Persistent left superior vena cava is a rare venous variant that is often combined with cardiovascular malformations. In thoracic surgery, especially mediastinal tumor resection, neglect of this variant may make the surgery difficult and risky, and careful preoperative imaging interpretation and adequate preoperative evaluation play an important role in the perioperative safety of the patient. In this paper, we reported a case of a 17-year-old female patient with a persistent left superior vena cava combined with mediastinal tumors. She was successfully discharged 5 days after thoracoscopic surgery, and after 3 years of postoperative follow-up, no tumor recurrence was observed.

Objective:To explore the effect of family empowerment model on the improvement of swallowing care ability and care preparedness of primary caregivers of first-episode stroke dysphagia patients, further to explore its impact on patients′s wallowing function and life quality.Methods:This study was a randomized controlled study. From January 2021 to December 2022, 80 main caregivers of patients with dysphagia caused by manual stroke admitted to the Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Shenzhen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were selected as the research objects, and 40 cases in the control group and 40 cases in the observation group were selected by random number table method. The control group were treated with conventional nursing care of first-episode stroke dysphagia patients in the acupuncture and moxibustion Department. On the basis of the conventional care in the control group, the observation group were treated with family empowerment model intervention for 14 days and was followed up for 28 days. Primary caregivers′ swallowing care ability, Caregiver Preparedness Scale (CPS), patients′ swallowing function rate, Swallowing Related Quality of Life (SWALQOL) were used to evaluate the effects before intervention and at the end of intervention.Results:There were 18 males and 19 females primary caregivers in the control group, aged (55.61 ± 7.43) years old. There were 18 males and 21 females primary caregivers in the observation group, aged (58.23 ± 8.22) years old. The swallowing care ability score showed a statistically significant difference between the observation group (143.47 ± 3.96) and the control group (107.74 ± 1.43) ( t=-26.76, P<0.05). After intervention, the caregiver preparedness scale was (26.11 ± 3.81) in the observation group, and (18.35 ± 4.54) in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant ( t=-4.11, P<0.05).The patients′ swallowing function rate and SWALQOL score were respectively 97.44% (38/39) and (91.41 ± 8.08) points in the observation group, and 72.97% (27/37) and (80.33 ± 4.21) points in the control group, and the difference was both statistically significant ( χ2=10.76, t=-2.54, both P<0.05). Conclusions:The implementation of family empowerment model could enhance the swallowing care ability and care preparedness of primary caregivers of the first-episode stroke dysphagia patients, which could further improve patients′ swallowing function and life quality.

OBJECTIVE To test and compare the median effective dose(ED50) of ciprofol for gastroscope in patients of different genders and ages. METHODS Patients who planed to undergo gastroscope examination and treatment from March 2023 to April 2023 were selected, and divided into four groups according to stratified random method: N1 group(non-elderly male patients), N2 group(non-elderly female patients), N3 group(elderly male patients), and N4 group(elderly female patients). All patients received intravenous injection of 0.1 μg·kg−1 sufentanil followed by injection of the test dose of ciprofol according to Dixon’s modified sequential method. Gastroscope was performed after the disappearance of the eyelash reflex. The initial dose of ciprofol in all four groups was 0.4 mg·kg−1, and the ratio of adjacent doses was 1∶1.1. The next patient would receive a 10% increase in the dose of ciprofol if the patient experienced positive reactions such as coughing, frowning, and body movements during the endoscopy process. Otherwise, it would be judged as a negative reaction, and the next patient would receive a 10% decrease in the dose of ciprofol. The transition from a positive reaction to a negative reaction was defined as a turning point, and the study was terminated when seven turning points occurred. Hemodynamic parameters, oxygen saturation and adverse reactions were recorded at different time points. The Probit regression analysis method was used to calculate the ED50 of ciprofol for four groups. RESULTS The ED50 of ciprofol combined with 0.1 μg·kg−1 sufentanil for gastroscope in the non-elderly men, non-elderly women, elderly men, and elderly women were 0.409, 0.373, 0.356, 0.327 mg·kg−1, respectively. The ED50 of ciprofol in the N1 group was significantly higher compared with the N2 group and N3 group(P<0.05). The ED50 of ciprofol in the N4 group was significantly lower compared with the N2 group and N3 group(P<0.05). CONCLUSION The ED50 of ciprofol is significantly different among gastroscope patients of different genders and ages, which is lower in female patients than in male patients, and is lower in older patients than in non-elderly patients.

Objective:To develop a risk prediction model for identifying bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) associated pulmonary hypertension (PH) in very premature infants.Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study. The clinical data of 626 very premature infants whose gestational age <32 weeks and who suffered from BPD were collected from October 1 st, 2015 to December 31 st, 2021 of the Seventh Medical Center of the People′s Liberation Army General Hospital as a modeling set. The clinical data of 229 very premature infants with BPD of Hunan Children′s Hospital from January 1 st, 2020 to December 31 st, 2021 were collected as a validation set for external verification. The very premature infants with BPD were divided into PH group and non PH group based on the echocardiogram after 36 weeks′ corrected age in the modeling set and validation set, respectively. Univariate analysis was used to compare the basic clinical characteristics between groups, and collinearity exclusion was carried out between variables. The risk factors of BPD associated PH were further screened out by multivariate Logistic regression, and the risk assessment model was established based on these variables. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under curve (AUC) and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test were used to evaluate the model′s discrimination and calibration power, respectively. And the calibration curve was used to evaluate the accuracy of the model and draw the nomogram. The bootstrap repeated sampling method was used for internal verification. Finally, decision curve analysis (DCA) to evaluate the clinical practicability of the model was used. Results:A total of 626 very premature infants with BPD were included for modeling set, including 85 very premature infants in the PH group and 541 very premature infants in the non PH group. A total of 229 very premature infants with BPD were included for validation set, including 24 very premature infants in the PH group and 205 very premature infants in the non PH group. Univariate analysis of the modeling set found that 22 variables, such as artificial conception, fetal distress, gestational age, birth weight, small for gestational age, 1 minute Apgar score ≤7, antenatal corticosteroids, placental abruption, oligohydramnios, multiple pulmonary surfactant, neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS)>stage Ⅱ, early pulmonary hypertension, moderate-severe BPD, and hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) all had statistically significant influence between the PH group and the non PH group (all P<0.05). Antenatal corticosteroids, fetal distress, NRDS >stage Ⅱ, hsPDA, pneumonia and days of invasive mechanical ventilation were identified as predictive variables and finally included to establish the Logistic regression model. The AUC of this model was 0.86 (95% CI 0.82-0.90), the cut-off value was 0.17, the sensitivity was 0.77, and the specificity was 0.84. Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test showed that P>0.05. The AUC for external validation was 0.88, and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test suggested P>0.05. Conclusions:A high sensitivity and specificity risk prediction model of PBD associated PH in very premature infants was established. This predictive model is useful for early clinical identification of infants at high risk of BPD associated PH.

Hemophilic arthritis(HA),caused by recurrent bleeding,can seriously affect patient quality of life and consumes extensive social and medical resources.There is thus a need to establish an animal model of HA for research;however,this is limited by ethical requirements.Here we review the recent literature and summarize research progress into animal models of HA at home and abroad,from the aspects of species selection,modeling method,histopathology,and imaging evaluation method.Species selection includes rodents such as mice,New Zealand rabbits,beagles,miniature pigs,and crab-eating macaques.Modeling method comprise gene knockout trauma models,gene knockout spontaneous models,and injection models.Among these,the gene knockout spontaneous model closely mimics the pathological process of spontaneous bleeding and concurrent arthritis in human HA,making it more relevant to human HA.However,due to high modeling costs,phenotypic instability,and low survival rates,this model is not the preferred choice for animal experimental studies.In contrast,gene knockout trauma models exhibit characteristics such as short modeling time,strong stability,and high success rates,thus being widely utilized in animal experimental research.Evaluation of HA models involves various imaging method including MRI,micro-CT,MSKUS/PD,in addition to various gross scoring method.By reviewing the progress of HA model research,more experimental evidence is provided for investigating the pathogenesis and validating the efficacy of HA treatments,thereby compensating for the lack of clinical data,particularly in the field of traditional Chinese medicine therapy.

Objective To investigate the relationship between serum uric acid levels of full-term pregnant women with normal blood pressure and the birth weight of their newborns.Methods A total of 1200 pregnant women in the obstetrics ward of Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University were randomly selected by stratification for the study from January 2012 to December 2022.These women had full-term delive-ries and a normal blood pressure.According to the weight of neonates at delivery,they were divided into groups as follows:appropriate for gestational age(AGA,n=600),large for gestational age(LGA,n=300),and small for gestational age(SGA,n=300).Clinical data of the patients was collected for a retrospective study.Nonparametric tests were used to compare the differences in each group,and logistic regression was used to analyze the factors influencing neonatal birth weight.Results The maternal serum uric acid values in the LGA and SGA groups were 336(269-388)μmol/L and 377(297-431)μmol/L,respectively-much higher than that of the AGA group[288(243-350)μmol/L,P<0.001].Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of occurrence for LGA(for every 10 μmol/L increase in the blood uric acid level of pregnant women,the adjusted OR=1.040,95%CI:1.020-1.060)and SGA(for every 10 μmol/L increase,the adjusted OR=1.072,95%CI:1.049-1.095)increased with the level of uric acid in the patients.The birth weight percentile of neonates in the LGA group was positively correlated with uric acid levels(r=0.108,P<0.05),while in the SGA group it was negatively correlated with uric acid levels(r=-0.224,P<0.01).Restrictive cubic spline regression analysis showed that the rela-tionship between maternal uric acid levels and newborn birth weight was similar to a"U"shape.When newborn birth weight was around 3000 g,maternal uric acid level was the lowest.Conclusion Serum uric acid level of full-term pregnant women with normal blood pres-sure is an independent risk factor for neonatal birth weight.Serum uric acid level of full-term pregnant women with normal blood pressure is closely associated to neonatal birth weight,and shows a positive correlation in the LGA group and negative correlation in the SGA group.

Objective:To explore the potential genetic causes of unexplained neonatal encephalopathy.Methods:This retrospective study enrolled 113 infants diagnosed with unexplained neonatal encephalopathy and underwent genetic testing in the Children's Hospital of Hunan Province from January 2019 to May 2021. Perinatal data, clinical manifestations, electroencephalograph, brain MRI findings, genetic information, and prognosis of those patients were analyzed. T-test or Chi-square test were used for data analysis. Results:Of the 113 infants enrolled, 74 (65.5%) were males. The gestational age at birth was (38.6±1.5) weeks, and the birth weight was (2 957±561) g. The most common clinical manifestation was the disturbance of consciousness (83/113, 73.5%), followed by seizures (39/113, 34.5%). There were 38.2% (34/89) of the patients with abnormal brain MRI, and 80.4% (74/92) presented abnormal electroencephalography. Among the 113 infants, 60 (53.1%) had genetic abnormalities, including 48 with single nucleotide variations, eight with copy number variations, and four with chromosome abnormalities. Single nucleotide variations in the 48 patients were classified into syndromic ( n=18, 37.5%), metabolic ( n=16, 33.3%), epileptic ( n=11, 22.9%) and mitochondrial-related genes ( n=3, 6.3%), of which 14 were not included in any database. Among the 103 cases which were successfully followed up until December 31, 2021, 75 (72.8%) had a poor prognosis, including 52 (50.5%) death cases and 23 (22.3%) cases of development retardation. Birth weight and the incidence of seizures in the poor prognosis group were both lower than those in the non-poor prognosis group [(2 876±536) vs (3 254±554) g, t=3.15; 29.3% (22/75) vs 53.6% (15/28), χ2=5.20; both P<0.05], while the incidence of disturbance of consciousness was higher [80.0% (60/75) vs 53.6% (15/28), χ2=7.19, P<0.05]. The proportion of infants with genetic abnormalities in the poor prognosis group was higher than that in the non-poor prognosis group, but the difference was not statistically significant [53.3% (40/75) vs 46.4% (13/28), χ2=0.39, P=0.533]. Conclusions:Genetic abnormality is one of the leading causes of unexplained neonatal encephalopathy. Nucleotide variation is the most common genetic type. Syndromic, metabolic, and epileptic variants are frequently detected in these patients.

OBJECTIVE: Scutellarin is a primary active composition come from Erigeron breviscapus. It is well known that scutellarin has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant physiological functions. In this study, we detected the effects of scutellarin on hepatocyte cell apoptosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats. METHODS: Sprague Dawley (SD) (6-8 weeks, 160-180 g) rats were randomly divided into six groups: control, model, scutellarin low-dose, medium-dose, high-dose treatment, and rosiglitazone positive groups; with 10 SD rats in each group (n = 10). The changes of biochemical factors in serum were detected by automatic biochemical instrument, the pathological changes of liver tissue were detected by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, the apoptosis of liver tissue and cells was detected by tissue staining and flow analyzer, and the expression of apoptosis-related factors were determined by qPCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry in liver tissues or cells. RESULTS: The results showed that scutellarin decreased the levels of fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein and increased the levels of high-density lipoprotein. Meanwhile, scutellarin decreased the levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) and improved liver function. In addition, scutellarin suppressed the secretion of interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and reduced hepatocyte apoptosis. Furthermore, scutellarin inhibited the expression of cleaved Caspase-3, Bax, and cytochrome C (Cyt-C) and promoted the expression of Bcl-2. CONCLUSION Scutellarin can inhibit the apoptotic pathway, thereby relieving T2DM.

Migraine is one of the most prevalent and disabling neurological disease, but the current pharmacotherapies show limited efficacy and often accompanied by adverse effects. Acupuncture is a promising complementary therapy, but further clinical evidence is needed. The influence of acupuncture on migraine is not an immediate effect, and its mechanism remains unclear. This study aims to provide further clinical evidence for the anti-migraine effects of acupuncture and explore the mechanism involved. A randomized controlled trial was performed among 10 normal controls and 38 migraineurs. The migraineurs were divided into blank control, sham acupuncture, and acupuncture groups. Patients were subjected to two courses of treatment, and each treatment lasted for 5 days, with an interval of 1 day between the two courses. The effectiveness of treatment was evaluated using pain questionnaire. The functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were analyzed for investigating brain changes induced by treatments. Blood plasma was collected for metabolomics and proteomics studies. Correlation and mediation analyses were performed to investigate the interaction between clinical, fMRI and omics changes. Results showed that acupuncture effectively relieved migraine symptoms in a way different from sham acupuncture in terms of curative effect, affected brain regions, and signaling pathways. The anti-migraine mechanism involves a complex network related to the regulation of the response to hypoxic stress, reversal of brain energy imbalance, and regulation of inflammation. The brain regions of migraineurs affected by acupuncture include the lingual gyrus, default mode network, and cerebellum. The effect of acupuncture on patients' metabolites/proteins may precede that of the brain.
Humans ; Migraine Disorders/etiology* ; Brain/diagnostic imaging* ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Objective:To conduct a meta-analysis to analyze the efficacy and adverse reactions of fractionated high dose rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) as monotherapy for localized prostate cancer.Methods:Relevant databases were searched to collect the clinical trials on HDR-BT as monotherapy in patients with localized prostate cancer. Included studies were limited to full-text publications of fractionated HDR-BT as monotherapy with a median follow-up of at least 5 years, and adequate reporting of treatment outcomes and adverse reactions data. Stata 12.0 was used for data analysis.Results:According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 11 clinical trials involving 2 683 patients with prostate cancer were included in this meta-analysis. The results of the meta-analysis showed that 5-year biochemical recurrence-free survival (bRFS) rate and overall survival (OS) rate were 94% (95% CI: 93% - 96%) and 96% (95% CI: 94% - 98%), respectively. Long-term (≥5 years) cancer-specific survival (CSS) rate and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rate were 99% (95% CI: 98% - 100%) and 98% (95% CI: 98% - 99%), respectively. Long-term (≥5 years) late grade ≥3 grade gastrointestinal and genitourinary adverse reactions rates were 2% (95% CI: 1% - 3%) and 9% (95% CI: 6% - 13%), respectively. Conclusions:Fractionated HDR-BT as monotherapy is an effective treatment for patients with localized prostate cancer. Its long-term efficacy is encouraging, and the treatment is well tolerated and safe.