Objective To explore the recognition capabilities of electronic nose combined with machine learning in identifying the breath odor map of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndrome elements. Methods The study design was a single-center observational study. General data and four diagnostic information were collected from 108 patients with pulmonary nodules admitted to the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery of Hospital of Chengdu University of TCM from April 2023 to March 2024. The patients' TCM disease location and nature distribution characteristics were analyzed using the syndrome differentiation method. The Cyranose 320 electronic nose was used to collect the odor profiles of oral exhalation, and five machine learning algorithms including random forest (RF), K-nearest neighbor (KNN), logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), and eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) were employed to identify the exhaled breath profiles of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules and different TCM syndromes. Results (1) The common disease locations in pulmonary nodules were ranked in descending order as liver, lung, and kidney; the common disease natures were ranked in descending order as Yin deficiency, phlegm, dampness, Qi stagnation, and blood deficiency. (2) The electronic nose combined with the RF algorithm had the best efficacy in identifying the exhaled breath profiles of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules, with an AUC of 0.91, accuracy of 86.36%, specificity of 75.00%, and sensitivity of 92.85%. (3) The electronic nose combined with RF, LR, or XGBoost algorithms could effectively identify the different TCM disease locations and natures of pulmonary nodules, with classification accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity generally exceeding 80.00%.Conclusion Electronic nose combined with machine learning not only has the potential capabilities to differentiate the benign and malignant pulmonary nodules, but also provides new technologies and methods for the objective diagnosis of TCM syndromes in pulmonary nodules.

Objective To analyze the differences in distribution of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome elements and salivary microbiota between the individuals with pulmonary nodules and those without, and to explore the potential correlation between the distribution of TCM syndrome elements and salivary microbiota in patients with pulmonary nodules. Methods We retrospectively recruited 173 patients with pulmonary nodules (PN) and 40 healthy controls (HC). The four diagnostic information was collected from all participants, and syndrome differentiation method was used to analyze the distribution of TCM syndrome elements in both groups. Saliva samples were obtained from the subjects for 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing to obtain differential microbiota and to explore the correlation between TCM syndrome elements and salivary microbiota in the evolution of the pulmonary nodule disease. Results The study found that in the PN group, the primary TCM syndrome elements related to disease location were the lung and liver, and the primary TCM syndrome elements related to disease nature were yin deficiency and phlegm. In the HC group, the primary TCM syndrome elements related to disease location were the lung and spleen, and the primary TCM syndrome elements related to disease nature were dampness and qi deficiency. There were differences between the two groups in the distribution of TCM syndrome elements related to disease location (lung, liver, kidney, exterior, heart) and disease nature (yin deficiency, phlegm, qi stagnation, qi deficiency, dampness, blood deficiency, heat, blood stasis) (P<0.05). The species abundance of the salivary microbiota was higher in the PN group than that in the HC group (P<0.05), and there was significant difference in community composition between the two groups (P<0.05). Correlation analysis using multiple methods, including Mantel test network heatmap analysis and Spearman correlation analysis and so on, the results showed that in the PN group, Prevotella and Porphyromonas were positively correlated with disease location in the lung, and Porphyromonas and Granulicatella were positively correlated with disease nature in yin deficiency (P<0.05). Conclusion The study concludes that there are notable differences in the distribution of TCM syndrome elements and the species abundance and composition of salivary microbiota between the patients with pulmonary nodules and the healthy individuals. The distinct external syndrome manifestations in patients with pulmonary nodules, compared to healthy individuals, may be a cascade event triggered by changes in the salivary microbiota. The dual correlation of Porphyromonas with both disease location and nature suggests that changes in its abundance may serve as an objective indicator for the improvement of symptoms in patients with yin deficiency-type pulmonary nodules.

Objective To construct a "disease-syndrome combination" mathematical representation model for pulmonary nodules based on oral microbiome data, utilizing a multimodal data algorithm framework centered on dynamic systems theory. Furthermore, to compare predictive models under various algorithmic frameworks and validate the efficacy of the optimal model in predicting the presence of pulmonary nodules. Methods A total of 213 subjects were prospectively enrolled from July 2022 to March 2023 at the Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Cancer Hospital, and the Chengdu Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital. This cohort included 173 patients with pulmonary nodules and 40 healthy subjects. A novel multimodal data algorithm framework centered on dynamic systems theory, termed VAEGANTF (Variational Auto Encoder-Generative Adversarial Network-Transformer), was proposed. Subsequently, based on a multi-dimensional integrated dataset of “clinical features-syndrome elements-microorganisms”, all subjects were divided into training (70%) and testing (30%) sets for model construction and efficacy testing, respectively. Using pulmonary nodules as dependent variables, and combining candidate markers such as clinical features, lesion location, disease nature, and microbial genera, the independent variables were screened based on variable importance ranking after identifying and addressing multicollinearity. Missing values were then imputed, and data were standardized. Eight machine learning algorithms were then employed to construct pulmonary nodule risk prediction models: random forest, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression, support vector machine, multilayer perceptron, eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), VAE-ViT (Vision Transformer), GAN-ViT, and VAEGANTF. K-fold cross-validation was used for model parameter tuning and optimization. The efficacy of the eight predictive models was evaluated using confusion matrices and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and the optimal model was selected. Finally, goodness-of-fit testing and decision curve analysis (DCA) were performed to evaluate the optimal model. Results There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in demographic characteristics such as age and sex. The 213 subjects were randomly divided into training and testing sets (7 : 3), and prediction models were constructed using the eight machine learning algorithms. After excluding potential problems such as multicollinearity, a total of 301 clinical feature information, syndrome elements, and microbial genera markers were included for model construction. The area under the curve (AUC) values of the random forest, LASSO regression, support vector machine, multilayer perceptron, and VAE-ViT models did not reach 0.85, indicating poor efficacy. The AUC values of the XGBoost, GAN-ViT, and VAEGANTF models all reached above 0.85, with the VAEGANTF model exhibiting the highest AUC value (AUC=0.923). Goodness-of-fit testing indicated good calibration ability of the VAEGANTF model, and decision curve analysis showed a high degree of clinical benefit. The nomogram results showed that age, sex, heart, lung, Qixu, blood stasis, dampness, Porphyromonas genus, Granulicatella genus, Neisseria genus, Haemophilus genus, and Actinobacillus genus could be used as predictors. Conclusion The “disease-syndrome combination” risk prediction model for pulmonary nodules based on the VAEGANTF algorithm framework, which incorporates multi-dimensional data features of “clinical features-syndrome elements-microorganisms”, demonstrates better performance compared to other machine learning algorithms and has certain reference value for early non-invasive diagnosis of pulmonary nodules.

Objective To examine the impact of arid climates on distribution of Oncomelania hupensis snails in the Poyang Lake area, so as to provide insights into precision control of O. hupensis snails in the Poyang Lake area. Methods O. hupensis snails-infested grass islands in Hukou County, Lianxi District and Lushan City in the northern Poyang Lake area, and Jinxian County, Nanchang County and Poyang County in the southern Poyang Lake area were selected as the study areas, and the occurrence of frames with living snails and the mean density of living snails were captured from snail surveys in the study areas in spring and autumn each year from 2006 to 2023. Five years 2007, 2011, 2013, 2019 and 2022 were selected as drought years, and the mean daily water levels were collected at the Xingzi hydrological station in the drought years, normal flow year (2012) and flood year (2020). The numbers of days with water levels ranging from the lower elevation (11 m) to the upper elevation (16 m) for snail survival and the numbers of days with water levels of 11 m and below were collected in the Poyang Lake area, and the changes of snail indicators were compared in different grass islands in the Poyang Lake area before and after drought. Results The numbers of days with water levels ranging from 11 to 16 m were 110, 88, 136 d and 125 d at the Xingzi hydrological station in four drought years 2007, 2011, 2013 and 2019, which were less than in the flow year and flood year, and the days with water levels of 11 m and below were 242, 277, 220 d and 198 d in four drought years 2007, 2011, 2013 and 2019, which were longer than in the flow year and flood year. A total of 416 snails-infested marshlands were surveyed in the Poyang Lake area from 2006 to 2021, and the survey marshlands accounted for 43.12% (307/712) and 46.98% (109/232) of total marshlands in the southern and northern Poyang Lake areas, respectively. The median occurrence of frames with living snails and mean density of living snails were 0.60% (interquartile range, 4.04%) and 0.010 1 snail/0.1 m² (interquartile range, 0.076 1 snail/0.1 m²) in drought years, which were both lower than those [1.33% (5.19%) and 0.022 8 (0.098 9) snail/0.1 m²] in non-drought years (χ²= 42.170 and 44.911, both P values < 0.01). The proportion of grass islands with a continuous decline in snail indicators was higher in the southern Poyang Lake area than in the northern Poyang Lake area after the next year of drought (24.24% vs. 2.33%; χ² = 10.633, P < 0.01), and the proportion of grass islands with rebounding snail indicators was higher in the northern Poyang Lake area than in the southern Poyang Lake area (53.49% vs. 15.76%; χ² = 26.966, P < 0.01). A longitudinal analysis of snail indicators in marshlands with rebounding snail indicators after drought showed 1 to 5 years for return to pre-drought snail status, with a median of 2 (interquartile range, 1) years, and snail status was more likely to rebound if the occurrence of frames with living snails and the mean density of living snails were 2.11% and 0.025 5 snail/0.1 m² and greater in snails-infested grass islands. Conclusions Drought causes a remarkable decline in O. hupensis snail indicators in the Poyang Lake area, with a more remarkable impact in the southern Poyang Lake area, and 1 to 5 years are required for return to pre-drought snail status.

Colorectal cancer is currently one of the most common malignant tumors in the world,and its incidence and mortality rates have gradually increased in recent years.As insidious symptoms characterize early colorectal cancer,most of the patients have already developed into late or advanced stages in the primary survey.For stage Ⅳ metastatic colorectal cancer(mCRC),surgery supplemented with chemotherapy or radiotherapy for mCRC patients has a low 5-year survival rate.With the development of immunology in recent years,PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors have made breakthroughs in treating malignant tumors.They also have improved the therapeutic efficacy of some mCRC patients,especially those with microsatellite instability-high/mismatch repair deficient.The guidelines recommend this approach.However,patients with microsatellite stable/mismatch repair proficiency,which accounts for more than 90%,are poorly treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors.Fortunately,there are several clinical studies that reported that some of this type of mCRC can gain some benefit.In this review,we examined the anti-tumor mechanism of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and the latest progress of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor's clinical application in patients of mCRC with different genotypes.We discussed the prospect of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor combination therapy to provide a reference to the benefit of this type of patients and provide information for optimizing the dosing regimen of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in the treatment of mCRC.

Objective To explore the differences in scapular motion and shoulder function between patients suffering from rotator cuff tears(RCT)with and without type Ⅲ scapular dyskinesis(SD).Meth-ods Between September 2021 and March 2023,sixteen patients suffering from rotator cuff tears with SD(SD group)and 17 counterparts without SD(non-SD group)were recruited from the Sports Hospital of the General Administration of Sport of China.Their scapular motion was assessed by measuring three parameters in the X-rays,including scapular spine line(LSS),scapular upward rotation angle(SU-RA),and coracoid upward shift distance(CUSD).Moreover,their shoulder range of motion in flexion,abduction and external rotation were recorded,and further evaluated using the Pain Visual Analog Scale(VAS)and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Score(ASES).Results No significant differenc-es were found between the two groups in the average score of SURA,CUSD and LSS at 0°～30° shoul-der abduction,or in that of CUSD and LSS at 60°～90°shoulder abduction.However,the average SU-RA score of the SD group at 60°～90°shoulder abduction was significantly greater than the other group(P<0.05).The shoulder ranges of motion during active flexion,abduction and external rotation were significantly smaller in the SD group than in the non-SD group(P<0.05).Moreover,the average VAS score in the SD group was significantly higher than the non-SD group(P<0.05),while the average ASES score was significantly lower than the latter group(P<0.05).Conclusions RCT patients type III SD exhibits greater scapular upward rotation during shoulder abduction compared to those without SD.Moreover,the former patients suffer from more severe pain and have worse shoulder range of motion and functional performance than the latter.

Objective:To evaluate the correlation between the degree of posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) injury and various parameters of vertebral body injury in patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures.Methods:A total of 48 patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures were admitted to the Spine Surgery Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University between December 2022 and January 2024. The cohort consisted of 31 males and 17 females, with a mean age of 44.1±11.8 years (range, 18-65 years). Based on the PLL injury grading method proposed by Sun Zhaoyun, patients were classified into three groups: mild, moderate, and severe. However, due to an insufficient number of patients in the severe group ( n=3), the moderate and severe groups were combined for statistical analysis, resulting in two groups: mild, and moderate-to-severe. Patient demographic and clinical data were collected. Local kyphosis (LK), inversion angle (IA), horizontal rotation angle (HRA), increased interspinous distance (IISD), anterior vertebral body compression ratio (AVBCR), posterior vertebral body compression ratio (PVBCR), middle vertebral body compression ratio (MVBCR), the ratio of height of bone fragment (RHBF), the ratio of width of bone fragment (RWBF), and mid-sagittal canal diameter compression ratio (MSDCR) were measured. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0. Categorical variables were expressed as frequency (percentage) and analyzed using chi-square and Fisher exact tests. Continuous variables were tested for normality, with non-normally distributed data analyzed using the rank-sum test and expressed as median (interquartile range). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to calculate the area under the curve (AUC) to evaluate predictive performance. Results:Among the 48 patients, only 3 were found to have severe PLL injury, necessitating the combination of the moderate and severe groups for statistical purposes. Patients in the moderate-to-severe group demonstrated significantly higher AVBCR, PVBCR, RHBF, MVBCR, MSDCR, and IA compared to the mild group ( P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression identified AVBCR, PVBCR, MSDCR, and IA as independent risk factors for moderate-to-severe PLL injury ( OR>1, P<0.05). ROC curve analysis revealed that AVBCR, PVBCR, MSDCR, IA, and their combined index could effectively predict moderate-to-severe PLL injury ( P<0.05). Notably, the combined index showed superior predictive performance (AUC=0.970) compared to individual parameters. Threshold values were determined as follows: AVBCR>45.30%, PVBCR>12.17%, MSDCR>27.13%, IA>5.90°, and the combined index >0.61, indicating PLL damage. Conclusion:AVBCR, PVBCR, MSDCR, IA, and their combined index are significantly associated with moderate-to-severe PLL injury in thoracolumbar burst fractures. The combined index demonstrates superior predictive ability compared to single parameters, providing a reliable tool for assessing PLL integrity.

ObjectiveTo systematically review the efficacy and safety of laparoscopic choledochoscopy combined with holmium laser lithotripsy through a meta－analysis. MethodsThis study was conducted based on PRISMA guidelines， with a PROSPERO registration number of CRD42023406221. Chinese databases including CNKI， Wanfang Data， and VIP and foreign language databases such as PubMed， Embase， the Cochrane Library， and Web of Science were searched for original articles on traditional laparotomy versus laparoscopic choledochoscopy combined with holmium laser lithotripsy in the treatment of bile duct stones. Dichotomous variables were assessed by odds ratio （OR） and 95% confidence interval （CI）， while continuous variables were assessed by weighted mean difference （WMD） and 95%CI， and a sensitivity analysis was performed for outcome measures with relatively high heterogeneity. The Begg test and Egger test were used to evaluate publication bias. Stata 15.0 and Review Manager 5.3 were used to perform the statistical analysis. ResultsA total of 26 retrospective studies from China were included in this study， with 2 238 patients in total. The meta－analysis showed that compared with traditional laparotomy for the treatment of bile duct stones， laparoscopic choledochoscopy combined with holmium laser lithotripsy had significantly shorter time of operation （WMD＝－1.26， 95%CI： －1.36 to －1.16， P<0.001）， length of hospital stay （WMD＝－1.93， 95%CI： －2.64 to －1.12， P <0.001）， and time to bowel function recovery （WMD＝－1.52， 95%CI： －1.68 to －1.35， P<0.001）， significantly less intraoperative blood loss （WMD＝－1.79， 95%CI： －1.93 to －1.66， P<0.001）， a significantly lower rate of intraoperative residual stone （OR＝0.15， 95%CI： 0.11－0.20， P<0.001）， and significantly fewer complications （OR＝0.17， 95%CI： 0.13－0.23， P<0.001）. ConclusionCompared with traditional laparotomy， laparoscopic choledochoscopy combined with holmium laser lithotripsy shows better efficacy in the treatment of bile duct stones.

ObjectiveTo analyze the epidemic trends and current status in the prevalence of schistosomiasis in Jiangxi Province from 2002 to 2021， and to provide evidence for formulating and optimizing schistosomiasis control strategies in the province. MethodsEpidemiological data of schistosomiasis in Jiangxi Province from 2002 to 2021 were collected. The Joinpoint regression model was used to investigate the epidemic trends of schistosomiasis， and the annual average percent change （AAPC） was used to assess the changing trend of schistosomiasis infection in humans and bovines. SPSS 25.0 software was used to analyze the target achievement status， infection rate of schistosomiasis in humans and the areas with snails in 2021 to evaluate the differences among various districts and epidemic regions. ResultsBy 2021， 24 counties （61.50%） in the province had achieved the elimination goal， with hilly and marsh counties reaching 82.60% and 31.30%， respectively. The seropositive rate of schistosomiasis in human was 3.51% across the province. However， the seropositive rate in marshland areas （4.77%） was significantly higher than that in hilly areas （1.23 %） （χ²=3 827.51， P<0.001）. The total area with snails in the province was 84 938.32 hm²， including 82 196.86 hm² in marshland areas and 2 741.46 hm² in hilly areas. From 2002 to 2021， the infection rate of schistosomiasis in the humans and bovines exhibited a declining trend， with AAPC values of -48.70 and -39.70， respectively. The decline rate in the hilly areas was higher than that in marshland areas. However， the area with snail showed an upward trend （AAPC=0.50）， with a growth rate of 5.80% in hilly areas， which was greater than that in marshland areas （0.40%）. ConclusionFrom 2002 to 2021， the infection rate of schistosomiasis in humans and bovines in Jiangxi Province continued to decline， while the areas with snails increased. The prevention focus should still be on the marshland endemic areas， and attention should also be given to the risk of schistosomiasis in hilly endemic areas. Therefore， it is necessary to continue implementing a comprehensive prevention and control strategy that emphasizes controlling the sources of infection and adopts tailored measures based on local conditions and precise policies.

Objective:To explore the economic applicability and safetyof the novel uterovaginal pubic comb suspension(UPCS)surgery with Mersilene tape in the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse(POP).Methods:A ret-rospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of patients who underwent UPCS surgery due to POP from January 1st,2021 to February 28,2023.They were divided to the UPCS surgery with Mersilene tape group(group A)and suspension surgery with Y-shaped mesh group(group B)respectively.The POP-Q indication points,sus-pension surgery duration,intraoperative bleeding volume,material expense,postoperative catheter retention time,anal exhaust time and hospitalization duration were recorded for both groupbefore and after surgery.Evaluate the severity of POP related symptoms in patients before and after surgery using the pelvic Floor Distress Invento-ry-short Form 20(PFDI-20)and Pelvic Organ Prolapsed/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire-12(PISQ-12),and follow up and observe the patients and analyze the complications.Results:A total of 17 POP patients were included in the study.There were 12 patients in group A while 5 patients in group B.The suspension material expense of group A was considerably lower than that of group B(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference between the two groups in preoperative PFDI-20 score,preoperative PISQ-12 score,UPCS surgery duration,intr-aoperative bleeding volume,postoperative urinary catheter retention time,postoperative anal exhaust time and hospitalization duration.All patients showed stable vital signs during the surgery and no severe complications were reported.Compared with the preoperative status,the positions of the Aa,Ba,and C indicatorpoint in group A and group B were all increased significantly(P＜0.05).The PFDl-20 and PISQ-12 scores of the two groups at the last follow-up after surgery showed significant improvement compared to those before surgery(P＜0.05).No signifi-cant difference was found in the PFDI-20 and PISQ-12 scores between the two groups after surgery(P＞0.05).There were no significant differences in the postoperative complications between the two groups(P＞0.05).Con-clusions:Compared with suspension surgery with Y-shaped mesh,UPCS surgery with Mersilene tape is safe and effective in the treatment of POP.The UPCS surgery with Mersilene tape showed better cost-effectiveness in the treatment of POP,and the surgical steps are relatively simple.Therefore,UPCS surgery with Mersilene tape was worthy of promotion in clinical practice.