ObjectivePrimary liver cancer, predominantly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is a significant global health issue, ranking as the sixth most diagnosed cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Accurate and early diagnosis of HCC is crucial for effective treatment, as HCC and non-HCC malignancies like intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) exhibit different prognoses and treatment responses. Traditional diagnostic methods, including liver biopsy and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), face limitations in applicability and objectivity. The primary objective of this study was to develop an advanced, light-weighted classification network capable of distinguishing HCC from other non-HCC malignancies by leveraging the automatic analysis of brightness changes in CEUS images. The ultimate goal was to create a user-friendly and cost-efficient computer-aided diagnostic tool that could assist radiologists in making more accurate and efficient clinical decisions. MethodsThis retrospective study encompassed a total of 161 patients, comprising 131 diagnosed with HCC and 30 with non-HCC malignancies. To achieve accurate tumor detection, the YOLOX network was employed to identify the region of interest (ROI) on both B-mode ultrasound and CEUS images. A custom-developed algorithm was then utilized to extract brightness change curves from the tumor and adjacent liver parenchyma regions within the CEUS images. These curves provided critical data for the subsequent analysis and classification process. To analyze the extracted brightness change curves and classify the malignancies, we developed and compared several models. These included one-dimensional convolutional neural networks (1D-ResNet, 1D-ConvNeXt, and 1D-CNN), as well as traditional machine-learning methods such as support vector machine (SVM), ensemble learning (EL), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), and decision tree (DT). The diagnostic performance of each method in distinguishing HCC from non-HCC malignancies was rigorously evaluated using four key metrics: area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC), accuracy (ACC), sensitivity (SE), and specificity (SP). ResultsThe evaluation of the machine-learning methods revealed AUC values of 0.70 for SVM, 0.56 for ensemble learning, 0.63 for KNN, and 0.72 for the decision tree. These results indicated moderate to fair performance in classifying the malignancies based on the brightness change curves. In contrast, the deep learning models demonstrated significantly higher AUCs, with 1D-ResNet achieving an AUC of 0.72, 1D-ConvNeXt reaching 0.82, and 1D-CNN obtaining the highest AUC of 0.84. Moreover, under the five-fold cross-validation scheme, the 1D-CNN model outperformed other models in both accuracy and specificity. Specifically, it achieved accuracy improvements of 3.8% to 10.0% and specificity enhancements of 6.6% to 43.3% over competing approaches. The superior performance of the 1D-CNN model highlighted its potential as a powerful tool for accurate classification. ConclusionThe 1D-CNN model proved to be the most effective in differentiating HCC from non-HCC malignancies, surpassing both traditional machine-learning methods and other deep learning models. This study successfully developed a user-friendly and cost-efficient computer-aided diagnostic solution that would significantly enhances radiologists’ diagnostic capabilities. By improving the accuracy and efficiency of clinical decision-making, this tool has the potential to positively impact patient care and outcomes. Future work may focus on further refining the model and exploring its integration with multimodal ultrasound data to maximize its accuracy and applicability.

Diabetes is a very complex endocrine disease whose common feature is the increase in blood glucose concentration. Persistent hyperglycemia can lead to blindness, kidney and heart disease, neurodegeneration, and many other serious complications that have a significant impact on human health and quality of life. The number of people with diabetes is increasing yearly. The global diabetes prevalence in 20-79 year olds in 2021 was estimated to be 10.5% (536.6 million), and it will rise to 12.2% (783.2 million) in 2045. The main modes of intervention for diabetes include medication, dietary management, and exercise conditioning. Medication is the mainstay of treatment. Marketed diabetes drugs such as metformin and insulin, as well as GLP-1 receptor agonists, are effective in controlling blood sugar levels to some extent, but the preventive and therapeutic effects are still unsatisfactory. Peptide drugs have many advantages such as low toxicity, high target specificity, and good biocompatibility, which opens up new avenues for the treatment of diabetes and other diseases. Currently, insulin and its analogs are by far the main life-saving drugs in clinical diabetes treatment, enabling effective control of blood glucose levels, but the risk of hypoglycemia is relatively high and treatment is limited by the route of delivery. New and oral anti-diabetic drugs have always been a market demand and research hotspot. Inhibitor cystine knot (ICK) peptides are a class of multifunctional cyclic peptides. In structure, they contain three conserved disulfide bonds (C3-C20, C7-C22, and C15-C32) form a compact “knot” structure, which can resist degradation of digestive protease. Recent studies have shown that ICK peptides derived from legume, such as PA1b, Aglycin, Vglycin, Iglycin, Dglycin, and aM₁, exhibit excellent regulatory activities on glucose and lipid metabolism at the cellular and animal levels. Mechanistically, ICK peptides promote glucose utilization by muscle and liver through activation of IR/AKT signaling pathway, which also improves insulin resistance. They can repair the damaged pancrease through activation of PI3K/AKT/Erk signaling pathway, thus lowering blood glucose. The biostability and hypoglycemic efficacy of the ICK peptides meet the requirements for commercialization of oral drugs, and in theory, they can be developed into natural oral anti-diabetes peptide drugs. In this review, the structural properties, activity and mechanism of ICK pattern peptides in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism were summaried, which provided a reference for the development of new oral peptides for diabetes.

Objective: To understand the distribution of tobacco retailer within 100 meters outside middle schools in Wuhan City and its impact on smoking behavior of middle school students, so as to provide basis and feasible suggestions for the development of tobacco control policy for adolescents. Methods: From February to May 2023, a multi stage stratified cluster random sampling method was used to select 20 middle schools from 4 districts in Wuhan City. To investigate the distribution of tobacco retailer within 100 metres outside the school and the sale of tobacco to minors. A total of 4 882 students were surveyed using the core questions of the 2021 Chinese Adolescent Tobacco Prevalence Questionnaire. Fisher exact probability test, Chi square test and Chi square trend test were used for statistical analysis. Results: Nearly 70.00% of middle schools had tobacco retailer within 100 metres, with an average of (1.10±0.97) per middle school. The awareness rate (100.00%) and labeling rate (87.50%) of licensed tobacco retailer were higher than those of non licensed tobacco retailer (33.33%, 16.67%) ( P <0.05). The rates of tried smoking, current smoking and buying cigarettes within 30 days were 7.13%, 1.99% and 2.54%, respectively. The rates of students who tried smoking ( 8.58 %), current smoking (2.29%) and buying cigarettes within 30 days (2.85%) in schools with tobacco retailer within 100 metres were higher than those in schools without tobacco retailer (3.79%, 1.28%, 1.83%)( χ 2=35.80, 5.37, 4.37 , P <0.05). And as the grade increased, the rates of tried smoking, current smoking and buying cigarettes among middle school students all showed an upward trend ( χ 2 trend =66.20, 36.10, 16.17, P <0.05). Conclusions Middle school students in Wuhan City have high tobacco availability. The findings suggest that school ban should be extended from 50 meters to 100 meters, and the regulatory authorities must strictly prohibit selling tobacco products to minors at tobacco retailer.

Objective     To construct a radiomics model for identifying clinical high-risk carotid plaques. Methods     A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with carotid artery stenosis in China-Japan Friendship Hospital from December 2016 to June 2022. The patients were classified as a clinical high-risk carotid plaque group and a clinical low-risk carotid plaque group according to the occurrence of stroke, transient ischemic attack and other cerebrovascular clinical symptoms within six months. Six machine learning models including eXtreme Gradient Boosting, support vector machine, Gaussian Naive Bayesian, logical regression, K-nearest neighbors and artificial neural network were established. We also constructed a joint predictive model combined with logistic regression analysis of clinical risk factors. Results    Finally 652 patients were collected, including 427 males and 225 females, with an average age of 68.2 years. The results showed that the prediction ability of eXtreme Gradient Boosting was the best among the six machine learning models, and the area under the curve (AUC) in validation dataset was 0.751. At the same time, the AUC of eXtreme Gradient Boosting joint prediction model established by clinical data and carotid artery imaging data validation dataset was 0.823. Conclusion     Radiomics features combined with clinical feature model can effectively identify clinical high-risk carotid plaques.

Objective Data mining method was used to analyze the Chinese herbal prescriptions for oral use in treating venomous snake bites collected from the major domestic literature databases and the surgery volume of Zhong Hua Yi Fang(Chinese Medical Prescriptions),so as to explore their potential prescription and medication rules,and to provide references for the treatment of venomous snake bites in the primary hospitals.Methods The Chinese herbal prescriptions for oral use in treating venomous snake bites were retrieved from the CNKI,VIP and Wanfang databases,and the ancient formulas for treating venomous snake bites were screened in the surgery volume of Zhong Hua Yi Fang(Chinese Medical Prescriptions).Excel software was used to extract the relevant information of the formulas,and R language was used to analyze the medication frequency,properties,flavors and meridian tropism of the herbs as well as their association rules and clustering analysis.Results A total of 187 prescriptions for oral use in treating venomous snake bite were obtained,involving 284 Chinese herbal medicines.The top 15 Chinese herbal medicines in decreasing sequence of medication frequency were Lobeliae Chinensis Herba,Rhei Radix et Rhizoma,Angelicae Dahuricae Radix,Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Paridis Rhizoma,Rehmanniae Radix,Coptidis Rhizoma,Scutellariae Radix,Lonicerae Japonicae Flos,Paeoniae Radix Rubra,Moutan Cortex,Hedyotis Diffusae Herba,Imperatae Rhizoma,Plantaginis Herba,and Scutellariae Barbatae Herba.The flavor of herbs in the prescription for the treatment of venomous snakebite was usually bitter,pungent and sweet,and their property was relatively cold.Most of the herbs had the meridian tropism of the liver meridian and lung meridian.The core prescription mainly composed of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma,Lobeliae Chinensis Herba,and Paridis Rhizoma was obtained after association rule analysis and cluster analysis.Conclusion The herbs for the treatment of venomous snake bites often have the actions of clearing heat and removing toxins,and the prescription is usually composed of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma,Lobeliae Chinensis Herba,Paridis Rhizoma together with the compatibility of medicines for clearing heat and cooling blood,extinguishing wind and arresting convulsion,clearing heat and promoting urination.

Objective To design an experimental device for simulating the interface micro motion of bone trabecular prosthesis and carry out the finite element analysis.Methods The experimental device was composed of a screw-in cylinder with threads,a flexible hinge,a micro-motion rod,a trabecular prosthesis,a connecting rod and a fixation post.A model of the experimental device was constructed with SolidWorks software,and then imported into ABAQUS software to establish a finite element model.An axial displacement load was applied to the femur to analyze the effects of the position of the flexible hinge,the gap between the prosthesis and the femur and the length of the connecting rod on the micro motion.Results The interface micro motion produced by the experimental device increased with the distance of the flexible hinge from the lower end of the screwed-in cylinder;the gap between the prosthesis and the femur did not affect the interface micro motion when the gap was not lower than 20 μm;the interface micro motion rose with the length of the connecting rod.Conclusion The experimental device can accurately simulate the micro motion of different bone trabecular prosthesis interfaces,and can be used for studying the effect of the interface micro motion on osseointegration.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(1):25-30]

Objective To understand the infection status of patients with maintenance hemodialysis(MHD)in Guizhou Province,and provide basis for the prevention and control of hemodialysis-related infection.Methods MHD patients in hemodialysis centers of 124 secondary and or higher grade medical institutions in Guizhou Province from July to December 2022 were surveyed.Survey content included the general conditions of patients,hemodialysis-related conditions,infection of pathogens of blood-borne diseases,and other infection-related conditions.Results A total of 15 114 MHD patients were surveyed,with age mainly ranging from 36 to＜60 years old(55.83％).Hemodialysis history ranged mainly from 1 year to＜5 years(59.37％),and the frequency of hemodi-alysis was mainly 3 times per week(73.91％).Autologous arteriovenous fistula(AVF)was the major vascular access for dialysis,with a total of 12 948 cases(85.77％).The main primary disease was chronic renal failure(99.89％).The infection rates of hepatitis B virus(HBV),hepatitis C virus(HCV),human immunodeficiency vi-rus(HIV),and Treponema pallidum in MHD patients were 5.29％,0.64％,0.24％,and 1.70％,respectively.HBV infection rates among MHD patients of different ages,different numbers of dialysis hospitals,and dialysis in-stitutions of different scales showed statistically significant differences(all P＜0.05).HCV infection rates among MHD patients of different ages,with different dialysis times and from institutions of different scales were signifi-cantly different(all P＜0.05).TP infection rates among MHD patients of different ages and different numbers of dialysis hospitals were all significantly different(all P＜0.05).Infection rates of HBV and HCV in MHD patients aged from 36 to 60 years old(not included)were relatively higher(6.10％and 0.84％,respectively).Patients with dialysis time ≥10 years had a higher HCV infection rate(1.64％).Infection rates of HCV,HIV,and TP in pa-tients dialyzed in medical institutions with ≥90 dialysis beds were relatively higher(0.74％,0.28％,and 1.94％,respectively).Medical institutions with＜30 dialysis beds had the highest HBV infection rate(18.64％).There were 9 cases(0.06％)of vascular puncture infection,12 cases(0.08％)of bloodstream infection,7 cases(0.05％)of vascular access-related bloodstream infection,and 30 cases(0.20％)of pulmonary infection.Vascular access-re-lated bloodstream infection rate and pulmonary infection rate among MHD patients with different types of vascular access showed statistically significant difference(all P＜0.05).Vascular access-related bloodstream infection rate(0.37％)and pulmonary infection rate(1.10％)of patients with non-cuffed catheters vascular access were higher than those of other types.Conclusion MHD patients in Guizhou Province are mainly middle-aged and young peo-ple,with more males than females.The dialysis frequency is mostly 3 times per week,and AVF is the major vascu-lar access.MHD patients are prone to complications such as infections of HBV,HCV,HIV,and TP,as well as bloodstream infection and pulmonary infection.

Objective To conduct risk assessment analysis through risk assessment model for postoperative pneu-monia(POP)in surgical departments constructed according to analytic hierarchy process(AHP)-risk matrix,and evaluate the application effectiveness of the model.Methods Taking a tertiary comprehensive teaching hospital as an example,a risk assessment was conducted on the occurrence of POP in 15 surgical departments in 2022.The ap-plication effect of POP risk assessment model for the surgical departments constructed based on the AHP-risk ma-trix was evaluated,and the POP risk level of the surgical departments was determined.Results Through applica-tion of risk assessment model,the POP risk level of the surgical departments was divided into 5 levels,namely ex-tremely high risk(n=3),high risk(n=1),medium risk(n=5),low risk(n=4),and extremely low risk(n=2).Conclusion The application effect of the surgical POP risk assessment model based on AHP-risk matrix method is good,achieving quantitative assessment of healthcare-associated infection risk,and providing data basis and support for further targeted risk control.

Objective:To study the clinical safety and validity of retrograde new endoscopic field of vision in miniature pigs.Methods:6 live miniature pigs were selected as study subjects,En-doscopic Retrograde New View(ERNV)was selected.The performance,image quality and intraoper-ative and postoperative complications were evaluated.To evaluate whether all the experimental ani-mals could complete the relevant endoscopy.Verify ERNV's operating performance,including whether the duodenoscope can enter the biliary tract smoothly,and made sure whether the injection,suction,and instrument channels were unobstructed.Choledochoscope image clarity,color resolu-tion,image deformation and distortion,accurate evaluation of lumen conditions and clear observation of mucosal surface conditions were analyzed.Whether there were operant injuries such as bleeding and perforation,as well as adverse events such as respiratory depression and cardiac arrest.The sur-vival status and adverse reactions of all pigs were observed.Results:The choledochoscope was successfully inserted into the bile duct of 6 miniature pigs.The product had good operation perfor-mance and could enter the bile duct through the duodenoscope smoothly.The injection,suction and instrument channels were relatively smooth.In addition,the endoscopic images are clear,with better color resolution,and without image deformation and distortion,which can realize accurate evaluation of the conditions in the lumen and observe the mucosal surface conditions more clearly.No bile duct stenosis or dilatation occurred in all miniature pigs,and the bile duct mucosa was smooth,without hyperemia and edema,and no abnormal thickening or bending of mucous vessels.During the exami-nation,there were no operational injuries such as bleeding and perforation,and no adverse events such as respiratory depression and cardiac arrest occurred.The vital signs of all miniature pigs tended to be stable after operation,and the survival state was good,and there were no complications such as cholangitis,bleeding and perforation.Conclusion:ERNV has good clinical safety and efficacy,ex-cellent operation performance and excellent image quality,and is worthy of clinical application.

Objective: This meta-analysis aims to refine the understanding of the optimal choice between different cage shapes in transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) by systematically comparing perioperative data, radiological outcomes, clinical results, and complications associated with banana-shaped and straight bullet cages. Methods: A meticulous literature search encompassing PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, China Knowledge Network, and Wanfang Data was executed up to October 5, 2023. Inclusion criteria focused on studies comparing banana-shaped and straight bullet cages in TLIF. The quality of included studies was assessed using appropriate tools such as the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for nonrandomized studies. Rigorous evaluations were performed for radiographic outcomes, including disc height (DH), segmental lordosis (SL), lumbar lordosis (LL), subsidence, and fusion rates. Clinical outcomes were meticulously evaluated using visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and complications. Results: The analysis incorporated 7 studies, involving 573 patients (297 with banana-shaped cages, 276 with straight cages), all with NOS ratings exceeding 5 stars. No statistically significant differences were observed in operative time, blood loss, or hospitalization between the 2 cage shapes. Banana-shaped cages exhibited greater changes in DH (p = 0.001), SL (p = 0.02), and LL (p = 0.01). Despite statistically higher changes in ODI for straight cages (26.33, p < 0.0001), the actual value remained similar to banana-shaped cages (26.15). Both cage types demonstrated similar efficacy in VAS, complication rates, subsidence, and fusion rates. Conclusion Although banana-shaped cages can excel in restoring DH, SL, and LL, straight bullet cages can provide comparable functional improvements, pain relief, and complication rates.