Pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis is a rare disease characterized by the abnormal proliferation of pulmonary lymphatic smooth muscle cells. It is common in women and often accompanied by recurrent pneumothorax, chylothorax and progressive dyspnea, imaging characterized by diffuse cystic lesions in both lungs. Pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis progresses aggressively and has a very poor prognosis, with a lack of effective medical treatment options in the advanced stages. Lung transplantation is a safe and effective method for the treatment of advanced pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis, which may significantly improve the survival rate and quality of life of patients. The median survival period after surgery can reach 12 years. This article reviews the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment of pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis, and the current status and existing problems of lung transplantation in pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis, aiming to provide a reference for the clinical treatment and subsequent research of pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Purpose: Oligometastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients have been increasingly regarded as a distinct group that could benefit from local treatment to achieve a better clinical outcome. However, current definitions of oligometastasis are solely numerical, which are imprecise because of ignoring the biological heterogeneity caused by genomic characteristics. Our study aimed to profile the molecular alterations of oligometastatic NSCLC and elucidate its potential difference from polymetastasis. Materials and Methods: We performed next-generation sequencing to analyze tumors and paired peripheral blood from 77 oligometastatic and 21 polymetastatic NSCLC patients to reveal their genomic characteristics and assess the genetic heterogeneity. Results: We found ERBB2, ALK, MLL4, PIK3CB, and TOP2A were mutated at a significantly lower frequency in oligometastasis compared with polymetastasis. EGFR and KEAP1 alterations were mutually exclusive in oligometastatic group. More importantly, oligometastasis has a unique significant enrichment of apoptosis signaling pathway. In contrast to polymetastasis, a highly enriched COSMIC signature 4 and a special mutational process, COSMIC signature 14, were observed in the oligometastatic cohort. According to OncoKB database, 74.03% of oligometastatic NSCLC patients harbored at least one actionable alteration. The median tumor mutation burden of oligometastasis was 5.00 mutations/Mb, which was significantly associated with smoking, DNA damage repair genes, TP53 mutation, SMARCA4 mutation, LRP1B mutation, ABL1 mutation. Conclusion Our results shall help redefine oligometastasis beyond simple lesion enumeration that will ultimately improve the selection of patients with real oligometastatic state and optimize personalized cancer therapy for oligometastatic NSCLC.

Objective:To investigate the correlation and predictive value of fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) and clinical outcomes after intravenous thrombolysis in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Methods:Patients with acute ischemic stroke received intravenous thrombolysis treatment at Fuyang People's Hospital from November 2019 to August 2022 were retrospectively included. Their clinical, imaging, and laboratory data were collected. After 3 months of onset, a modified Rankin Scale was used for clinical outcome evaluation and a score >2 were defined as poor outcome. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the correlation between FAR and poor outcome. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of FAR on adverse outcomes after intravenous thrombolysis in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Results:A total of 162 patients were included. There were 114 patients (70.4%) in the good outcome group and 48 (29.6%) in the poor outcome group. Univariate analysis showed that the baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, fasting blood glucose, fibrinogen, and FAR in the poor outcome group were significantly higher than those in the good outcome group, while the serum albumin was significantly lower than that of the good outcome group (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the baseline NIHSS score (odds ratio [ OR] 1.176, 95% confidence interval [ CI] 1.082-1.227; P<0.001), fasting blood glucose ( OR 1.206, 95% CI 1.018-1.430; P=0.030), and FAR ( OR 1.448, 95% CI 1.449-1.824; P=0.002) were the independent risk factors for poor outcome. The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of FAR for predicting poor outcomes was 0.706 (95% CI 0.616-0.796). When the FAR cutoff value was 8.06, the sensitivity and specificity were 66.7% and 78.2%, respectively. Conclusion:There is a significant correlation between FAR and outcomes after intravenous thrombolysis therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Higher FAR has certain predictive value for poor outcomes of patients.

Objective:To explore the protective effect of Lindera aggregata on acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mice and its possible mechanism.Methods:Forty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into sham operation group, ARDS model group, low-dose Lindera aggregata (L-LA) group and high-dose Lindera aggregata (H-LA) group, with 10 mice in each group. ARDS model was established by injecting 5 mg/kg LPS through the trachea. The L-LA group and H-LA group were orally administrated 1 g/kg and 5 g/kg of the Lindera aggregate extract once a day, respectively, while the ARDS model group was given the same volume of normal saline, the sham group received no treatment. The Lindera aggregata was preadministered for 3 days before modeling, and continued for 2 days after modeling, then the animals were sacrificed, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue were collected. The pathological changes of lung tissue in each group of mice were observed under the microscope and the wet/dry weight ratio (W/D) of the lung were measured. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to examine the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in mice serum and BALF, and flow cytometry was used to detect the expression rate of CD40 on the surface of BALF macrophages. The phosphorylation levels of p38 and extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) proteins in lung tissue were measured by Western blotting.Results:Lung histopathology under light microscope showed that the damage of alveolar structure, thickening of alveolar septum and infiltration of inflammatory cells in the H-LA group were less severe than those in the ARDS model group, while the pathological characteristics of ARDS in the L-LA group were not significantly different from those in the ARDS model group. Compared with the sham operation group, the lung W/D ratio, TNF-α and IL-6 protein contents in serum and BALF, BALF macrophage CD40 expression rate and lung tissue p38 and ERK1/2 protein phosphorylation levels were significantly increased in ARDS model group. The W/D ratio, the concentrations of TNF-α and IL-6 in serum and BALF, the expression rate of CD40 in BALF macrophages, and the phosphorylation levels of p38 and ERK1/2 protein in lung tissue in the L-LA group were not significantly different from those in the ARDS model group. The above indexes in the H-LA group were significantly lower than those in the ARDS model group and the L-LA group [W/D ratio: 5.70±0.19 vs. 6.20±0.31, 6.01±0.17; serum TNF-α (ng/L): 83.63±15.04 vs. 111.75±18.45, 108.12±13.98; serum IL-6 (ng/L): 111.38±8.75 vs. 244.13±26.85, 227.50±9.37; BALF TNF-α (ng/L): 36.25±2.82 vs. 51.13±5.44, 47.50±5.78; BALF IL-6 (ng/L): 35.63±2.20 vs. 49.63±4.90, 46.38±3.50; CD40 expression rate (%): 23.28±2.45 vs. 30.32±2.40, 28.17±1.98; p-p38/p38: 0.50±0.04 vs. 0.74±0.07, 0.69±0.04; p-ERK1/2/ERK1/2: 0.47±0.07 vs. 0.72±0.07, 0.68±0.05; all P < 0.01]. Conclusions:Lindera aggregata can inhibit LPS-induced lung inflammation and alleviate lung injury in ARDS mice. The mechanism may be related to the inhibition of the activation of p38 mitogen activated protein kinase/ERK (p38MAPK/ERK) signaling pathway.

Objective:To investigate clinical outcome and the risk factors for death in acute pancreatitis (AP) patients complicated with acute kidney injury (AKI).Methods:The clinical data of 232 AP patients complicated with AKI admitted to the Center of Severe Pancreatitis of Jinling Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University School of Medicine from January 2016 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into survival group ( n=162) and death group ( n=70) based on the survival status. The two groups' clinical characteristics, biochemical indexes, and renal function indexes were compared. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the independent risk factors for death in AP patients complicated with AKI. Results:Sixteen patients(6.9%) among the 232 had AKI Ⅰ, 15(6.5%) had AKI Ⅱ, and 201(86.6%) had AKI Ⅲ. Forty-one patients (17.7%) became AKI with a disease course <7 days, 184 patients (79.3%) gradually progressed to acute kidney disease with a disease course of 7-90 days, and 7 patients (3.0%) eventually progressed to chronic kidney disease with a disease course >90 days. Renal replacement treatment (RRT) was administered in 179 patients (77.2%), lasting an average of 14 (7-25) days. 138 patients (59.5%) had their renal function recovered while they were hospitalized, including 9 patients (6.5%) who did so within 7 days, 69 patients (50.0%) within 30 days, and 127 patients (92.0%) within 90 days. The average recovery time was 16 (7-28) days. Seventy patients (30.2%) died during hospitalization, including 8(3.5%) within 7 days, 42(18.1%) within 30 days, and 68(29.3%) within 90 days. Univariate analysis revealed that the proportions of biliary etiology, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), serum cystatin C, sequential organ failure assessment(SOFA) score, AKI Ⅲ proportion, number of patients undergoing RRT, and duration of AKI were significantly higher in the death group compared to the survival group. The number of patients complicated by infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) and having surgical intervention was also significantly greater than that in the survival group, while the proportion of patients whose renal function recovered was much lower than that in the survival group. The differences were all statistically significant (all P value <0.05). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that SOFA( OR=1.182, 95% CI 1.000-1.396, P=0.049), and IPN( OR=8.403, 95% CI 3.748-18.838, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for death. Conclusions:SOFA score and IPN at admission were independent risk factors for death in AP patients with AKI. Vigilance should be given as soon as possible to improve the outcome of patients through clinical intervention.

BACKGROUND: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction can restore the stability of knee joint, reduce the mechanical stress on meniscus and cartilage, and avoid the occurrence and development of secondary injury including traumatic arthritis. However, some studies have shown that ACL reconstruction cannot completely prevent the occurrence and development of osteoarthritis, and significant changes in osteoarthritis can be found in the long-term imaging examination after operation. Therefore, there is still controversy about the role of ACL reconstruction in preventing secondary cartilage damage and secondary osteoarthritis, and the changes in cartilage after ACL reconstruction, especially at early stage after ACL reconstruction, have not been fully elucidated. OBJECTIVE: To analyze articular cartilage changes during arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and second-look arthroscopic evaluation. METHODS: From July 2015 to July 2016, 50 cases of ACL reconstruction with hamstring tendon and second-look arthroscopic exploration were analyzed retrospectively. The cartilage damage and healing between the ACL reconstruction and second-look exploration were recorded. At the same time, the influence of age on articular cartilage was analyzed. The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Foshan TCM Hospital with an approval No. 20160315. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: No infection, graft absorption and other complications occurred in all patients. During the second-look exploration, the Lysholm score, International Knee Documentation Committee evaluation score, Tegner score and KT-1000 lateral difference were significantly improved compared with those before operation (P < 0.05). During the second-look exploration, the articular cartilage of all patients had a trend of deterioration; except for the medial tibial platform and the lateral femoral condyle, subpatellar, trochlear, medial femoral condyle and tibial lateral platform articular cartilage tissues were significantly worsened compared with those after the initial ACL reconstruction (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the condition of articular cartilage between the patients under 30 years and over 30 years old in the initial ACL reconstruction (P > 0.05). During the second-look exploration, the patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction who were 30 years old and above had significantly worse subpatellar, trochlear, medial femoral condyle, lateral femoral condyle and tibial lateral platform cartilage tissues than those under 30 years (P < 0.05). The results suggest that the reconstruction of ACL with autogenous hamstring tendon can achieve better stability and function of the knee joint. However, even in the early postoperative period, osteoarthritis is still progressing. Therefore, it is necessary for patients with ACL reconstruction to pay attention to the progression of osteoarthritis and the appearance of knee joint symptoms.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between eosinophil count and short-term outcomes of patients with acute ischemic stroke.Methods:Patients with acute ischemic stroke treated in Fuyang People's Hospital from June 2017 to June 2019 were enrolled retrospectively. The demographic and baseline clinical data were collected. The modified Rankin Scale was used to evaluate the short-term clinical outcome at the time of discharge or 14 d after onset. 0-2 was defined as good outcome, and >2 was defined as poor outcome. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent influencing factors of poor short-term outcome. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of eosinophil count for poor short-term outcome. Results:A total of 300 patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled, including 187 males (62.3%) and 113 females (37.7%); their age was 63.62±12.14 years; baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was 5.48±4.85. Two hundred and twenty-eight patients (76.0%) had a good outcome and 72 (24.0%) had a poor outcome. Univariate analysis showed that age, hypertension, baseline NIHSS score, C-reactive protein, atrial fibrillation, and neutrophil count of the poor outcome group were significantly higher than those of the good outcome group, while male, smoking, eosinophil count and percentage of eosinophils were significantly lower than those of the good outcome group (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that baseline NIHSS score (odds ratio [ OR] 1.726, 95% confidence interval [ CI] 1.400-2.128; P<0.001), hypertension ( OR 3.744, 95% CI 1.227-11.426; P=0.020) and eosinophil count ( OR 0.287, 95% CI 0.102-0.616; P=0.043) were the independent influencing factors for the poor short-term outcome. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of eosinophil count for predicting the poor short-term outcome was 0.717 (95% CI 0.642-0.792), the best cutoff value was 0.075×10 9/L, and its sensitivity and specificity for predicting the poor short-term outcome were 88.6% and 51.4% respectively. Conclusion:The decreased eosinophil count had a certain predictive value for the poor short-term clinical outcome of patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Patients with acute paraquat poisoning mostly die of respiratory failure, and the surviving ones may live with pulmonary fibrosis, but the long-term changes in lung function are still un-clear. Two patients with acute paraquat poisoning survived for more than 7 years were followed up in Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital to evaluate the imaging and spirometric changes. Eight years after poisoning, 1 patient's chest computerized tomography (CT) revealed interstitial pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, accompanied by bronchiectasis. Spirometric test showed very severe obstructive ventilatory dysfunction [percentage of vital capacity (VC) to predicted values was 63.7%, percentage of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) to predicted values was 33.2%, percentage of forced vital capacity (FVC) to predicted values was 64.7%, forced expiratory volume in one second to forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) was 52.5%, percentage of maximal mid-expiratory flow (MMEF) to predicted values was 9.9%, percentage of diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide in single breath (DLCO-SB) to predicted values was 49.3%]. The radiography of the other patient who survived over 7 years after poisoning also discovered chronic bronchitis, emphysema and bullae, along with pleural effusion. Spirometry identified severe mixed ventilatory dysfunction, mainly obstructive ventilatory disorder (percentage of VC to predicted values was 47.8%, percentage of FEV1 to predicted values was 35.6%, percentage of FVC to predicted values was 49.3%, FEV1/FVC was 74.1%, percentage of MMEF to predicted values was 17.1%, percentage of DLCO-SB to predicted values was 21.8%). These 2 cases indicate that acute paraquat poisoning had long-term effects on lung structure and pulmonary function, which may be manifested as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Recently, deep neural networks (DNNs) have been widely used in the field of electrocardiogram (ECG) signal classification, but the previous models have limited ability to extract features from raw ECG data. In this paper, a deep residual network model based on pyramidal convolutional layers (PC-DRN) was proposed to implement ECG signal classification. The pyramidal convolutional (PC) layer could simultaneously extract multi-scale features from the original ECG data. And then, a deep residual network was designed to train the classification model for arrhythmia detection. The public dataset provided by the physionet computing in cardiology challenge 2017(CinC2017) was used to validate the classification experiment of 4 types of ECG data. In this paper, the harmonic mean of classification accuracy and recall was selected as the evaluation indexes. The experimental results showed that the average sequence level ( ) of PC-DRN was improved from 0.857 to 0.920, and the average set level ( ) was improved from 0.876 to 0.925. Therefore, the PC-DRN model proposed in this paper provided a promising way for the feature extraction and classification of ECG signals, and provided an effective tool for arrhythmia classification.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Disease Progression ; Electrocardiography ; Humans ; Neural Networks, Computer

Objective To evaluate the effect of Xingshi decoction combined with warming needle moxibustion combined with conventional western medicine on acute knee arthritis.Methods A total of 86 patients with acute knee arthritis were randomly divided into two groups,43 in each group.The control group took diclofenac capsules orally and methotrexate once a week,while the observation group took Xingshi decoction and wanning needle moxibustion on the basis of the control group.Both groups were treated for 2 weeks.The Rheumatoid factor (RF),high sensitive C reactive protein (hs-CRP) and IL-1β were detected by ELISA,and pain rating index (PRI),VAS and present pain intensity (PPI) were evaluated by McGill pain questionnaire (SF-MPQ).The knee function was assessed by the evaluation scale,and the curative effect was evaluated by 28 joint disease activity-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) scores.Results The total effective rate was 88.4％ (38/43) in the observation group and 62.8％ (27/43) in the control group.There was significant difference between the two groups (Z=2.678,P=0.007).After treatment,ESR (30.95 ± 3.14 mm/h vs.55.13 ± 3.28 mm/h,t=34.919),RF (81.36 ± 5.13 U/ml vs.121.73 ± 7.25 U/ml,t=29.807),hs-CRP (10.13 ± 3.12 mg/L vs.34.26 ± 3.17 mg/L,t=35.575),IL-1β (58.13 ± 3.12 pg/ml vs.96.76 ± 3.17 pg/ml,t=56.952) of the observation group were significantly lower than those of control group (P＜0.01);and PRI,VAS and PPI scores of SF-MPQ in observation group were significantly lower than those of control group (t values were 19.661,11.056 and 23.524,respectively,P＜0.01) and the scores of walking,swelling,sense of stability,strangulation and stair-climbing were significantly higher than those of the control group (t values were 11.071,13.464,9.102,9.804,10.012,respectively,P＜0.01).Conclusions The Xingshi decoction combined with warming needle moxibustion is effective in treating acute knee arthritis.It can effectively relieve pain and inflammation of patients,thus improving knee joint function.It has certain clinical application value.