Objective:To investigate the clinical value of abdominal adipose volume in predicting early tumor recurrence after resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:The retrospective case-control study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 132 HCC patients with tumor diameter ≤5 cm who were admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University from December 2017 to October 2019 were collected. There were 110 males and 22 females, aged (51±4)years. All patients underwent resection of HCC. Preoperative computer tomography scanning was performed and the visceral and subcutaneous fats of patients were quantified using the Mimics Research 21.0 software. Based on time to postoperative tumor recurrence patients were divided to two categories: early recurrence and non-early recurrence. Observation indicators: (1) consistency analy-sis; (2) analysis of factors influencing early tumor recurrence after resection of HCC and construction of prediction model. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the t test. Measurement data with skewed distribu-tion were represented as M( Q1,Q3) or M(range), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were expressed as absolute numbers, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Consistency analysis was conducted using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC) test. Multivariate analysis was performed using the binary Logistic regression model forward method. Independent risk factors influencing early tumor recurrence after resection of HCC were screened. The area under curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to select the optimal cut-off value to classify high and low risks of recurrence. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw survival curve and calculate survival time. The Log-Rank test was used for survival analysis. Results:(1) Consistency analysis. The consistency ICC of abdominal fat parameters of visceral fat volume (VFV), subcutaneous fat volume, visceral fat area, and subcutaneous fat area measured by 2 radiologists were 0.84, 1.00, 0.86, and 0.94, respectively. (2) Analysis of factors influencing early tumor recurr-ence after resection of HCC and construction of prediction model. All 132 patients were followed up after surgery for 662(range, 292-1 111)days. During the follow-up, there were 52 patients with non-early recurrence and 80 patients with early recurrence. Results of multivariate analysis showed that VFV was an independent factor influencing early tumor recurrence after resection of HCC ( odds ratio=4.07, 95% confidence interval as 2.27-7.27, P<0.05). The AUC of ROC curve based on VFV was 0.78 (95% confidence interval as 0.70-0.85), and the sensitivity and specificity were 72.2 % and 77.4 %, respectively. The optimal cut-off value of VFV was 1.255 dm 3, and all 132 patients were divided into the high-risk early postoperative recurrence group of 69 cases with VFV >1.255 dm 3, and the low-risk early postoperative recurrence group of 63 cases with VFV ≤1.255 dm 3. The disease-free survival time of the high-risk early postoperative recurrence group and the low-risk early post-operative recurrence group were 414(193,702)days and 1 047(620,1 219)days, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=31.17, P<0.05). Conclusions:VFV is an independent factor influen-cing early tumor recurrence of HCC after resection. As a quantitative indicator of abdominal fat, it can predict the prognosis of HCC patients.

Objective To investigate the risk factors for bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)in twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks,and to provide a basis for early identification of BPD in twin preterm infants in clinical practice.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks who were admitted to 22 hospitals nationwide from January 2018 to December 2020.According to their conditions,they were divided into group A(both twins had BPD),group B(only one twin had BPD),and group C(neither twin had BPD).The risk factors for BPD in twin preterm infants were analyzed.Further analysis was conducted on group B to investigate the postnatal risk factors for BPD within twins.Results A total of 904 pairs of twins with a gestational age of<34 weeks were included in this study.The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with group C,birth weight discordance of>25%between the twins was an independent risk factor for BPD in one of the twins(OR=3.370,95%CI:1.500-7.568,P<0.05),and high gestational age at birth was a protective factor against BPD(P<0.05).The conditional logistic regression analysis of group B showed that small-for-gestational-age(SGA)birth was an independent risk factor for BPD in individual twins(OR=5.017,95%CI:1.040-24.190,P<0.05).Conclusions The development of BPD in twin preterm infants is associated with gestational age,birth weight discordance between the twins,and SGA birth.

Objective To design an anti-inversion performance evaluation system for ankle braces and validate its performance.Methods The system was composed of a simulation system,an inversion angle acquisition system,a lateral tension acquisition system for ankle joint and a data collection and procession system.The simulation platform made of aluminum alloy consisted of a standing platform and a landing pad,and the landing pad was made up of a platform and a slope for landing;the inversion angle acquisition system included markers,an image acquisition device and a fill light.The lateral tension acquisition system involved in a tension sensor,a detection sensor and an elastic cloth for fixation.The data collection and procession system comprised of a computer or smartphone,iXControl software,iXViewer software and a cell phone App that received real-time data from the lateral ankle tension acquisition device.The system developed underwent performance validation when applied to evaluating anti-inversion performance of volunteers without or with flexible or new braces.The traditional EMG testing method was used for EMG data acquisition for volunteers without or with flexible or new braces,and the consistency was explored between the testing results by the traditional method and the system.Results The system developed could evaluate the anti-inversion performance of ankle braces by simulating the process of ankle inversion during human high-altitude landing,and the results had high consistency with those by traditional EMG testing methods.Conclusion The system developed with simple structure and easy operation evaluates the anti-inversion performance of ankle braces.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(11):21-26]

AIM To study the chemical constituents from Solanum muricatum Ait.and their antioxidant activities.METHODS The 85%ethanol extract from S.muricatum was isolated and purified by silica gel,MCI,Sephadex LH-20,RP-C18,TLC,then the structures of obtained compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral data.Their antioxidant activities were evaluated by DPPH free radical scavenging activity screening technology.RESULTS Twenty-five compounds were isolated and identified as caffeic acid(1),5-hydroxymaltol(2),4-methoxy-4-oxobutanoic acid(3),nicotinic acid(4),daucosterol(5),α-spinosterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(6),susaroyside A(7),ferulic acid(8),p-coumaric acid(9),methyl caffeate(10),ethyl caffeate(11),4,4-dimethylheptanedioic acid(12),calycosin(13),trans-4,4'-dihydroxystilbene(14),24-methylenecycloartanol(15),oleic acid(16),ethyl oleate(17),β-sitosterol(18),citrostadienol(19),pentacosane(20),β-sitosterol palmitate(21),(E)-4-[5-(hydroxymethyl)furan-2-yl]but-3-en-2-one(22),5,5'-oxybis(5-methylene-2-furaldehyde)(23),(E)-4-(5-(methoxymethyl)furan-2-yl)but-3-en-2-one(24),1,5-bis(5-methoxymethyl)furan-2-yl-penta-1,4-dien-3-one(25).The antioxidant capacity of 85%ethanol extract from S.muricatum was stronger than that of water extract.In the 85%ethanol extract from S.muricatum,the antioxidant capacities of each polar segment were 30%methanol,methanol,60%methanol,and water in turn.CONCLUSION Compounds 1-7 and 9-25 are isolated from this plant for the first time.The extracts of S.muricatum with different solvents and different polar segments have certain antioxidant activities.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical treatment outcomes and the changes of the outcomes over time in extremely preterm twins in Guangdong Province, China. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for 269 pairs of extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks who were admitted to the department of neonatology in 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province from January 2008 to December 2017. According to the admission time, they were divided into two groups: 2008-2012 and 2013-2017. Besides, each pair of twins was divided into the heavier infant and the lighter infant subgroups according to birth weight. The perinatal data of mothers and hospitalization data of neonates were collected. The survival rate of twins and the incidence rate of complications were compared between the 2008-2012 and 2013-2017 groups. RESULTS: Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of severe asphyxia and smaller head circumference at birth (P<0.05). The mortality rates of both of the twins, the heavier infant of the twins, and the lighter infant of the twins were lower in the 2013-2017 group compared with the 2008-2012 group (P<0.05). Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of pulmonary hemorrhage, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage (P-IVH), and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) and a higher incidence rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS There is a significant increase in the survival rate over time in extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks in the 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province. The incidences of severe asphyxia, pulmonary hemorrhage, PDA, P-IVH, and NRDS decrease in both the heavier and lighter infants of the twins, but the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia increases. With the improvement of diagnosis and treatment, the multidisciplinary collaboration between different fields of fetal medicine including prenatal diagnosis, obstetrics, and neonatology is needed in the future to jointly develop management strategies for twin pregnancy.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology* ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

An increasing number of studies have recently indicated the important effects of gut microbes on various functions of the central nervous system.However, the underlying mechanisms by which gut microbiota regulate brain functions and behavioral phenotypes remain largely unknown. We therefore used isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based quantitative proteomic analysis to obtain proteomic profiles of the hippocampus in germ-free (GF), colonized GF, and specific pathogen-free (SPF) mice. We then integrated the resulting proteomic data with previously reported mRNA microarray data, to further explore the effects of gut microbes on host brain functions. We identified that 61 proteins were upregulated and 242 proteins were downregulated in GF mice compared with SPF mice. Of these, 124 proteins were significantly restored following gut microbiota colonization. Bioinformatic analysis of these significant proteins indicated that the glucocorticoid receptor signaling pathway and inflammation-related pathways were the most enriched disrupted pathways. This study provides new insights into the pathological mechanisms of gut microbiota-regulated diseases.

Objective:To summarize the experience of surgical treatment of primary liver cancer.Methods:The clinical data of 10 966 surgically managed cases with primary liver cancer, from January 1986 to December 2019 at Hepatobiliary Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, were retrospectively analyzed. The life table method was used to calculate the survival rate and postoperative recurrence rate. Log‐rank test was used to compare the survival process of different groups, and the Cox regression model was used for multivariate analysis. In addition, 2 884 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) with more detailed follow‐up data from 2009 to 2019 were selected for survival analysis. Among 2 549 patients treated with hepatectomy, there were 2 107 males and 442 females, with an age of (56.6±11.1) years (range: 20 to 86 years). Among 335 patients treated with liver transplantation, there were 292 males and 43 females, with an age of (51.0±9.7) years (range: 21 to 73 years). The outcomes of hepatectomy versus liver transplantation, anatomic versus non-anatomic hepatectomy were compared, respectively.Results:Of the 10 966 patients with primary liver cancer, 10 331 patients underwent hepatectomy and 635 patients underwent liver transplantation. Patients with liver resection were categorized into three groups: 1986－1995(712 cases), 1996－2008(3 988 cases), 2009?2019(5 631 cases). The 5‐year overall survival rate was 32.9% in the first group(1986－1995). The 5‐year overall survival rate of resected primary liver cancer was 51.7% in the third group(2009‐2019), among which the 5‐year overal survival rates of hepatocellular carcinoma, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and mixed liver cancer were 57.4%, 26.6% and 50.6%, respectively. Further analysis was performed on 2 549 HCC patients with primary hepatectomy. The 1‐, 3‐, 5‐, and 10‐year overall survival rates were 88.1%, 71.9%, 60.0%, and 41.0%, respectively, and the perioperative mortality rate was 1.0%. Two hundred and forty‐seven HCC patients underwent primary liver transplantation, with 1‐, 3‐, 5‐, and 10‐year overall survival rates of 84.0%, 64.8%, 61.9%, and 57.6%, respectively. Eighty‐eight HCC patients underwent salvage liver transplantation, with the 1‐, 3‐, 5‐, and 10‐year overall survival rates of 86.8%, 65.2%, 52.5%, and 52.5%, respectively. There was no significant difference in survival rates between the two groups with liver transplantation ( P>0.05). Comparing the overall survival rates and recurrence rates of primary hepatectomy (2 549 cases) with primary liver transplantation (247 cases), the 1‐, 3‐, 5‐, and 10‐year overall survival rates in patients within Milan criteria treated with hepatectomy and transplantation were 96.3%, 87.1%, 76.9%, 54.7%, and 95.4%, 79.4%, 77.4%, 71.7%, respectively ( P=0.754). The 1‐, 3‐, 5‐year recurrence rates were 16.3%, 35.9%, 47.6% and 8.1%, 11.7%, 13.9%, respectively( P<0.01). The 1‐, 3‐, 5‐, 10‐year overall survival rates in patients with no large vessels invasion beyond the Milan criteria treated with liver resection and transplantation were 87.2%, 65.9%, 53.0%, 33.0% and 87.6%, 71.8%, 71.8%, 69.3%, respectively( P=0.003); the 1‐, 3‐, 5‐year recurrence rate were 39.2%, 57.8%, 69.7% and 29.7%, 36.7%, 36.7%, respectively ( P<0.01). The 1‐, 3‐, 5‐, and 10‐year overall survival rates in patients with large vessels invasion treated with liver resection and transplantation were 62.1%, 36.1%, 22.2%, 15.0% and 62.9%, 31.8%,19.9%, 0, respectively ( P=0.387); the 1‐, 3‐, 5‐year recurrence rates were 61.5%, 74.7%, 80.8% and 59.7%, 82.9%, 87.2%, respectively( P=0.909). Independent prognostic factors for both overall survival and recurrence‐free survival rates of HCC patients treated with liver resection included gender, neoadjuvant therapy, symptoms, AST, intraoperative or postoperative blood transfusion, tumor number, tumor size, cirrhosis, macrovascular invasion, microvascular invasion, and pathological differentiation. Propensity score matching analysis of 443 pairs further showed that there was no significant difference in overall survival rate between anatomical liver resection and non‐anatomical liver resection( P=0.895), but the recurrence rate of non‐anatomical liver resection was higher than that of anatomical liver resection( P=0.035). Conclusions:In the past decade, the overall survival rate of HCC undergoing surgical treatment is significantly higher than before. For HCC patients with good liver function reservation, surgical resection can be performed first, and salvage liver transplantation can be performed after recurrence. The effect of salvage liver transplantation is comparable to that of primary liver transplantation. As for the choice of liver resection approaches, non‐anatomical resection can reserve more liver tissue and can be selected as long as the negative margin is guaranteed.

Objective:To summarize the experience of surgical treatment of primary liver cancer.Methods:The clinical data of 10 966 surgically managed cases with primary liver cancer, from January 1986 to December 2019 at Hepatobiliary Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, were retrospectively analyzed. The life table method was used to calculate the survival rate and postoperative recurrence rate. Log‐rank test was used to compare the survival process of different groups, and the Cox regression model was used for multivariate analysis. In addition, 2 884 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) with more detailed follow‐up data from 2009 to 2019 were selected for survival analysis. Among 2 549 patients treated with hepatectomy, there were 2 107 males and 442 females, with an age of (56.6±11.1) years (range: 20 to 86 years). Among 335 patients treated with liver transplantation, there were 292 males and 43 females, with an age of (51.0±9.7) years (range: 21 to 73 years). The outcomes of hepatectomy versus liver transplantation, anatomic versus non-anatomic hepatectomy were compared, respectively.Results:Of the 10 966 patients with primary liver cancer, 10 331 patients underwent hepatectomy and 635 patients underwent liver transplantation. Patients with liver resection were categorized into three groups: 1986－1995(712 cases), 1996－2008(3 988 cases), 2009?2019(5 631 cases). The 5‐year overall survival rate was 32.9% in the first group(1986－1995). The 5‐year overall survival rate of resected primary liver cancer was 51.7% in the third group(2009‐2019), among which the 5‐year overal survival rates of hepatocellular carcinoma, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and mixed liver cancer were 57.4%, 26.6% and 50.6%, respectively. Further analysis was performed on 2 549 HCC patients with primary hepatectomy. The 1‐, 3‐, 5‐, and 10‐year overall survival rates were 88.1%, 71.9%, 60.0%, and 41.0%, respectively, and the perioperative mortality rate was 1.0%. Two hundred and forty‐seven HCC patients underwent primary liver transplantation, with 1‐, 3‐, 5‐, and 10‐year overall survival rates of 84.0%, 64.8%, 61.9%, and 57.6%, respectively. Eighty‐eight HCC patients underwent salvage liver transplantation, with the 1‐, 3‐, 5‐, and 10‐year overall survival rates of 86.8%, 65.2%, 52.5%, and 52.5%, respectively. There was no significant difference in survival rates between the two groups with liver transplantation ( P>0.05). Comparing the overall survival rates and recurrence rates of primary hepatectomy (2 549 cases) with primary liver transplantation (247 cases), the 1‐, 3‐, 5‐, and 10‐year overall survival rates in patients within Milan criteria treated with hepatectomy and transplantation were 96.3%, 87.1%, 76.9%, 54.7%, and 95.4%, 79.4%, 77.4%, 71.7%, respectively ( P=0.754). The 1‐, 3‐, 5‐year recurrence rates were 16.3%, 35.9%, 47.6% and 8.1%, 11.7%, 13.9%, respectively( P<0.01). The 1‐, 3‐, 5‐, 10‐year overall survival rates in patients with no large vessels invasion beyond the Milan criteria treated with liver resection and transplantation were 87.2%, 65.9%, 53.0%, 33.0% and 87.6%, 71.8%, 71.8%, 69.3%, respectively( P=0.003); the 1‐, 3‐, 5‐year recurrence rate were 39.2%, 57.8%, 69.7% and 29.7%, 36.7%, 36.7%, respectively ( P<0.01). The 1‐, 3‐, 5‐, and 10‐year overall survival rates in patients with large vessels invasion treated with liver resection and transplantation were 62.1%, 36.1%, 22.2%, 15.0% and 62.9%, 31.8%,19.9%, 0, respectively ( P=0.387); the 1‐, 3‐, 5‐year recurrence rates were 61.5%, 74.7%, 80.8% and 59.7%, 82.9%, 87.2%, respectively( P=0.909). Independent prognostic factors for both overall survival and recurrence‐free survival rates of HCC patients treated with liver resection included gender, neoadjuvant therapy, symptoms, AST, intraoperative or postoperative blood transfusion, tumor number, tumor size, cirrhosis, macrovascular invasion, microvascular invasion, and pathological differentiation. Propensity score matching analysis of 443 pairs further showed that there was no significant difference in overall survival rate between anatomical liver resection and non‐anatomical liver resection( P=0.895), but the recurrence rate of non‐anatomical liver resection was higher than that of anatomical liver resection( P=0.035). Conclusions:In the past decade, the overall survival rate of HCC undergoing surgical treatment is significantly higher than before. For HCC patients with good liver function reservation, surgical resection can be performed first, and salvage liver transplantation can be performed after recurrence. The effect of salvage liver transplantation is comparable to that of primary liver transplantation. As for the choice of liver resection approaches, non‐anatomical resection can reserve more liver tissue and can be selected as long as the negative margin is guaranteed.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect on essential hypertension of the topical application of TAT-Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase (TAT-SOD) at left acupoint Zusanli (ST 36), and to observe whether the change of electrical potential difference (EPD) can be related to the change of blood pressure. METHODS: Sixteen patients with essential hypertension and 16 healthy subjects were included in the study. EPD between the left acupoints of Yanglingquan (GB 34) and Qiuxu (GB 40) was firstly screened out for the EPD detection. An intracellular superoxide quenching enzyme, TAT-SOD, was topically applied to the acupoint ST 36 within an area of 1 cm once a day, and the influence on EPD was investigated. The dosage applied to TAT-SOD group (n=8) was 0.2 mL of 3000 U/mL TAT-SOD cream prepared by adding purified TAT-SOD to a vehicle cream, while placebo group (n=8) used the vehicle cream instead. The left acupoints of Yanglingquan (GB 34) and Qiuxu (GB 40) were selected for EPD measurement after comparing EPD readings between 5 acupoints on each of all 12 meridians. RESULTS: EPDs between the left acupoints of GB 34 and GB 40 for 16 patients of essential hypertension and 16 healthy subjects were 44.9±6.4 and 5.6±0.9 mV, respectively. Daily application of TAT-SOD for 15 days at ST 36 of essential hypertension patients significantly decreased systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 179.6 and 81.5 mm Hg to 153.1 and 74.1 mm Hg, respectively. Responding to the change in blood pressure, EPD between the left acupoints of GB 34 and GB 40 also declined from 44.4 to 22.8 mV with the same trend. No change was observed with SBP, DBP and EPD between the left acupoints of GB 34 and GB 40 with the daily application of the placebo cream. CONCLUSION Enzymatic scavenging of the intracellular superoxide at ST 36 proved to be effective in decreasing SBP and DBP. The results reconfirm the involvement of superoxide anions and its transportation along the meridians, and demonstrate that EPD between acupoints may be an indicator to reflect its functioning status. Moreover, preliminary results suggest a close correlation between EPD and blood pressure readings, implying a possibility of using EPD as a sensitive parameter for blood pressure and to monitor the effect of antihypertensive treatment.

Objective: Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a major long-term complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) . It is important to study the changes of serum biomarkers expression in patients for early diagnosis and treatment. Methods: The expression levels of five serum protein markers (IL-1b, IL-16, CXCL9, CCL19, CCL17) in patients with or without cGVHD after allo-HSCT were detected by liquid suspension microarray. Results: Compared with the control group without cGVHD, the expression levels of CXCL9 and CCL17 in serum of patients with cGVHD were significantly increased (P<0.05) . CCL17 was correlated with the severity of cGVHD (P<0.001) . CXCL9 was significantly increased in the serum of patients with skin lesion (P<0.01) , and CCL17 was significantly expressed in cGVHD patients with liver as the target organ (P<0.01) . Conclusion: The combination of CXCL9 and CCL17 can be used as serum biomarkers of cGVHD, which has certain reference value in assisting the diagnosis and evaluation of cGVHD severity.
Biomarkers ; Chronic Disease ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Transplantation, Homologous