Objective:To develop a predictive model for intrapartum fever related to chorioamnionitis in parturients undergoing epidural labor analgesia.Methods:This was a retrospective study. The parturients with intrapartum fever (axillary temperature ≥38 ℃) who received epidural labor analgesia from January 2020 to December 2022 in Sichuan Maternal and Child Health Hospital were selected as model group, and parturients with intrapartum fever who received epidural labor analgesia from January to October 2023 in Sichuan Maternal and Child Health Hospital were selected as validation group. The parturients in model group were divided into histological chorioamnionitis stage ≥Ⅱ group (HCA≥Ⅱ group) and histological chorioamnionitis stage <Ⅱ group (HCA<Ⅱ group) according to the results of placental histopathological examination. Logistic regression analysis was used to screen the independent risk factors for intrapartum fever related to chorioamnionitis in parturients, and then a nomogram model was established. The discrimination of the model was verified by the area under the the receiver operating characteristic curve. The consistency of the model was verified by the calibration curve, and the clinical effectiveness of the model was determined by the decision curve. The validation dataset was used to further evaluate the model.Results:A total of 308 parturients were finally included in model group and 99 parturients in validation group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the gestational age, meconium-stained amniotic fluid, c-reactive protein concentration and maximum body temperature were independent risk factors for intrapartum fever related to chorioamnionitis in parturients undergoing epidural labor analgesia ( P<0.05). Based on this, a nomogram risk prediction model was developed. The area under the curve (95% confidence interval) was 0.844 (0.744-0.944) in model group and 0.812 (0.674-0.950) in validation group. The calibration curve showed that the prediction probability of the model had good consistency with the actual probability of diagnosis. The decision curve showed that the threshold probability of the prediction model in model group and validation group was 10%-98% and 10%-78%, respectively. Conclusions:A nomogram prediction model for intrapartum fever related to chorioamnionitis is successfully established based on the gestational age, c-reactive protein concentration, meconium-stained amniotic fluid and maximum body temperature in parturients undergoing epidural labor analgesia. The model has good predictive performance and clinical value.

Objective To compare the efficacy of anterior-posterior and posterior-anterior screw fixation for posterior malleolar fractures surgery.Methods A retrospective analysis of 376 cases of posterior malleolar fractures treated with lag screws from January 2011 to October 2022 with more than 12 months of follow-up period was conducted.The patients were divided into two subgroups based on the thickness of the fracture fragment,with 167 cases in the small fracture subgroup having a fracture fragment thickness＜17 mm(screw thread length)and 209 cases in the large fracture subgroup having a fracture fragment thickness ≥ 17 mm.Each subgroup was further divided into anterior-posterior and posterior-anterior groups based on the direction of screw fixation in the posterior malleolar fracture surgery.In the small fracture subgroups,there were 74 cases in the anterior-posterior group and 93 cases in the posterior-anterior group.In the large fracture subgroup,there were 88 cases in the anterior-posterior group and 121 cases in the posterior-anterior group.The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society(AOFAS)ankle-hindfoot score was measured at the last follow-up.The displacement of the fracture fragment in the direction of the fracture line(Dn)and perpendicular to the fracture line(Dt)were measured on the first day after surgery and at the last follow-up,and the displacement of the fracture fragment was calculated,which was the difference between Dn+Dt at the last follow-up and Dn+Dt on the first day after surgery.Results On the first day after surgery,X-ray showed no significant difference in Dn and Dt between the anterior-posterior and posterior-anterior groups in both of the small and large fracture subgroups(P＞0.05).The entire group was followed up for 12-85 months,with an average of 19.3 months.In the small fracture subgroup,the displacement of the fracture fragment in the posterior-anterior group[(0.11±0.19)mm]was superior to that in the anterior-posterior group[(0.19±0.21)mm;P=0.011],and the AOFAS score was also superior to that in the anterior-posterior group[(80.2±8.4)points vs.(76.2±8.6)points,P=0.003].In the large fracture subgroup,there was no significant difference in fracture displacement between the posterior-anterior group[(0.11±0.18)mm]and the anterior-posterior group[(0.12±0.19)mm;P=0.630],and there was also no significant difference in AOFAS scores[(84.1±7.8)points vs.(82.8±7.6)points,P=0.246].Conclusions There is no significant difference in the reduction effect between anterior-posterior and posterior-anterior lag screw internal fixation for posterior malleolar fractures in trimalleolar fractures.For patients with fracture thickness＜17 mm,posterior-anterior fixation is superior to anterior-posterior fixation;for patients with fracture thickness ≥17 mm,there is no significant difference in the efficacy between anterior-posterior and posterior-anterior fixation.

Objective:To investigate the application effect of 3D digital modeling combined with 3D printed model in assisting the classroom theoretical teaching of orthopedics in five-year undergraduate students majoring in clinical medicine.Methods:In May 2022, 33 five-year undergraduate students majoring in clinical medicine in the class of 2018 in Southwest Medical University were selected and divided into experimental group with 17 students and control group with 16 students according to the odd or even student number. The students in the experimental group were taught by traditional PPT+3D digital modeling combined with 3D printed model, and those in the control group were taught by the traditional PPT teaching method. The teaching effect was evaluated by theoretical examination and a questionnaire survey on the degree of satisfaction with teaching. SPSS 25.0 was used to perform the t-test, the Mann-Whitney U test, the rank sum test, and the chi-square test. Results:The experimental group had a significantly higher score of theoretical examination than the control group (86.24±4.16 vs. 82.50±6.06). The questionnaire survey on the degree of satisfaction with teaching showed that compared with the control group, the experimental group had a significantly higher degree of satisfaction with the understanding and learning of orthopedic diseases [3 (2, 3) vs. 2 (2, 2), P < 0.05], the improvement in learning interest [2 (2, 3) vs. 2 (1, 2), P < 0.05], classroom innovation [3 (3, 3) vs. 2 (1.5, 2), P < 0.05], and overall classroom teaching [3 (2, 3) vs. 2 (2, 2), P < 0.05]. Conclusion:In assisting the classroom theoretical teaching of orthopedics in undergraduate students majoring in clinical medicine, 3D digital modeling combined with 3D printed model can provide concrete 3D models, reduce the difficulties in learning, improve the awareness of orthopedic diseases, strengthen learning interest, and increase the degree of satisfaction with teaching and academic scores.

Based on the virtual simulation of "digital embryo" in the digital teaching platform for medical morphology, this study constructs the course resources of human embryology by integrating the contents of the course, recording micro-videos, formulating course guides, and analyzing clinical cases, then implements the blended teaching model of pre-class preview, in-class discussion, and after-class expansion, and establishes a course evaluation system combining formative assessment and end-of-course assessment. Comparison of assessment scores and satisfaction questionnaire between traditional off-line teaching and blended teaching showed a significant improvement in total score, and more than 5% of the students reported a significant reduction in the difficulty of the course, while the degree of satisfaction with the course was increased by 11%. This suggests that the establishment of the blended teaching model of human embryology meets the requirements for personalized and diversified learning among students, realizes the diversity of teaching methods and teaching evaluation, and improves the quality of teaching.

Objective:To explore independent predictors for poor outcome at 3 months in elderly patients with acute cerebral infarction(ACI)treated with intravenous thrombolysis(IVT), and to develop a nomogram-based predictive model.Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study.Clinical, laboratory and imaging data of 346 elderly patients with ACI treated with IVT from January 2016 to April 2021 in our hospital were collected.Poor outcome was defined as a modified Rankin Scale(mRS)score >2 at 3 months after the stroke.Logistic regression analysis was used to screen for independent factors predicting poor outcome in elderly ACI patients treated with IVT, and a corresponding nomogram model was developed using the R software.The ROC curve, calibration plots and decision curve analysis were used to evaluate discrimination, calibration and clinical application value of the nomogram model.Results:Among 346 candidates, 109 developed a poor outcome, representing a rate of 31.5%.Logistic regression analysis showed that symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation( OR=15.647, 95% CI: 8.913-27.454), stroke severity(moderate stroke, OR=3.322, 95% CI: 1.414-7.811; moderate-severe stroke, OR=8.169, 95% CI: 4.102-16.258; severe stroke, OR=9.653, 95% CI: 5.440-17.121), stroke-associated pneumonia( OR=2.239, 95% CI: 1.134-4.420), and heart failure( OR=2.758, 95% CI: 1.424-5.336)were independent predictors for poor outcome at 3 months in elderly ACI patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis(all P<0.05). With the area under curve(AUC-ROC)value at 0.85(95% CI: 0.80-0.89), the nomogram model, which was composed of the above four predictors, demonstrated good discrimination.On the calibration plot, the mean absolute error was 0.020, indicating that the model had good calibration.Decision curve analysis revealed that the model had good clinical application value. Conclusions:The nomogram model composed of symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation, stroke severity, stroke-associated pneumonia and heart failure may predict poor outcome at 3 months in elderly ACI patients treated with IVT, with high prediction accuracy and high clinical application value.

Objective:To establish the biology reference interval (RI) of peripheral blood procalcitonin (PCT) for children between 3 days and 6 years old in China.Methods:Totally 3 353 reference individuals with apparent health or no specific diseases were recruited in 18 hospitals throughout the country during October 2020 to May 2021. Reference individuals were divided into four groups: 3-28 days, 29 days - 1 year, 1-3 years and 4-6 years. Vein blood or capillary blood were collected by percutaneous puncture from every reference individual. The PCT level in serum and the capillary whole blood were assayed by Roche Cobas e601 and Norman NRM411-S7 immunoanalyzer. Outliers were deleted and 95th percentiles of every group were provided as RIs. Man-Whitney U test or Kruskal-Wallis test were used performed to assess the difference among different gender, age or method groups. Results:The difference of PCT distribution between male and female is not statistically significant, but the difference between serum and capillary whole blood is statistically significant. The differences between age groups are significant too. For Roche e601, serum PCT RI of 3-28 days group is <0.23 μg/L, 29 days - 6 years are <0.11 μg/L. For NRM411, Serum PCT RI of 3-28 days group is <0.21 μg/L, 29 days - 1 year: <0.09 μg/L, 1 - 6 years: <0.10 μg/L. For whole blood PCT, RI of 3-28 days group is <0.26 μg/L, 29 days - 6 years is <0.15 μg/L.Conclusions:Serum and capillary whole blood PCT have different RIs, however, capillary whole blood PCT testing is valuable in pediatric application. Children in 3-28 days show higher PCT levels than other age group. To establish the RIs and understand the differences among different groups are essential for the interpretation and clinical application of peripheral blood PCT testing results.

Objective:To investigate prognostic factors for acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) , and to construct a nomogram to verify the predictive value of these factors.Methods:Clinical data on 1 573 patients with ALM were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database of National Cancer Institute in United States between 2004 and 2015. Data about patients′ age, gender, ulcer status, SEER staging, surgical protocols, T-, N- and M-staging, overall survival rates and disease-specific survival rates were extracted. Chi-square test was used to analyze the correlation of clinical characteristics with overall survival rates and melanoma-specific survival rates, and univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to investigate prognostic factors and establish predictive models.Results:Among the 1 537 patients with ALM, 714 were males, 823 were females, 818 were under 64 years of age, and 1 363 were Caucasian. Skin lesions occurred on the lower limbs and buttocks in 1 205 cases, and 974 cases had ulcers; according to the SEER staging, non-spread localized skin lesions were observed in 1 048 cases. There were significant differences in the mortality rate among patients of different ages at diagnosis, different gender, with different ulcer status, surgical status, and at different SEER stages, T-stages, N-stages and M-stages (all P < 0.001) . Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that age ≥ 65 years, male, ulcers and distant lymph node metastasis in the SEER staging were associated with increased risk of death in the patients (all P < 0.05) , and the mortality rate was significantly higher in the patients with T2-, T3- or T4-stage ALM than in those with T1-stage ALM (all P < 0.05) , and higher in the patients with N1-, N2- and N3-stage ALM than in those with N0-stage ALM (all P < 0.05) . Conclusion:Age, gender, ulcer status, SEER stage, T-stage and N-stage are independent prognostic factors for overall survival rates and disease-specific survival rates of ALM.

Objective: To develop a model incorporating radiomic features and clinical factors to accurately predict acute ischemic stroke (AIS) outcomes. Materials and Methods: Data from 522 AIS patients (382 male [73.2%]; mean age ± standard deviation, 58.9 ± 11.5 years) were randomly divided into the training (n = 311) and validation cohorts (n = 211). According to the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 6 months after hospital discharge, prognosis was dichotomized into good (mRS ≤ 2) and poor (mRS > 2); 1310 radiomics features were extracted from diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient maps. The minimum redundancy maximum relevance algorithm and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regression method were implemented to select the features and establish a radiomics model. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the clinical factors and construct a clinical model. Ultimately, a multivariable logistic regression analysis incorporating independent clinical factors and radiomics score was implemented to establish the final combined prediction model using a backward step-down selection procedure, and a clinical-radiomics nomogram was developed. The models were evaluated using calibration, receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and decision curve analyses. Results: Age, sex, stroke history, diabetes, baseline mRS, baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, and radiomics score were independent predictors of AIS outcomes. The area under the ROC curve of the clinical-radiomics model was 0.868 (95% confidence interval, 0.825–0.910) in the training cohort and 0.890 (0.844–0.936) in the validation cohort, which was significantly larger than that of the clinical or radiomics models. The clinical radiomics nomogram was well calibrated (p > 0.05). The decision curve analysis indicated its clinical usefulness. Conclusion The clinical-radiomics model outperformed individual clinical or radiomics models and achieved satisfactory performance in predicting AIS outcomes.

Objective:To explore the performance of the commonly used whole blood C-reactive protein (CRP) detection systems and give related recommendation on the performance requirements of detection systems.Methods:A total of 7 540 venous blood samples from 26 maternal, child and children′s hospitals were collected to conduct this multi-center study on the analytical performance of 5 commonly used whole blood CRP detection systems from March to April in 2019. The blank check, carryover, repeatability, intermediate precision, linearity, sample stability, influence of hematocrit/triglyceride/bilirubin, comparison with SIEMENS specific protein analyzer and trueness were evaluated. The 5 systems included BC-5390CRP autohematology analyzer, AstepPLUS specific protein analyzer, Ottoman-1000 Automated Specific Protein POCT Workstation, i-CHROMA Immunofluorometer equipment Reader and Orion QuikRead go detecting instrument. The 5 systems were labeled as a, b, c, d and e randomly.Results:Within the 5 systems, all values of blank check were less than 1.00 mg/L, the carryovers were lower than 1.00%. The repeatability of different ranges of CRP concentrations including 3.00-10.00, 10.00-30.00 and>30.00 mg/L were less than 10.00%, 6.00% and 5.00%, respectively, and the intermediate precision was less than 10.00%. The linearity correlation coefficients of the 5 systems were all above 0.975, while the slope was within 0.950-1.050. Whole blood samples were stable within 72 hours both at room temperature (18-25 ℃) and refrigerated temperature (2-8 ℃). The CRP results were rarely influenced by high triglyceride or bilirubin, except for the immmunoturbidimetric test based on microparticles coated with anti-human CRP F(ab) 2 fragments. When triglyceride was less than 15.46 mmol/L, the deviation of CRP was less than 10.00%. When bilirubin was less than 345.47 μmol/L, the deviation of CRP was less than 10.00%. CRP was more susceptible to Hct on the systems without Hct correction. The deviation of CRP between different Hct dilution concentration and 40% dilution concentration can reach as high as 67.48%. The correlation coefficients ( r) of 5 systems were all more than 0.975 in the range of 0-300.00 mg/L compared with Siemens specific protein analyzer. All systems passed the trueness verification using the samples with specified values of 12.89 and 30.60 mg/L. Conclusion:The performance of 5 systems can basically meet the clinical needs, but it is suggested that the whole blood CRP detection system without automatic Hct correction should be modified manually.

Objective:To explore the value of intravascular optical coherence tomography (OCT) in evaluating carotid atherosclerotic stenosis, and compare the morphological characteristics of symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid atherosclerotic plaques.Methods:Patients diagnosed as carotid atherosclerotic stenosis and performed OCT in the Department of Neurology, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University from January 2017 to November 2019 were enrolled retrospectively. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and OCT were used to determine the degree of stenosis of the diseased vessels, and the plaque characteristics observed by OCT were recorded. Symptomatic carotid atherosclerotic stenosis is defined as a history of transient ischemic attack, amaurosis fugax, or stroke related to the blood supply area of the diseased vessel within 6 months before the carotid artery examination. The baseline clinical and imaging data of the symptomatic group and the asymptomatic group were compared. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for symptomatic carotid atherosclerotic stenosis. Results:A total of 56 patients were enrolled. DSA and OCT had good consistency in carotid artery diameter measurement ( r=0.93, P<0.001). When the OCT technique was used to evaluate the plaque properties, the consistency of inter-observer ( κ=0.96, P<0.001) and intra-observer ( κ=0.96, P<0.001) was higher. The proportions of patients with type Ⅵ plaque (66.7% vs. 34.5%; P=0.016) and macrophage infiltration (51.9% vs. 24.1%; P=0.032) in the symptomatic group were significantly higher than those in the asymptomatic group, while the proportion of patients with fibrotic plaque was significantly lower than that in the asymptomatic group (40.7% vs. 69.0%; P=0.034). Multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that type Ⅵ plaques (odds ratio 13.798, 95% confidence interval 1.38-137.675; P=0.025) and macrophage infiltration (odds ratio 5.856, 95% confidence interval 1.405-24.406; P=0.015) were the independent risk factors for symptomatic carotid atherosclerotic stenosis. Conclusions:OCT can be used to evaluate the degree of vascular stenosis and plaque characteristics in patients with carotid atherosclerotic stenosis. The detection rate of complex plaques in patients with symptomatic carotid atherosclerotic stenosis is significantly higher. Type Ⅵ plaque and macrophage infiltration are the independent risk factors for symptomatic carotid atherosclerotic stenosis.