BACKGROUND:Laser therapy is a non-invasive and painless treatment that is considered to be an effective method suitable for the treatment of osteoarthritis due to its simplicity and non-invasive nature.Currently,the mechanism of action of laser therapy is unclear and the results of studies on its clinical application are controversial. OBJECTIVE:To review and summarize the latest research progress of laser therapy on chondrocytes,animal experiments and clinical efficacy,and to explore the possible mechanism of laser-mediated multi-pathway biological effects,so as to provide a theoretical basis for further research on the laser treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint. METHODS:A literature search was performed in CNKI,WanFang Data,VIP and PubMed databases for relevant literature published from 2018 to 2023,with"laser therapy,low level laser therapy,high level laser therapy,photobiomodulation,knee osteoarthritis,chondrocytes"as the search terms in Chinese and English,respectively.Together with 14 articles searched manually,70 articles were finally included for review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Laser therapy in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis is mainly categorized into two types:low-level laser therapy and high-level laser therapy.Differences in laser parameters and treatment protocols have a direct impact on laser efficacy.When appropriate parameters are used,low-level lasers show positive effects in cellular experiments,animal models,and clinical efficacy.High-level lasers have been less studied in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis,but some preliminary clinical studies have shown positive results.Cell experiments have shown that low-level laser promotes chondrocyte proliferation and cartilage matrix synthesis,thereby reducing inflammatory response.Animal experiments have shown that low-level laser can reduce the release of pro-inflammatory factors,promote cartilage matrix synthesis,inhibit matrix degradation,and effectively improve the repair process of cartilage tissue.Low-level laser is also able to reduce oxidative stress damage and relieve pain in knee osteoarthritis.In clinical trials,both low-and high-level laser can reduce patients'pain and improve functional activities.The combination of laser therapy and exercise therapy modalities may improve the therapeutic effect.Lasers may affect intracellular signaling and cellular functions through photobiological or thermodynamic effects.This provides direct evidence that laser promotes articular cartilage regeneration.

Objective To evaluate the effects of andrographolide on insulin resistance,dysbiosis and Notch/zinc finger protein transcription factor 1(Snail1)signaling pathway in diabetic rats.Methods A total of 70 male Wistar rats with SPF grade were selected,and 30 of them were selected for andrographolide LD50 test.After determining the lethal dose,50 mg/kg was selected for administration and observation,the remaining 40 rats,10 were used as the NC group,30 were established as the diabetes model,and a total of 28 rats were successfully modeled,which were divided into T2DM group(n=9),Metformin treatment group(Met,n=9),and andrographolide administration group(And,n=10).The NC group and T2DM group were not treated.The changes were evaluated after 14 days of intervention.Results Compared with NC group,HOMA-IR,the abundance levels of Bacteroidetes,Firmicute,mRNA and protein expression levels of Notch and Snail1,and positive expression rates were increased(P<0.05),while the abundance levels of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium were decreased in T2DM,Met and And group(P<0.05).Compared with T2DM group,HOMA-IR,the abundance levels of Bacteroidetes,Firmicute,mRNA and protein expression levels of Notch and Snail1,and positive expression rates were decreased,while the abundance levels of Lactobacillus and bifidobacterium were increased in Met and And group(P<0.05).Conclusions After andrographolide intervention,insulin resistance was alleviated,microbiota imbalance was improved,and Notch/Snail1 signaling pathway was suppressed in diabetic rats.

Objective:To construct a prognostic predictive model for patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (msTBI) based on regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO 2) and transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) monitoring parameters and validate its effectiveness. Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 161 patients with msTBI who were treated at Henan Provincial People′s Hospital from January 2021 to December 2022, including 104 males and 57 females, aged 19-76 years [(53.1±12.8)years]. Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score was 3-12 points [(7.0±1.9)points]. Both rScO 2 and TCD monitoring were performed. Based on the results of prognostic evaluation of patients with the modified Rankin scale (mRS) score at 90 days after discharge, the patients were divided into good prognosis group (mRS score≤3 points, n=88) and poor prognosis group (mRS score of 4-6 points, n=73). The following data of the two groups were collected: the general data, clinical data, rScO 2 monitoring parameters and TCD monitoring parameters. Univariate analysis was employed to compare the differences in the relevant prognostic indicators. Multivariate Logistic stepwise regression analysis was conducted to determine the predictors of poor prognostic outcomes in msTBI patients and regression equations were constructed. A nomogram predictive model based on regression equations was drawn with R language. The discriminability of the model was evaluated by drawing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, to calculate the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, and Jordan index of the model, and measuring the consistency index (C index). Hosmer-Lemeshow (H-L) goodness of fit test was conducted to evaluate the fit of the model, and the calibration curve was used to evaluate the calibration degree of the model. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was employed to evaluate the clinical benefit and applicability of the model. Results:There were significant differences between the two groups in the clinical data (cerebral hernia formation, GCS on admission, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score on admission, Rotterdam CT score on admission, oxygenation index on admission, mean arterial pressure on admission), rScO 2 monitoring parameters (mean rScO 2, maximum rScO 2, rScO 2 variability), TCD monitoring parameters [peak systolic blood flow velocity (Vs), average blood flow velocity (Vm), pulse index (PI)] ( P<0.05 or 0.01). The results of multivariate Logistic stepwise regression analysis showed that cerebral hernia formation ( OR=9.28, 95% CI 3.40, 25.33, P<0.01), Rotterdam CT score on admission ( OR=1.92, 95% CI 1.32, 2.78, P<0.01), rScO 2 variability ( OR=4.66, 95% CI 1.74, 12.43, P<0.01), Vs ( OR=0.66, 95% CI 0.61, 0.75, P<0.01) and PI ( OR=20.07, 95% CI 4.17, 16.50, P<0.01) were predictive factors for poor prognosis in patients with msTBI. The regression equation was constructed with the forementioned 5 variables: Logit [ P/(1- P)]=2.23×"brain hernia formation"+0.65×"Rotterdam CT score on admission"+1.54×"rScO 2 variability"-0.42×"Vs"+3.00×"PI"-6.75. The AUC of prognostic predictive model of msTBI patients was 0.90 (95% CI 0.85, 0.95), with the sensitivity and specificity of 86.3% and 78.4%, Youden index of 0.65 and C index of 0.90. H-L goodness of fit test showed that the calibration degree of the predictive model was accurate ( χ2 =12.58, P>0.05). The average absolute error of the calibration curve was 0.025, showing that the calibration of the model was good. DCA results showed that this model had higher net return rate than the reference model within the probability range of risk threshold (20%-100%), with good clinical application value in evaluating the risk of poor prognosis of msTBI patients. Conclusion:The model constructed based on the combination of rScO 2 and TCD monitoring parameters (rScO 2 variability, Vs and PI) with multiple clinical indicators (cerebral hernia formation and Rotterdam CT score on admission) has good predictive performance for the prognosis of msTBI.

Objective:To analyze the differences in clinical outcomes and toxicities between postoperative radiotherapy alone and postoperative radiochemotherapy for soft tissue sarcoma (STS), as well as the related factors affecting clinical prognosis of STS patients.Methods:Retrospective analysis of patients diagnosed with primary STS admitted to Zhejiang Cancer Hospital from May 2012 to May 2019 was performed, who received adjuvant radiotherapy after surgery, combined with or without postoperative chemotherapy. A total of 100 patients were enrolled and divided into postoperative radiotherapy group ( n=52) and postoperative radiochemotherapy group ( n=48). The median follow-up time was 65 months (24-124 months). The local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), overall survival (OS), and treatment-related toxicities were recorded in two groups. The survival rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Log-rank test was used for univariate analysis, and Cox model was used for multivariate analysis. Results:In multivariate analysis, the maximum tumor diameter was an independent predictor of local tumor recurrence ( HR=4.80, 95% CI=1.16-19.85, P=0.031), distant metastasis ( HR=4.67, 95% CI=1.53-14.26, P=0.007) and OS ( HR=4.10, 95% CI=1.35-12.48, P=0.013). In addition, the degree of myelosuppression in patients in postoperative radiochemotherapy was significantly higher than that in their counterparts in postoperative radiotherapy group ( P<0.001). Conclusions:In the limited number of patients, radiochemotherapy has no advantages over radiotherapy alone in distant metastasis or survival rate. Besides, it increases toxicities, but the overall tolerability is favorable. It is necessary to conduct prospective randomized studies in a large population and subgroup analysis of histological subtypes, aiming to obtain results with better reference value.

Objective:To observe the clinical value of intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring combined with target temperature management (TTM) in patients with acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke after mechanical thrombectomy.Methods:A prospective analysis was performed. Ninety-two patients with acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke who received mechanical thrombectomy from March 2019 to June 2022 in Department of Neurosurgery, He'nan Provincial People's Hospital were enrolled. Within 1-5 d of mechanical thrombectomy, these patients were randomly divided into observation group ( n=46) and control group ( n=46). The patients in observation group received comprehensive management for neurological critical illness through multimodal monitoring such as ICP real-time monitoring combined with TTM (controlling the core temperature at 33℃-35℃), while patients in control group received simple ICP real-time monitoring. ICP monitoring for both groups lasted for 5-7 d, and routine symptomatic support treatment was given. Stepwise treatment was adopted based on real-time changes of ICP. The differences in clinical data, ICP at different times, incidence of adverse events, length of hospital stay, mortality rate, and prognoses were compared between the 2 groups. Results:On the 2 nd, 3 rd, 4 th, and 5 th d of monitoring, the observation group had significantly decreased ICP compared with the control group ( P<0.05). Both observation group and control group had significantly increased ICP on the 2 nd, 3 rd, 4 th, and 5 th d of monitoring compared with that on the 1 st d of monitoring ( P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the observation group had statistically higher incidences of shivers and electrolyte disorders, and statistically lower incidences of unstable blood pressure, cerebral heart syndrome, septic shock, and cerebral hernia during hospitalization ( P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the observation group had significantly shortened hospital stay, and statistically lower modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores, higher Glasgow outcome scale-extended (GOS-E) scores, higher good prognosis rate, and lower mortality rate 6 months after mechanical thrombectomy ( P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the observation group had statistically lower incidences of postoperative cerebral hemorrhage conversion and recurrent cerebral infarction ( P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the survival rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:ICP monitoring combined with TTM can reduce early complications, shorten hospital stay, reduce mortality, and improve long-term prognosis in patients with acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke after mechanical thrombectomy.

L-theanine has been shown to have a therapeutic effect on depression.However,whether L-theanine has an excellent preventive effect on depression in children and adolescents and what its mechanism is have not been well explained.Given the complexity of the pathogenesis of depression,this study investigated the preventive effect and mechanism of L-theanine on depression in juvenile rats by combining serum and hippocampal metabolomic strategies.Behavioral tests,hippocampal tissue sections,and serum and hippocampal biochemical indexes were studied,and the results confirmed the preventive effect of L-theanine.Untargeted reversed-phase liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spec-trometry and targeted hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spec-trometry were developed to analyze the metabolism changes in the serum and hippocampus to screen for potential biomarkers related to L-theanine treatment.The results suggested that 28 abnormal me-tabolites in the serum and hippocampus that were considered as potential biomarkers returned to near-normal levels after L-theanine administration.These biomarkers were involved in various metabolic pathways,mainly including amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism.The levels of amino acids and neurotransmitters in the phenylalanine,tryptophan,and glutamic acid pathways were significantly reduced after L-theanine administration compared with chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced rats.In summary,L-theanine had a significant preventive effect on depression and achieved its preventive results on depression by regulating various aspects of the body,such as amino acids,lipids,and inflammation.This research systematically analyzed the mechanism of L-theanine in preventing depression and laid the foundation for applying L-theanine to prevent depression in children and adolescents.

Purpose: This study was performed to investigate the association of Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), combined positive score (CPS), and clinicopathological characteristics of locally advanced rectal cancer. Methods: Between February 2012 and February 2018, 103 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer treated by neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and total mesorectal excision (TME) were retrospectively evaluated. Results: According to the classification of the GPS, 85 (82.5%), 13 (12.6%), and 5 patients (4.9%) were classified as a score of 0, 1, and 2, respectively. Patients were classified into the GPS-low group (GPS of 0, n = 85) and GPS-high group (GPS of 1 or 2, n = 18) with an area under the curve of 0.582 for overall survival (OS). The mean programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) CPS of the whole group was 2.24 (range, 0–70). The PD-L1 CPS of the GPS-high group was higher than the GPS-low group (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis by Cox proportional hazards model indicated that GPS was associated with OS and diseasefree survival (DFS). Furthermore, PD-L1 CPS was associated with DFS (hazard ratio, 1.050; 95% confidence interval, 1.017– 1.083; P = 0.003). Conclusion Elevated GPS was related to the PD-L1 CPS. GPS and PD-L1 CPS were associated with the prognosis of locally advanced rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by TME.

Objective:To investigate the value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in central nervous system infection (CNSI) of critically ill patients from Neurosurgery.Methods:A prospective study was conducted. From October 2019 to April 2021, 52 patients with highly suspected CNSI in the Department of Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of our hospital were chosen. The collected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were simultaneously performed mNGS and traditional culture; the clinical diagnosis of CNSI was taken as the standard, and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and time from sample collection to result feedback of these two methods were compared. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the diagnostic values of mNGS and traditional culture in CNSI.Results:Eventually, 25 patients with CNSI were clinically confirmed; 23 were with positive mNGS, including 16 with bacterial infection, 4 with viral infection, 1 with fungal infection, and 2 with mixed infection (1 with bacteria+virus+fungus, 1 with bacteria+virus); 8 were with positive traditional culture, all of which were bacterial infections. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of mNGS were 92.0%, 85.2%, 85.2%, and 92.0%, respectively; those of traditional culture were 32.0%, 100.0%, 100.0%, and 61.4%, respectively; the time from sample collection to result feedback of mNGS and traditional culture was (31.77±5.23) h and (101.83±9.15) h, respectively, with significant difference ( P<0.05). ROC curve showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of mNGS for diagnosis of CNSI was 0.886 ( 95%CI: 0.786-0.986, P<0.001); the AUC of traditional culture for diagnosis of CNSI was 0.660 ( 95%CI: 0.508-0.812, P=0.002). Conclusion:For patients with CNSI from NICU, mNGS has good diagnostic efficacy and application value and can effectively compensate for the lack of traditional cerebrospinal fluid culture.

Objective:To explore the effect of problem-originated clinical medical curriculum(PCMC) teaching method combined with PDCA(plan, do, check and action) circulation in the training of craniocerebral ultrasound for neurologically intensive refresher physicians.Methods:Thirty-two refresher physicians who entered the neurosurgery ICU of Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2018 to December 2019 were divided into test group ( n=18) and control group ( n=14) according to the time of admission. The test group accepted the teaching mode of PCMC teaching method combined with PDCA circulation, the control group accepted the traditional teaching methods of demonstration, student practice and teacher evaluation. One week before graduation, the differences between two groups in the theoretical assessment, operational skills and questionnaire were compared to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching mode. SPSS 23.0 was used for t-test and chi-square test. Results:Compared with the control group, the individual scores and total scores of the theoretical and operational assessments of craniocerebral ultrasound in the test group were significantly improved, and the questionnaire survey showed that the test group was superior to the control group in all the 7 items of teaching effect and satisfaction with the teaching method, with statistical significance ( P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in increasing their interest in learning ( P > 0.05). Conclusion:PCMC teaching method combined with PDCA circulation can improve the training effect and satisfaction of clinical teaching of craniocerebral ultrasound.

Objective:To analyze the correlation between electromagnetic perturbation index and intracranial pressure (ICP) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) after mechanical thrombectomy, and to explore their values in early warning of decompressive craniectomy (DC).Methods:Forty-three patients with AIS after mechanical thrombectomy admitted to our hospital from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019 were enrolled in our prospective cohort study. Electromagnetic perturbation index and invasive ICP were continually monitored for 1-5 d in all patients 24 h after mechanical thrombectomy. According to the mean ICP on the first d, all patients were divided into normal ICP group (ICP<15 mmHg), mild increased ICP group (15≤ICP≤22 mmHg) and moderate to severe increased ICP group (ICP>22 mmHg). According to the implementation of DC, these patients were divided into decompressive craniectomy group and non-decompressive craniectomy group. The differences in clinical data of patients in different ICP groups were compared. The correlation between electromagnetic perturbation index and ICP was analyzed by Pearson correlation method. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to analyze the diagnostic value of electromagnetic perturbation index in increased ICP (ICP>22 mmHg). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent influencing factors for DC after mechanical thrombectomy in AIS patients. ROC curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic values of electromagnetic perturbation index and ICP in DC implementation after mechanical thrombectomy in AIS patients.Results:(1) In these 43 patients, 8 had normal ICP, 13 had mild increased ICP, and 22 had moderate to severe increased ICP. There were significant differences in baseline Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores, baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, baseline Alberta stroke program early CT scale (ASPECTS) scores, percentage of patients accepted DC, and electromagnetic perturbation index among the 3 groups ( P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that electromagnetic perturbation index was negatively correlated with ICP ( r=-0.699, P=0.000). ROC curve showed that the area under curve (AUC) of electromagnetic perturbation index in diagnosing ICP>22 mmHg was 0.850 ( 95%CI: 0.690-1.000, P=0.000), enjoying the optimal cutoff value of 126. (2) Among the 43 patients, 27 were in the decompressive craniectomy group and 16 were in the non-decompressive craniectomy group. Multivariable Logistic regression analysis showed that baseline NIHSS scores, baseline ASPECTS scores, electromagnetic perturbation index, and ICP were independent risk factors for DC implementation after mechanical thrombectomy in AIS patients ( P<0.05). ROC curve showed that the AUC of ICP in predicting DC implementation after mechanical thrombectomy was 0.851 ( 95%CI: 0.728-0.973, P=0.000), enjoying the optimal cutoff value of 18.5 mmHg; the AUC of electromagnetic perturbation index in predicting DC implementation after mechanical thrombectomy was 0.764 ( 95%CI: 0.609-0.919, P=0.004), enjoying the optimal cutoff value of 137.5. Conclusion:There is a good correlation between electromagnetic perturbation index and ICP, which can be used as reference indexes for early warning of DC after mechanical thrombectomy in AIS patients.