 2018 and October 18, 2019. The primary endpoint was the cumulative endoscopic healing rate at week 8. The secondary endpoint included endoscopic healing rate at week 4, changes in the reflux disease questionnaire (RDQ) and gastroesophageal reflux disease health-related quality of life (GERD-HRQL) scores, and symptom improvement. Results::A total of 261 patients were randomized: 132 to the tegoprazan group and 129 to the esomeprazole group. The cumulative endoscopic healing rate at 8 weeks in the tegoprazan group was non-inferior to that of the esomeprazole group (91.1% vs. 92.8%, difference: -1.7%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -8.5%, 5.0%, P = 0.008). There were no statistically significant differences in the changes in RDQ (total, severity, and frequency) and GERD-HRQL scores between the two groups (all P >0.05). The percentages of days without symptoms, including daytime and nighttime symptoms based on patients' diaries, were similar between the two groups (all P >0.05). In the tegoprazan and esomeprazole groups, 71.5% (93/130) and 61.7% (79/128) of the participants reported adverse events (AEs), 2.3% and 0 experienced serious AEs, while 70.0% and 60.2% had treatment-emergent AEs, respectively. Conclusion::Tegoprazan 50 mg/day demonstrated non-inferior efficacy in healing EE, symptom improvement, and quality of life, and it has similar tolerability compared with esomeprazole 40 mg/day.