BACKGROUND:Currently,the pre-dilatation balloons used in clinical coronary intervention are mainly the traditional high-pressure balloon and papillary balloon.They may slip off in the diseased vessel and then bruise the vessel. OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the new coronary rotary scoring balloon in vasodilatation. METHODS:(1)Finite element analysis:The three-dimensional finite element model of blood vessel was established by collecting relevant human tissue data,and then the three-dimensional finite element model of papillary balloon implantation in blood vessel and the three-dimensional finite element model of rotary scored balloon implantation in blood vessel were established to analyze the vascular stress,vascular displacement,balloon stress and balloon displacement during balloon expansion under different aeration pressures.(2)Animal experiments:Eight New Zealand rabbits with large ears were randomly divided into two groups,and the papillary balloon and rotary scored balloon were implanted in the iliac artery for expansion,with four rabbits in each group.After the balloon was withdrawn,samples were taken.Hematoxylin-eosin staining and transmission electron microscopy were used to observe the vascular injury. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Finite element analysis:There was no significant difference in the elastic properties of the two types of balloon.Under the same aeration pressure,the vascular stress,vascular displacement,balloon stress,and balloon displacement of the papillary balloon group were much greater than those of the rotary scored balloon group,and the uniformity of each index was better than that of the rotary scored balloon group.With the increase of inflatable pressure,the increase of blood vessel stress,blood vessel displacement,balloon stress and balloon displacement in the papillary balloon group was much greater than that in the rotary scored balloon group.(2)Animal experiments:Hematoxylin-eosin staining and transmission electron microscope observation showed that the vascular damage caused by rotary scored balloon expansion was limited to the intima,while the vascular damage caused by papillary balloon expansion was more serious,and the intima and media were seriously damaged.Hematoma formation could be seen in some segments;more inflammatory cells were found around the blood vessels,and local macrophage accumulation could be seen.(3)The results show that compared with papillary balloon dilatation,the risk of vascular occlusion and dissection caused by rotary scored balloon dilatation was less,but there was a certain probability of balloon bending.

Objective To monitor the susceptibility of clinical isolates to antimicrobial agents in tertiary hospitals in major regions of China in 2022.Methods Clinical isolates from 58 hospitals in China were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a unified protocol based on disc diffusion method or automated testing systems.Results were interpreted using the 2022 Clinical &Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)breakpoints.Results A total of 318 013 clinical isolates were collected from January 1,2022 to December 31,2022,of which 29.5％were gram-positive and 70.5％were gram-negative.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains in Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species(excluding Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi)was 28.3％,76.7％and 77.9％,respectively.Overall,94.0％of MRSA strains were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 90.8％of MRSE strains were susceptible to rifampicin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were found.Enterococcus faecalis showed significantly lower resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents tested than Enterococcus faecium.A few vancomycin-resistant strains were identified in both E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae was 94.2％in the isolates from children and 95.7％in the isolates from adults.The resistance rate to carbapenems was lower than 13.1％in most Enterobacterales species except for Klebsiella,21.7％-23.1％of which were resistant to carbapenems.Most Enterobacterales isolates were highly susceptible to tigecycline,colistin and polymyxin B,with resistance rates ranging from 0.1％to 13.3％.The prevalence of meropenem-resistant strains decreased from 23.5％in 2019 to 18.0％in 2022 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and decreased from 79.0％in 2019 to 72.5％in 2022 in Acinetobacter baumannii.Conclusions The resistance of clinical isolates to the commonly used antimicrobial agents is still increasing in tertiary hospitals.However,the prevalence of important carbapenem-resistant organisms such as carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa,and A.baumannii showed a downward trend in recent years.This finding suggests that the strategy of combining antimicrobial resistance surveillance with multidisciplinary concerted action works well in curbing the spread of resistant bacteria.

To investigate the expression of miR-133a and miR-424 in the serum of patients with connective tissue disease(CTD)and interstitial lung disease(ILD)and their relationship with T lymphocyte subpopulations,total of 96 CTD-ILD patients treated in our hospital from December 2019 to December 2022 were selected as CTD-ILD group,while 96 CTD patients without ILD were as the control group.The real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR)method was applied to detect serum levels of miR-133a and miR-424;flow cytometry was applied to detect the levels of T lymphocyte subpopulations.Pearson method was applied to analyze the relationship of miR-133a and miR-424 with T lymphocyte subpopulations.Compared with the control group,the level of serum miR-133a in the CTD-ILD group was obviously reduced,while the expression level of miR-424 was obviously increased(P＜0.05).Under different degrees of pulmonary ventilation disorders,the expression level of miR-133a in the serum of mild,moderate,and severe patients decreased obviously,while the expression level of miR-424 increased obviously(P＜0.05).Under different grades of pulmonary diffusion dysfunction,the expression level of miR-133a in the serum of mild,moderate,and severe patients reduced obviously,while the expression level of miR-424 increased obviously(P＜0.05).Furthermore,the levels of CD4+and CD4+/CD8+in the CTD-ILD group were obviously increased,as compared to the control group,while the levels of CD8+and CD3+were obviously reduced(P＜0.05).In addition,miR-133a was negatively correlated with CD4+,and positively correlated with CD8+and CD3+;miR-424 was positively correlated with CD4+,and negatively correlated with CD8+and CD3+(P＜0.05).In conclusion,the expression level of miR-133a in serum of CTD-ILD patients is decreased,while the expression level of miR-424 is increased,and both of them are related to the T lymphocyte subpopulations.

Objective To analyze the changes in the expression levels of serum Dickkopf-related protein 1(DKK-1)and latent transforming growth factor binding protein 2(LTBP2)in patients with connective tissue disease(CTD)related interstitial pneumonia(IP)of different disease activity levels before and after treatment.Methods A total of 121 CTD patients who visited the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from January 2022 to October 2023 were collected and separated into an observation group(CTD-related IP patients,n=62)and a reference group(CTD without IP patients,n=59)based on the incidence of IP.The observation group was separated into a stable phase group(n=26)and an acute exacerbation phase group(n=36)based on disease activity.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)detected DKK-1 and LTBP2 levels.Pearson or Spearman were used to analyze correlations between DKK-1 and LTBP2 levels with clinical data.Logistic regression was applied to analyze influencing factors of acute exacerbation in CTD-related IP patients.Results The serum levels of DKK-1(14.98±3.32 ng/ml)and LTBP2(32.64±4.01 ng/ml)in the observation group were higher than those in the reference group(2.21±0.67 ng/ml,8.73±2.15 ng/ml),the differences were statistically significant(t=28.983,57.518,all P＜0.05).The proportions of patients with ground glass opacity(66.67%)and honeycomb opacity(52.78%),serum DKK-1(19.67±4.10 ng/ml),LTBP2(38.76±4.92 ng/ml)and C-reactive protein(CRP)(32.46±3.12 mg/L)in the acute exacerbation group were higher than those in the stable phase group(30.77%,23.08%,8.48±1.37 ng/ml,24.17±3.65 ng/ml,22.05±2.80 mg/L),the differences were statistically significant(t/x2=7.790,5.534,13.362,12.781,13.524,all P<0.05).The serum levels of DKK-1 and LTBP2 in patients with acute exacerbation of CTD-related IP after treatment were positively correlated with ground glass opacities,honeycomb opacities,CRP and different disease activity(r=0.526,0.518,0.513,0.548;0.499,0.514,0.520,0.561,all P<0.05).As the treatment time extended,the serum levels of DKK-1 and LTBP2 in CTD-related IP patients in the stable and acute exacerbation groups decreased,and the serum levels of DKK-1 and LTBP2 in the acute exacerbation group were higher than those in the stable group before treatment,1 month after treatment,and 3 months after treatment,the differences were statistically significant(t=13.355,13.206,15.913;12.781,12.263,11.161,all P<0.05).DKK-1[OR(95%CI):2.458(1.297～4.657)],LTBP2[OR(95%CI):2.739(1.567～4.789)]were independent risk factors for acute exacerbation of CTD related IP patients(all P<0.05).Conclusion The serum levels of DKK-1 and LTBP2 in CTD-related IP patients are increased,and closely related to disease activity.Both decrease after 3 months of treatment and can monitor the treatment efficacy of patients to a certain extent.

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.

This article introduced the research design and main results of the article " Effect of Moderate and Vigorous Aerobic Exercise on Incident Diabetes in Adults with Obesity: A 10-Year Follow-up of a Randomized Clinical Trial" recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine, and addressed the scientific significance of the study. The importance of obesity management has been well discussed recently. This study investigated obesity management strategies for obese individuals and their long-term metabolic benefits.

Objective:To investigate the effect of tofacitinib combined with methotrexate on disease activity, rheumatoid factor (RF) level and morning stiffness time in patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods:A total of 120 patients with refractory RA diagnosed and treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from June 2019 to June 2020 were selected as the study subjects, and they were randomly divided into three groups by random number table method: etanercept group, etanercept+ methotrexate group, and tofacitinib+ methotrexate group, with 40 patients in each group. The etanercept group was given etanercept treatment, the etanercept+ methotrexate group was given etanercept combined with methotrexate treatment, and the tofacitinib+ methotrexate group was given tofacitinib combined with methotrexate treatment. The clinical efficacy (12 W, 24 W and 48 W of treatment), disease activity, RF level, morning stiffness time and incidence of adverse reactions were compared among the three groups.Results:Comparison of the total clinical effective rate of the three groups: the total clinical effective rate of the etanercept+ methotrexate group and the tofacitinib+ methotrexate group was higher than that of the etanercept group (both P<0.05), and the tofacitinib+ methotrexate group was higher than that of the etanercept+ methotrexate group ( P<0.05). After treatment, the clinical symptoms and disease activity scores (DAS28) in the etanercept+ methotrexate and tofacitinib+ methotrexate groups were significantly improved compared with the etanercept group (all P<0.05), and the improvements in the tofacitinib+ methotrexate group were more significant than those in the etanercept+ methotrexate group ( P<0.05). After treatment, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), RF and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were lower in the etanercept+ methotrexate and tofacitinib+ methotrexate groups than those in the etanercept groups (all P<0.05), and the ESR, RF and CRP levels in the tofacitinib+ methotrexate groups were lower than those in the etanercept+ methotrexate group (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of total adverse reactions among 3 groups (7.50% vs 12.50% vs 12.50%) ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Tofacitinib combined with methotrexate can effectively improve the disease activity, RF level and morning stiffness time in patients with refractory RA, with high safety, which is worthy of clinical application and promotion.

Objective:To analyze the application value of three-dimensional finite element (FE) analysis technology and 3D printing biological model technology in the precise surgery of degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS).Methods:A total of 96 patients with DLS undergoing precision surgery at the Second Hospital of Zhangjiakou from December 2020 to December 2022 were selected and randomly divided into two groups using a random number table method. The control group (48 cases) was determined based on the surgical plan determined by pre-operative 3D computed tomography (CT) reconstruction, while the observation group (48 cases) was determined using 3D FE combined with 3D printing biological model technology. The perioperative indicators (time of implanting pedicle screws, radiation exposure time, operation time, intraoperative blood loss), pre-and post-operative Japanese Orthopaedic Association scale (JOA), visual analog self-assessment scale (VAS), Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22) scale scores, lumbar lordosis angle, scoliosis Cobb angle, and complication rate were compared between the two groups.Resultsl:The time of pedicle screw insertion, radiation exposure time, and operation time in the observation group were shorter than those in the control group (all P<0.05), and the intraoperative blood loss was less than that in the control group ( P<0.05). The JOA and SRS-22 scale scores in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (all P<0.05), and the VAS score was lower than that in the control group ( P<0.05). The lumbar lordotic angle in the observation group was greater than that in the control group ( P<0.05), and the Cobb angle of lateral curvature was smaller than that in the control group ( P<0.05). The incidence of complications in the observation group [4.17%(2/48)] was lower than that in the control group [20.83%(10/48)], and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Preoperative simulation of the surgical process using 3D FE combined with 3D printing of a biological model can effectively reduce blood loss, shorten operation time, promote the functional recovery of the damaged lumbar spine, alleviate postoperative pain, restore the anterior curvature angle, improve quality of life, and reduce complications.

The pathological hallmarks of psoriasis involve alterations in T cell genes associated with transcriptional levels, which are determined by chromatin accessibility. However, to what extent these alterations in T cell transcriptional levels recapitulate the epigenetic features of psoriasis remains unknown. Here, we systematically profiled chromatin accessibility on Th1, Th2, Th1-17, Th17, and Treg cells and found that chromatin remodeling contributes significantly to the pathogenesis of the disease. The chromatin remodeling tendency of different subtypes of Th cells were relatively consistent. Next, we profiled chromatin accessibility and transcriptional dynamics on memory Th/Treg cells. In the memory Th cells, 803 increased and 545 decreased chromatin-accessible regions were identified. In the memory Treg cells, 713 increased and 1206 decreased chromatin-accessible regions were identified. A total of 54 and 53 genes were differentially expressed in the peaks associated with the memory Th and Treg cells. FOSL1, SPI1, ATF3, NFKB1, RUNX, ETV4, ERG, FLI1, and ETC1 were identified as regulators in the development of psoriasis. The transcriptional regulatory network showed that NFKB1 and RELA were highly connected and central to the network. NFKB1 regulated the genes of CCL3, CXCL2, and IL1RN. Our results provided candidate transcription factors and a foundational framework of the regulomes of the disease.
Chromatin/genetics* ; Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; Humans ; Psoriasis/genetics* ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory

Objective:To investigate the relationship between transcription factors (TFs) and the prognosis of colon cancer, and to construct a prognosis model through TCGA and GEO dual databases, so as to quantify the risk of patients and guide clinical treatment decisions.Methods:The transcriptome and clinical data of colon cancer in TCGA and GEO databases were used in this study. The transcriptome data were annotated and the gene expression was calculated. The difference analysis of TFs in TCGA and GEO (log2FC > 1, P-value (Fdr) < 0.05) was performed. The difference TFs of double data intersection were used for correlation prognosis analysis ( P<0.01). The risk coefficient and risk value of prognosis-related TFs were calculated by COX multivariate analysis, and the prognosis model of TFs was constructed by COX model with "survival" and "glmnet" package. The survival curve ( P<0.001) and ROC curve (AUC>0.75) of the sequence set and verification set were drawn, and the distribution of risk value was visualized. After grouping according to risk value, GSEA enrichment analysis was calculated, gene set grid was constructed, target genes were predicted, and finally, pathway enrichment analysis of GO and KEGG was carried out. Results:387 TFs with different expressions in TCGA and GEO databases were used to draw heat map, volcanic map and TFs-related forest map, and the prognosis model of colon cancer was constructed according to COX multivariate analysis=0.310×HSF4+0.137×IRX3-0.127×ATOH1+0.290×OVOL3+0.137×HOXC6+0.155×SIX2+0.092×ZNF556-0.444×CXXC5+0.429×TIGD1+0.413×TCF7L1. Through enrichment analysis, our results showed that these prognostic factors may directly or indirectly act on cancer pathways, such as basic cell carcinoma and cancer signaling pathway, local tissue-cell adhesion, and extracellular matrix.Conclusions:The constructed TFs prognosis model of colon cancer can quantify the prognostic risk of colon cancer, and its high-risk group is an independent risk factor of colon cancer prognosis. This model is a new way to evaluate the prognosis of colon cancer.