Objective:To explore the application value of Oxford nanopore technologies (ONT) in the diagnosis and treatment of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI).Methods:A prospective analysis was conducted on 32 patients with PJI admitted to the joint department of Xi'an Honghui Hospital from October 2021 to March 2023, who met the 2018 PJI diagnostic criteria of the American Skeletal Infection Society (MSIS), including 15 males and 17 females with an average age of 63.93±8.93 years. 32 revision patients who did not meet the 2018 MSIS PJI criteria during the same period were collected as controls (non PJI group), including 13 males and 19 females with an average age of 65.53±8.54 years. All patients underwent joint fluid puncture before or during surgery, and the specimens were tested by ONT, metagenomic next generation sequencing (mNGS), and general microbial culture. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn for both groups, and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and Youden index of the three detection techniques were calculated and compared to evaluate the detection efficiency of different detection methods in PJI.Results:Among the 32 patients with PJI, 30 were positive for ONT, with a total of 30 pathogenic bacteria detected, and the detection time was 22.37±8.36 h. 31 were positive for mNGS, with a total of 33 bacterial species detected, and the detection time was 46.25±9.36 h. 17 were positive for microbial culture, with a total of 8 bacterial species detected, and the detection time was 96.23±15.62 h. Among the 32 patients with non PJI group, 1 was positive for ONT and 5 were positive for mNGS, with a total of 1 and 3 bacterial species detected, respectively. The results of microbial culture were all negative. The detection time and area under the curve (AUC) of ONT and mNGS were 22.37±8.36 h and 0.953[95% CI (0.901, 1.006)], 46.25±9.36 h and 0.906[95% CI (0.835, 0.977)], respectively, which were better than those of microbial culture 96.23±15.62 h and 0.766[95% CI (0.678, 0.853)], and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). The sensitivity of ONT, mNGS, and microbial culture were 0.938, 0.969, and 0.531, respectively, and the specificity was 0.969, 0.844, and 1.000, respectively. The Jordan index was 0.906, 0.813, and 0.531, respectively. Conclusion:ONT testing has higher diagnostic efficacy than mNGS and microbial culture in the diagnosis of PJI, and also has advantages in detection time. It also suggests that some PJI are not caused by a single microbial infection.

Background It is a research hotspot to study the changes of metabolites and metabolic pathways in the process of coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP) by metabonomics and to explore its pathogenesis. Objective To study the change of metabolites in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of patients with CWP and explore the metabolic regulation mechanism of the disease. Methods Patients with CWP who met the national diagnostic criteria according to Diagnosis of occupational pneumoconiosis (GBZ 70-2015) and underwent massive whole lung lavage were selected as the case group, and patients with tracheostenosis who underwent bronchoscopy were selected as the control group. BALF samples were collected from the cases and the controls. After filtering out large particles and mucus, the supernatant was stored in a −80 ℃ refrigerator. The samples were detected and analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry after adding extraction solution, cold bath ultrasonication, and high-speed centrifugation, and the metabolic profiles and related data of CWP patients were obtained. The differential metabolites related to the occurrence and development of CWP were screened by multiple statistical analysis; furthermore, we searched the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database for potential metabolic pathways involved in the progression. Results There was no significant difference in the general conditions of the subjects, such as weight, height, age, and length of service among the stage I group, the stage II group, the stage III group, and the control group (P˃0.05). When comparing the CWP stage I group with the control group, 48 differential metabolites were screened out, among which 14 were up-regulated and 34 were down-regulated. A total of 66 differential metabolites were screened out between the patients with CWP stage II and the controls, 14 up-regulated and 52 down-regulated differential metabolites. Compared with the control group, 63 differential metabolites were screened out in the patients with CWP stage III, including 11 up-regulated and 52 down-regulated differential metabolites. There were 36 differential metabolites that may be related to the occurrence of CWP, among which 11 differential metabolites were up-regulated, and 25 were down-regulated. Four significant differential metabolic pathways were identified through KEGG database query: linoleic acid metabolic pathway, alanine metabolic pathway, sphingolipid metabolic pathway, and glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway. Conclusion The metabolomic study of BALF show that there are 36 different metabolites in the occurrence and development of CWP, mainly associating with linoleic acid metabolism, alanine metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathways.

Background Pneumoconiosis is a widespread occupational disease in China at present. As a type of lung diseases, its pathological damage is mainly irreversible fibrotic changes in the lungs. Several studies have shown that the occurrence and development of lung diseases such as coal workers' pneumoconiosis are closely related to intestinal flora. Objective To observe intestinal flora of coal workers' pneumoconiosis patients based on the results of 16SrDNA high-throughput sequencing and evaluate the changes of intestinal flora after treatment with tetrandrine tablets. Methods A total of 80 patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis attending the outpatient clinic of the Department of Occupational Diseases of the Emergency General Hospital from April to July 2022 were enrolled. All patients were treated with tetrandrine tablets for 4 weeks, with group A before the treatment of tetrandrine tablets and group B after the treatment. In the same period, 24 healthy controls (group C) were set up. Stool samples were collected before and after the treatment. Using 16SrDNA high-throughput sequencing, gene V3-V4 sequencing technology, and bioinformatic analysis platform, we evaluated the intestinal flora after treatment by groups. Results The dominant flora at the phylum level and genus level were the same across three groups. The relative abundances of phylum Bacteroidetes, Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, and Facealibacterium in groups B and C were higher than those in group A, and the relative abundances of phy-lum Actinobacteria, genus Blautia, and genus Romboutsia in groups B and C were lower than those in group A (P＜0.05). The relative abundances of genus Clostridium, genus Megamonas, and genus Lactobacillus in group C was lower than that in groups A and B (P＜0.05). The alpha diversity analysis showed that the Chao1 index was higher in group A than in group C (P＜0.01). Compared with group A, the Shannon index was higher in group B, and the increases of Simpson index were all statistically significant in stage I patients (P＜0.05), but the differences in Chao1 index were not statistically significant (P＞0.05). The differences in the values of Chao1 index, Shannon index, and Simpson index in stage Ⅱ and stage III patients were not statistically significant (P＞0.05). The beta diversity analysis showed that the difference in flora structure between group A and group C was statistically significant (P＜0.05); the differences in flora structure before and after treatment in the same stage patients were statistically significant (P＜0.05). The partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) showed that there were significant differences between group A and group C, and between group A and group B. The LEfSe analysis showed that the significant markers contributing to the differences were basically the same in stage I, stage Ⅱ, and stage Ⅲ after treatment, which were mainly phylum Bacteroidetes and its subordinate groups, class Negativicutes, or-der Selenomonas, and genus Facealibacterium. Conclusion There are differences in the distribution of flora between coal workers' pneumoconiosis patients and healthy individuals, and the structure and relative abundance of intestinal flora are changed and the number of beneficial flora is increased after treatment with tetrandrine tablets.

Renal allograft fibrosis is one of the common and severe complications after kidney transplantation, which seriously affects the function and survival rate of renal allograft, and may even lead to organ failure and patient death. At present, the researches on renal allograft fibrosis are highly complicated, including immunity, ischemia-reperfusion injury, infection and drug toxicity, etc. The diagnosis and treatment of renal allograft fibrosis remain extremely challenging. In this article, the latest research progress was reviewed and the causes, novel diagnosis and treatment strategies for renal allograft fibrosis were investigated. By improving diagnostic accuracy and optimizing treatment regimen, it is expected to enhance clinical prognosis of kidney transplant recipients, aiming to provide reference for clinicians to deliver proper management for kidney transplant recipients.

Objective To explore the automated identification and diameter measurement methods for inferior vena cava (IVC) based on clinical ultrasound images of IVC. Methods An automated identification and localization method based on topology and automatic tracking algorithm was proposed. Tracking algorithm was used for identifying and continuously locating to improve the efficiency and accuracy of measurement. Tests were conducted on 18 sets of ultrasound data collected from 18 patients in intensive care unit (ICU),with clinicians' measurements as the gold standard. Results The recognition accuracy of the automated method was 94.44％ (17/18),and the measurement error of IVC diameter was within the range of±1.96s (s was the standard deviation). The automated method could replace the manual method. Conclusion The proposed IVC automated identification and localization algorithm based on topology and automatic tracking algorithm has high recognition success rate and IVC diameter measurement accuracy. It can assist clinicians in identifying and locating IVC,so as to improve the accuracy of IVC measurement.

Objective:To understand the clinical characteristics of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients with renal injury after antiviral therapy in Henan Province, and to explore the risk factors of renal injury.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate HIV infection/AIDS patients receiving antiviral therapy in Zhengzhou Sixth People′s Hospital, Anyang Fifth People′s Hospital, Hebi Third People′s Hospital, Luo Yang Zhoushan Hospital and Lankao Central Hospital in Henan Province from April 1 to September 30, 2023. The clinical information including basic data, antiviral therapy regimens and comorbidities, and laboratory test results (blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, blood uric acid, urine routine, urine microalbumin, urine α 1-microglobulin (α 1-MG), urine β 2-microglobulin (β 2-MG), urine retinol binding protein (RBP), urine creatinine, HIV viral load, CD4 + T lymphocyte count) were collected. Multivariate binary logistic regression was used to analyze independent risk factors for renal injury. Results:A total of 2 526 HIV infection/AIDS patients were included, with the age of (45.52±14.28) years and 2 156 (85.4%) males. The main route of transmission was sexual transmission (91.6%, 2 314/2 526). The duration of antiviral therapy was 5.00(2.92, 8.00) years. Tenofovir (TDF)+ lamivudine (3TC)+ non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) accounted for 55.3%(1 396/2 526) of the current antiviral therapy regimen. The percentage of HIV viral load <50 copies/mL was 93.0%(2 350/2 526). The CD4 + T lymphocyte count was 476(337, 645)/μL. There were 156 patients (6.2%) complicated with hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C, 205 patients (8.1%) with diabetes, 379 patients (15.0%) with hyperlipidemia, and 189 patients (7.5%) with hyperuricemia. A total of 1 040 patients (41.2%) with renal injury were found through renal function test, including 355 cases (14.1%) with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/(min·1.73 m 2) or urine protein positive or urine albumin creatine ratio (UACR) ≥30 mg/g, 682 patients (27.0%) with pure tubular injury presented with only positive for urinary α 1-MG, urinary β 2-MG, or urinary RBP. eGFR< 60 mL/(min·1.73 m 2) was found in 71 cases (2.8%), eGFR from 60 to 89 mL/(min·1.73 m 2) was found in 509 cases (20.2%), and eGFR≥90 mL/(min·1.73 m 2) was found in 1 946 cases (77.0%). A total of 138 patients (5.5%) were identified as having combined chronic kidney disease (CKD). Among them, 110 patients (79.7%) were in CKD stages 1 to 2, and 117 patients (84.8%) were in urinary albumin A2 grade. Multivariate analysis of 355 patients with renal injury who had eGFR<60 mL/(min·1.73 m 2) or positive urine protein in urine routine or UACR ≥30 mg/g showed that ages of 50 to 69 years old (odds ratio( OR)=2.189, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.333 to 3.596, P=0.002)), ≥70 years old ( OR=5.190, 95% CI 2.912 to 9.248, P<0.001), female ( OR=1.685, 95% CI 1.241 to 2.286, P=0.001), combined opportunistic infection ( OR=2.521, 95% CI 1.567 to 4.056, P<0.001), combined hepatitis B ( OR=1.962, 95% CI 1.110 to 3.467, P=0.020), combined hepatitis C ( OR=1.883, 95% CI 1.043 to 3.400, P=0.036), combined diabetes ( OR=2.703, 95% CI 1.911 to 3.821, P<0.001), using TDF for two to four years ( OR=1.674, 95% CI 1.103 to 2.459, P=0.015), using TDF for greater than or equal to five years ( OR=1.880, 95% CI 1.287 to 2.746, P=0.001), using TDF combined with lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) ( OR=3.610, 95% CI 2.273 to 5.734, P<0.001) and using TDF combined with non-LPV/r ( OR=1.495, 95% CI 1.036 to 2.157, P=0.031) were the risk factors of renal injury. Conclusions:There is a high proportion of renal injury among HIV infection/AIDS patients after antiviral therapy in Henan Province, including CKD and simple renal tubular injury. Older age, female, comorbidities, and long-term use of TDF are risk factors for renal injury.

Objective: Cervical hybrid surgery optimizes the use of cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) and zero-profile (ZOP) devices in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) but lacks uniform combination and biomechanical standards, especially in revision surgery (RS). This study aimed to investigate the biomechanical characteristics of adjacent segments of the different hybrid RS constructs in ACDF RS. Methods: An intact 3-dimensional finite element model generated a normal cervical spine (C2–T1). This model was modified to the primary C5–6 ACDF model. Three RS models were created to treat C4–5 adjacent segment degeneration through implanting cages plus plates (Cage-Cage), ZOP devices (ZOP-Cage), or Bryan discs (CDA-Cage). A 1.0-Nm moment was applied to the primary C5–6 ACDF model to generate total C2–T1 range of motions (ROMs). Subsequently, a displacement load was applied to all RS models to match the total C2–T1 ROMs of the primary ACDF model. Results: The ZOP-Cage model showed lower biomechanical responses including ROM, intradiscal pressure, maximum von Mises stress in discs, and facet joint force in adjacent segments compared to the Cage-Cage model. The CDA-Cage model exhibited the lowest biomechanical responses and ROM ratio at adjacent segments among all RS models, closely approached or lower than those in the primary ACDF model in most motion directions. Additionally, the maximum von Mises stress on the C3–4 and C6–7 discs increased in the Cage-Cage and ZOP-Cage models but decreased in the CDA-Cage model when compared to the primary ACDF model. Conclusion The CDA-Cage construct had the lowest biomechanical responses with minimal kinematic change of adjacent segments. ZOP-Cage is the next best choice, especially if CDA is not suitable. This study provides a biomechanical reference for clinical hybrid RS decision-making to reduce the risk of ASD recurrence.

Objective: Cervical hybrid surgery optimizes the use of cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) and zero-profile (ZOP) devices in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) but lacks uniform combination and biomechanical standards, especially in revision surgery (RS). This study aimed to investigate the biomechanical characteristics of adjacent segments of the different hybrid RS constructs in ACDF RS. Methods: An intact 3-dimensional finite element model generated a normal cervical spine (C2–T1). This model was modified to the primary C5–6 ACDF model. Three RS models were created to treat C4–5 adjacent segment degeneration through implanting cages plus plates (Cage-Cage), ZOP devices (ZOP-Cage), or Bryan discs (CDA-Cage). A 1.0-Nm moment was applied to the primary C5–6 ACDF model to generate total C2–T1 range of motions (ROMs). Subsequently, a displacement load was applied to all RS models to match the total C2–T1 ROMs of the primary ACDF model. Results: The ZOP-Cage model showed lower biomechanical responses including ROM, intradiscal pressure, maximum von Mises stress in discs, and facet joint force in adjacent segments compared to the Cage-Cage model. The CDA-Cage model exhibited the lowest biomechanical responses and ROM ratio at adjacent segments among all RS models, closely approached or lower than those in the primary ACDF model in most motion directions. Additionally, the maximum von Mises stress on the C3–4 and C6–7 discs increased in the Cage-Cage and ZOP-Cage models but decreased in the CDA-Cage model when compared to the primary ACDF model. Conclusion The CDA-Cage construct had the lowest biomechanical responses with minimal kinematic change of adjacent segments. ZOP-Cage is the next best choice, especially if CDA is not suitable. This study provides a biomechanical reference for clinical hybrid RS decision-making to reduce the risk of ASD recurrence.

Objective: Cervical hybrid surgery optimizes the use of cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) and zero-profile (ZOP) devices in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) but lacks uniform combination and biomechanical standards, especially in revision surgery (RS). This study aimed to investigate the biomechanical characteristics of adjacent segments of the different hybrid RS constructs in ACDF RS. Methods: An intact 3-dimensional finite element model generated a normal cervical spine (C2–T1). This model was modified to the primary C5–6 ACDF model. Three RS models were created to treat C4–5 adjacent segment degeneration through implanting cages plus plates (Cage-Cage), ZOP devices (ZOP-Cage), or Bryan discs (CDA-Cage). A 1.0-Nm moment was applied to the primary C5–6 ACDF model to generate total C2–T1 range of motions (ROMs). Subsequently, a displacement load was applied to all RS models to match the total C2–T1 ROMs of the primary ACDF model. Results: The ZOP-Cage model showed lower biomechanical responses including ROM, intradiscal pressure, maximum von Mises stress in discs, and facet joint force in adjacent segments compared to the Cage-Cage model. The CDA-Cage model exhibited the lowest biomechanical responses and ROM ratio at adjacent segments among all RS models, closely approached or lower than those in the primary ACDF model in most motion directions. Additionally, the maximum von Mises stress on the C3–4 and C6–7 discs increased in the Cage-Cage and ZOP-Cage models but decreased in the CDA-Cage model when compared to the primary ACDF model. Conclusion The CDA-Cage construct had the lowest biomechanical responses with minimal kinematic change of adjacent segments. ZOP-Cage is the next best choice, especially if CDA is not suitable. This study provides a biomechanical reference for clinical hybrid RS decision-making to reduce the risk of ASD recurrence.

Objective: Cervical hybrid surgery optimizes the use of cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) and zero-profile (ZOP) devices in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) but lacks uniform combination and biomechanical standards, especially in revision surgery (RS). This study aimed to investigate the biomechanical characteristics of adjacent segments of the different hybrid RS constructs in ACDF RS. Methods: An intact 3-dimensional finite element model generated a normal cervical spine (C2–T1). This model was modified to the primary C5–6 ACDF model. Three RS models were created to treat C4–5 adjacent segment degeneration through implanting cages plus plates (Cage-Cage), ZOP devices (ZOP-Cage), or Bryan discs (CDA-Cage). A 1.0-Nm moment was applied to the primary C5–6 ACDF model to generate total C2–T1 range of motions (ROMs). Subsequently, a displacement load was applied to all RS models to match the total C2–T1 ROMs of the primary ACDF model. Results: The ZOP-Cage model showed lower biomechanical responses including ROM, intradiscal pressure, maximum von Mises stress in discs, and facet joint force in adjacent segments compared to the Cage-Cage model. The CDA-Cage model exhibited the lowest biomechanical responses and ROM ratio at adjacent segments among all RS models, closely approached or lower than those in the primary ACDF model in most motion directions. Additionally, the maximum von Mises stress on the C3–4 and C6–7 discs increased in the Cage-Cage and ZOP-Cage models but decreased in the CDA-Cage model when compared to the primary ACDF model. Conclusion The CDA-Cage construct had the lowest biomechanical responses with minimal kinematic change of adjacent segments. ZOP-Cage is the next best choice, especially if CDA is not suitable. This study provides a biomechanical reference for clinical hybrid RS decision-making to reduce the risk of ASD recurrence.