Salivary gland tumor is one of the most common tumors in oral and maxillofacial regions. The diagnosis and treatment of salivary gland tumors had been a clinical characteristic project in Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology since long time ago. Here we introduced the research progress in diagnosis and treatment of salivary gland tumors during the past 10 years. Among 7 190 cases of salivary gland tumors treated in this institution, 4 654 cases (64.7%) were benign, and 2 536 (35.3%) were malignant, with benign ∶ malignant ratio of 1.84 ∶ 1. Parotid was the most common location, followed by minor salivary gland and submandibular gland, while sublingular gland tumor was seldom seen. The proportion of minor salivary gland tumor was relatively high. Among 1 874 cases with primary malignant tumors, the cases with T3 and stage Ⅲ accounted for only 9.6% and 10.3%, respectively, which indicated that there was shortcoming in the T classification and clinical stage formulated by Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), and further revision was required. The 5, 10, and 15 year survival rates of 1 637 cases with postoperative follow-up were 93.1%, 87.2% and 79.3%, respectively, which were much higher than those we reported 30 years ago. The improvement of treatment results was related to more widely used combined treatment with surgery and postoperative radiotherapy, and the increase in patients with early stage. Adenoid cystic carcinoma was the malignant tumor with high rate of distant metastasis. The 5 and 10 year survival rates of the patients with pulmonary metastasis were 76.2% and 51.8%, respectively, which indicated that the pulmonary metastatic carcinomas developed slowly. Recurrent rate of carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma was 46.7% after single treatment of sur-gery, while it decreased to 27.5% after combined theraphy with surgery and radiotherapy, indicating that postoperative radiotheraphy could reduce the recurrent rate effectively. The normal myoepithelial cells had the inhibiting role in the invasion and metastasis of carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma. The evaluation of integrity of myoepithelial cells surrounding the tumor mass is helpful to understand the invasiveness of the tumors. The new surgical modalities such as extracapsular resection and partial sialoadenectomy were used in treatment of benign tumors of parotid gland and submandibular gland with advantages of decreased tissue damage and preservation of glandular function. Application of digital surgical techniques such as mixed reality combined with surgical navigation and real-time three-dimensional holograms in the surgical treatment of parotid gland tumors showed the benifits of more safety and precision, and less tissue da-mage.

Objective: To compare the cyclic fatigue resistance of nickel-titanium files made by 3 new heat treatment in simulated S-shaped root canals at different temperatures. Methods: Gold heat-treated nickel-titanium files TruNatomy (25 mm, tip size 26#/0.04) and ProTaper Gold (25 mm, tip size 25#/0.08) were selected as the experimental group, M wire technique nickel-titanium file ProTaper Next (25 mm, tip size 25#/0.06) was selected as the control group. It was speculated that the Gold technique used in TruNatomy nickel-titanium file was R phase separation technique, which included a complete intermediate R-phase, increasing its flexibility. ProTaper Gold was a CM wire nickel-titanium file and the increased phase transformation temperature by heat treatment introduced martensite at room temperature, while it underwent gold heat treatment on the surface, generating an intermediate R phase during phase transformation, providing hyperelastic. ProTaper Next used M wire technique, M wire included austenite at room temperature, where heat mechanical processing introduced hardened martensite, which was incapable of participating phase transformation. Because of the lower elastic modulus of hardened martensite than austenite, the flexibility of the file was increased. Twenty instruments of each nickel-titanium file were submitted to the cyclic fatigue test by using a simulated canal with double curvatures at room tem-perature (24 ℃) and 65 ℃, 10 instruments of each nickel-titanium file were selected at each temperature (n=10). At the same temperature, the number of cyclic fatigue (NCF) and fragment length were analyzed by using One-Way analysis of variance at a significance level of P < 0.05. NCF and fragment length of the same nickel-titanium file at room temperature and 65 ℃ were compared by paired sample t test and the significance level was α=0.05. Fractured surfaces were analyzed by using scanning electron microscope. Results: In double-curved canals, all the failure of the files due to cyclic fatigue was first seen in the apical curvature before the coronal curvature. At room temperature, in the apical curvature, NCF of TruNatomy was 344.4±96.6, ProTaper Gold was 175.0±56.1, ProTaper Next was 133.3±39.7, NCF of Tru Natomy was the highest (P < 0.05). In the coronal curvature, NCF of TruNatomy was 618.3± 75.3, ProTaper Gold was 327.5±111.8, ProTaper Next was 376.6±67.9, NCF of TruNatomy was also the highest (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference among the apical and coronal fragment length of the 3 nickel-titanium files (P>0.05). At 65 ℃, in the apical curvature, NCF of TruNatomy was 289.6±65.8, ProTaper Gold was 187.5±75.4, ProTaper Next was 103.0±38.5, NCF of TruNatomy was the highest (P < 0.05). In the coronal curvature, NCF of TruNatomy was 454.2±45.4, ProTaper Gold was 268.3±31.4, ProTaper Next was 283.8±31.7, NCF of TruNatomy was also the highest (P < 0.05). The apical fragment length of ProTaper Next was the highest (P < 0.05), and there was no significant difference among coronal fragment length of the 3 nickel-titanium files (P>0.05). Compared with room temperature, at 65 ℃, in the coronal curvature, NCF of TruNatomy decreased significantly (P < 0.05). The fractured surfaces of the three nickel-titanium files demonstrated typical cyclic fatigue. Conclusion: Gold heat-treated nickel-titanium file had better cyclic fatigue resistance than M wire nickel-titanium file in S-shaped root canals.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a diffuse, systemic autoimmune disorder that can impact multiple organs and systems, with patients exhibiting abnormal levels of various autoantibodies and immune markers in their serum. It is currently understood that dysregulation of B cells activation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of SLE, as aberrantly activated B cells produce autoantibodies that inflict damage on multiple organs through complement activation and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cyto-toxicity. Traditional therapies for SLE may prove ineffective for certain patients or lead to adverse reactions. In most instances, conventional treatment merely alleviates symptoms and necessitates lifelong immunotherapy. A limited number of clinical cases have explored chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) therapy as a potential treatment for autoimmune diseases such as SLE. Research indicates that CAR-T can specifically target CD19 expressed on the surface of B cells and plasma cells, achieving profound depletion while minimizing drug-related side effects. This report details a female patient diagnosed with SLE and lupus nephritis who was successfully treated using dual-targeting B cells maturation antigen CAR-T by our research team; following treatment, she ceased steroid and immunomodulator use, attaining sustained remission without these medications. The patient was a 23-year-old female. Multiple examinations in other hospitals and in our hospital showed positive anti-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) antibody and low complement C3. Renal biopsy in our hospital showed lupus nephritis Ⅳ-G (A/C), and National Institutes of Health (NIH) activity index (AI) score=4. She was diagnosed with "SLE, lupus nephritis (LN)". She was treated with hormones, immunosuppressants and Chinese medicine, but the effect was not good. After the CAR-T treatment, She stopped using hormones and immune agents and achieved continuous remission with zero hormones and zero immune agents. She became pregnant six months after CAR-T infusion, and gave birth to a healthy full-term, full-weight baby successfully. She is the first patient in China who successfully discontinued hormone, immune preparations and gave birth after CAR-T therapy. During the follow-up of the patient, we found that the immune indexes had basically returned to normal, and the safety was good. It indicates that CAR-T therapy may represent a promising and innovative therapeutic approach for the management of SLE. This offers hope and establishes a precedent for SLE women of childbearing age.

Objective: To investigate the current status of methotrexate (MTX) application in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Methods: The clinical and laboratory data of RA patients who attended in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of Peking University Third Hospital from January 1, 2022 to November 31, 2023 were collected retrospectively. In order to figure out the relationship between MTX use and RA disease control, we recorded information including the starting dose, maximum dose, current dose, reasons of discontinuation of MTX, etc. The t test, Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-square test, Fisher' s exact probability and multivariable Logistic regression were used for analysis. Results: A total of 239 RA patients were enrolled, including 201 females and 38 males with a mean age of (54.5±14.3) years. Among them, 101 patients reached the therapeutic target [clinical remission or low disease activity assessed by 28-joint disease activity score (DAS28)-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)], accounting for 42.2% of the RA patients. Twenty-six patients met the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) definition of difficult-to-treat (D2T) RA, accounting for 10.9% of RA patients. The proportion of the RA patients who had ever used MTX was 84. 1%, and those who were currently on it accounted for only 39.7%. The MTX dose was generally low, with a starting dose of (9.5±3.0) mg/week, the maximum dose of 15.0 (10.0, 15.0) mg/week, and the current dose being (12.4±2.7) mg/week. The most common reasons for MTX dose reduction or discontinuation were adverse reactions, mainly including abnormalities of hepatic function, gastrointestinal discomfort, leucopenia, etc. Those who were currently on MTX had a higher rate of treatment to target (52.6% vs. 35.4%, P>0.05), lower disease activity score (DAS28-ESR, 3.6±1.8 vs. 4.2±1.8, P < 0.05), and fewer tender joint counts (4.8±8.3 vs. 8.6±10.4, P < 0.05) as compared with those who were not taking the drug, while swollen joint count, pain visual analog score and patient' s global score, C-reactive protein (CRP) level and ESR level were not significantly different between the two groups. Compared with those who did not reach the target of treatment, those who did had a higher rate of current MTX application (48.5% vs. 33.3%, P < 0.05), but the history of MTX did not differ between the two groups (84.2% vs. 84.1%, P>0.05). The maximum dose of MTX (median 15.0 mg/week vs. 13.7 mg/week, P>0.05) and the current dose [(12.9±2.5) mg/week vs. (11.8±2.8) mg/week, P>0.05] was higher in those who achieved the target, while the starting dose [(9.6±2.8) mg/week vs. (9.5±3.1) mg/week, P>0.05] and the rate of prior MTX (84.2% vs. 83.3%, P>0.05) was comparable between the two groups. The D2T RA patients had a higher rate of previous MTX use (96.2% vs. 82.6%, P < 0.05) and a higher starting dose [(11.6±4.3) mg/week vs. (9.8±2.7) mg/week, P>0.05], while the maximum dose (median 12.5 mg/week vs. 15.0 mg/week, P>0.05) and the current dose were both lower [(11.6±3.2) mg/week vs. (12.5±2.6) mg/week, P>0.05] than the non-D2T RA patients. Conclusion: The proportion of regular use of MTX among RA patients was low and the dose was generally small. The RA patients with regular use of MTX had a higher rate of achieving treatment target and lower disease activity. Those who achieved the target had a higher rate of current MTX use, higher maximum and current doses than those who did not. The D2T RA patients had lower maximum and current doses of MTX than the non-D2T RA patients. Therefore, increasing the usage and dosage of MTX in RA patients may help to improve the rate of achieving treatment targets.

Objective: To analyze RELT gene mutation found in a pedigree with clinical features and inheritable pattern consistent with amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) in China, and to study the relationship between its genotype and phenotype. Methods: Clinical and radiological features were recorded for the affected individuals. Peripheral venous blood samples of the patient and family members were collected for further study, and the genomic DNA was extracted to identify the pathogenic gene. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed to analyze the possible pathogenic genes, and Sanger sequencing was performed for validation. SIFT and PolyPhen-2 were used to predict and analyze the mutation effect. Comparison of RELT amino acids across different species were performed by using Uniprot website. In addition, the three-dimen-sional structures of the wild type and mutant proteins were predicted by Alphafold 2. Results: The proband exhibited typical hypocalcified AI, with heavy wear, soft enamel, rough and discolored surface, and partial enamel loss, while his parents didn ' t have similar manifestations. WES and Sanger sequencing results indicated that the proband carries a homozygous frameshift mutation in RELT gene, NM_032871.3: c.1169_1170del, and both of his parents were carriers. This mutation was predicted to be pathogenic by SIFT and PolyPhen-2. Up to now, there were 11 mutation sites in RELT gene were reported to be associated with AI, and all of the patients exhibited with hypocalcified AI. Compared with the wild-type RELT protein, the mutant protein p. Pro390fs35 conformation terminated prematurely, affecting the normal function of the protein. Conclusion: Through phenotype analysis, gene sequencing, and functional prediction of a Chinese family with typical amelogenesis imperfecta, this study found that RELT gene frameshift mutation can lead to protein dysfunction in AI patients. Further research will focus on the role and mechanism of RELT in enamel development at the molecular and animal levels, providing molecular biology evidence for the genetic counseling, prenatal diagnosis, and early prevention and treatment of AI.

Objective: To establish a similarity measurement model for patients with dentofacial deformity based on 3D craniofacial features and to validate the similarity results with quantifying subjective expert scoring. Methods: In the study, 52 cases of patients with skeletal Class Ⅲ malocclusions who underwent bimaxillary surgery and preoperative orthodontic treatment at Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology from January 2020 to December 2022, including 26 males and 26 females, were selected and divided into 2 groups by sex. One patient in each group was randomly selected as a reference sample, and the others were set as test samples. Three senior surgeons rated the similarity scores between the test samples and the reference sample. Similarity scores ranged from 1 to 10, where 1 was completely different, and 10 was exactly the same. Scores larger than 7.5 was considered as clinically similar. Preoperative cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and 3D facial images of the patients were collected. The three-dimensional hard and soft tissue features, including distances, angles and 3D point cloud features were extracted. The similarity measurement model was then established to fit with the experts' similarity scoring by feature selection algorithm and linear regression model. To verify the reliability of the model, 14 new patients were selected and input to similarity measurement model for finding similar cases. The similarity scoring of these similar cases were rated by experts, and used to evaluate the reliability of the model. Results: The similarity metric models indicated that the features of the middle and lower craniofacial features were the main features to influence the craniofacial similarity. The main features that were related to the expert' s similarity scoring included distance of anterior nasal spine-menton (ANS-Me), distance of right upper canion point-Frankfurt horizontal plane (U3RH), distance of left superior point of the condyle-left gonion (CoL-GoL), distance of left gonion-menton (CoL-Me), distance of pogonion-midsagittal plane (Pog-MSP), distance of right alar base-left alar base (AlR-AlL), angle of pronasale-soft tissue pogonion-labrale inferius (Pn-Pog' -Li), distance of trichion-right tragus (Tri-TraR), distance of left exocanthion-left alar base (ExL-AlL), lower 1/3 of skeletal face, middle and lower 2/3 of skeletal face and upper lip region of soft tissue. Fourteen new patients were chosen to evaluate the model. The similar cases selected by the model had an average experts' similarity scoring of 7.627± 0.711, which was not significantly different with 7.5. Conclusion: The similarity measurement model established by this model could find the similar cases which highly matched experts' subjective similarity scoring. The study could be further used for similar cases retrieval in skeletal Ⅲ malocclusion patients.

Objective: To assess the rationality of the maximum lesion diameter of 15 mm in prostate imaging reporting and data system (PI-RADS) as a criterion for upgrading a lesion from category 4 to 5 and improve it to enhance the prediction of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa). Methods: In this study, the patients who underwent prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and prostate biopsy at Peking University First Hospital from 2019 to 2022 as a development cohort, and the patients in 2023 as a validation cohort were reviewed. The localization and maximum diameter of the lesion were fully evaluated. The area under the curve (AUC) and the cut-off value of the maximum diameter of the lesion to predict the detection of csPCa were calculated from the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. Confounding factors were reduced by propensity score matching (PSM). Diagnostic efficacy was compared in the validation cohort. Results: Of the 589 patients in the development cohort, 358 (60.8%) lesions were located in the peripheral zone and 231 (39.2%) were located in the transition zone, and 496 (84.2%) patients detected csPCa. The median diameter of the lesions in the peripheral zone was smaller than that in the transition zone (14 mm vs. 19 mm, P < 0.001). In the ROC analysis of the maximal diameter on the csPCa prediction, there was no statistically significant difference between the peri-pheral zone (AUC=0.709) and the transition zone (AUC=0.673, P=0.585), and the cut-off values were calculated to be 11.5 mm for the peripheral zone and 16.5 mm for the migrating zone. By calcula-ting the Youden index for the cut-off values in the validation cohort, we found that the categorisation by lesion location led to better predictive results. Finally, the net reclassification index (NRI) was 0.170. Conclusion: 15 mm as a criterion for upgrading the PI-RADS score from 4 to 5 is reasonable but too general. The cut-off value for peripheral zone lesions is smaller than that in transitional zone. In the future consideration could be given to setting separate cut-off values for lesions in different locations.

Objective: To stratify systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients clinically, to analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with and without disease activity, and to explore the application va-lue of key clinical indicators in assessing disease activity, as well as to construct an evaluation model. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data of the SLE patients diagnosed at Peking University People' s Hospital from May 1995 to April 2014. Demographic information, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, and antibody detection results were collected. The patients were divided into active and inactive groups based on systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index 2000(SLEDAI-2000)scores. t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and χ² tests were used to compare the differences between the groups. Spearman correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relevant clinical indicators associated with SLE activity in the active disease group. Based on the results of statistical analysis, a Logistic regression model was constructed, and the performance of the model was evaluated. Results: No significant differences were found in demographic characteristics between the two groups. In the active disease group, positive rates of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies (anti-dsDNA) were increased; white blood cell count (WBC), red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB), lymphocytes (LY), total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), and complement 3(C3) levels were significantly decreased; while immunoglobulin A and G levels were markedly elevated. The correlation analysis results showed that hemoglobin, albumin, C3, and complement 4(C4) had higher correlation indices compared with other clinical indicators. Among these, C3 exhibited a certain negative correlation with disease activity. The Logistic regression model based on 12 significantly different indicators (P < 0.05) achieved an accuracy of 91.4%, sensitivity of 94.4%, specificity of 81.0%, and the area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was 0.944. Conclusion: This study comprehensively evaluated a range of clinical indicators related to SLE disease activity, providing a thorough understanding of both laboratory and clinical markers. The Logistic regression model, which was primarily constructed using laboratory test indicators, such as inflammatory markers, immune response parameters, and organ involvement metrics, demonstrated a high degree of accuracy in assessing the disease activity in SLE patients. Consequently, this model might provide a new basis for the diagnosis and treatment of SLE patients, offering significant clinical diagnostic value.

In December 2023, the Trauma Professional Committee of the American Society of Surgeons officially released the seventh edition of "Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient (2022 Stan-dards)". Compared to the sixth edition of the standards, the main updated content of the seventh edition includes ten aspects: (1) trauma centers need to meet new personnel configuration and qualification requirements, (2) trauma centers need to develop more structured and effective trauma treatment effectiveness improvement and patient safety plans, (3) trauma centers need to develop data quality plans, (4) trauma centers need to develop new diagnosis and treatment plans for specific patients, (5) trauma centers need to have new professional knowledge, (6) trauma centers need to meet new response time and resource availability standards, (7) trauma centers need to meet new academic and scientific requirements, (8) tertiary trauma centers need corresponding qualification certificates if providing neurological trauma treatment, (9) new requirements for pediatric trauma centers, (10) the fourth level trauma center standards. The research literature published by scholars in the field of trauma in the past decade has provided sufficient evidence-based medicine evidence for updating content. The article introduces and analyzes the updates in the seventh edition standards in light of the available evidence.

Objective: To investigate the clinical and immunological characteristics of anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS) patients overlap with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on ASS patients with arthritis who were treated at Peking University People' s Hospital. Data collected included demographic information, clinical manifestations, laboratory features, lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood, and treatments. The patients with ASS were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of RA for comparative analysis. Results: A total of 104 ASS patients with arthritis were included, among whom 23.1% (24/104) were diagnosed with RA. The ASS with RA group had a significantly higher incidence of rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD) (41.7% vs. 17.6%, P=0.032), number of tender joints [10 (7, 14) vs. 4 (0, 8), P < 0.001], number of swollen joints [4 (2, 8) vs. 2 (0, 4), P=0.012], and rate of bone erosion (47.8% vs. 2.5%, P < 0.001) compared with the non-RA group. Levels of platelets [(289.57±68.74)×10³/μL vs. (247.94±77.04)×10³/μL, P=0.022], erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) [43 (19, 59) mm/h vs. 18 (10, 44) mm/h, P=0.019], and C-reactive protein (CRP) [19.20 (4.80, 55.36) mg/L vs. 5.68 (1.10, 14.96) mg/L, P=0.006] were found significantly higher in the ASS with RA group than those in non-RA group. Analysis of immune cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) showed that significantly decreased proportions of CLA⁺ Treg cells [(11.12±4.10)% vs. (17.22±8.49)%, P=0.003], B cells [8.56% (4.80%, 11.90%) vs. 14.55% (8.75%, 20.29%), P=0.025], and natural killer (NK) cells [7.56% (4.65%, 13.20%) vs. 13.25% (7.46%, 19.25%), P=0.045] in the overlap group compared with non-RA group. Proportion of Naïve Th cells [(52.66±17.66)% vs. (40.76±14.96)%, P=0.033)] was significantly increased in overlap group compared with non-RA group. Overlap group had lower rate of complete clinical response than non-RA group (16.7% vs. 43.8%, P=0.031). Conclusion: Among ASS patients with arthritis, those with RA have more severe lung and joint involvement and a lower treatment response rate, highlighting the need for early recognition and aggressive intervention.

Objective: To investigate the distribution and clinical significance of antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) in patients with Behcet disease (BD). Methods: A total of 222 BD patients admitted to the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology in Peking University People' s Hospital from February 2008 to July 2024 were selected retrospectively. General data of the patients including age and gender were collec-ted. Clinical manifestations (including oral ulcers, genital ulcers, and thrombosis) and laboratory indexes (including aPL, human leukocyte antigen-B51, and anti-endothelial cell antibody) were collec-ted. The recurrence of thrombosis in the BD patients with thrombosis was followed up. Chi-square test was used to compare the clinical symptoms and laboratory indicators between aPL positive group and aPL negative group. Log-rank test was used to compare the recurrence rates of the aPL positive group and the aPL negative group, and P correction was performed by Two-stage method. Finally, Graphpad prism was used for plotting. Results: The prevalence of single aPL, double aPL and triple aPL positivity in the BD patients were 22.1%, 0.5% and 1.4%, respectively. The positive rates of anti-cardiolipin antibody, anti-β2 glycoprotein Ⅰ antibody and lupus anticoagulant (LAC) were 10.4%, 1.8% and 13.1%, respectively. The incidence of thrombosis in the aPL positive group was significantly higher than that in the aPL negative group (44.9% vs. 16.9%, P < 0.001). The erythrocyte sedimentation rate [(20.78±4.91) mm/h vs. (15.85±4.29) mm/h, P=0.005], C-reactive protein [(12.97±5.17) mg/L vs. (7.49± 4.22) mg/L, P=0.010] and IgM [(1.55±0.95) g/L vs. (1.12±0.72) g/L, P < 0.001] in the aPL positive group were significantly higher than those in the aPL negative group. LAC positivity was an independent risk factor for thrombosis in the BD patients (OR=8.51, 95%CI: 2.71-26.72, P < 0.001). The recurrence rate of the aPL positive group was higher than that of the aPL negative group, but there was no statistical difference (69.23% vs. 52.17%, P=0.932). Conclusion: Positive LAC and aneurysm are independent risk factors for thrombosis in BD patients. At the same time, positive antiphospholipid antibody can also significantly increase the risk of thrombosis in BD patients, which has important significance for guiding the treatment of BD.

Objective: To explore the ovarian function and its influencing factors in women of childbearing age with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods: A total of 107 female patients diagnosed with SLE at Peking University People' s Hospital from January 2017 to May 2024, aged between 20 and 40 years, were included in the study. At the same time, 40 matched healthy women aged between 20 and 40 years were selected as controls. Serum levels of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) were measured using the chemiluminescence method in both the control group and the SLE patients. The general clinical characteristics and medication history (including hormones, immunosuppressants, and biological agents) of the SLE patients were obtained through case retrieval. Changes in serum AMH levels before and after treatment with biological agents in the SLE patients were analyzed. Results: (1) The AMH levels in the SLE patients were significantly lower than those in the healthy control group [1.475 (0.344, 3.030) μg/L vs. 2.934 (1.893, 4.761) μg/L, P < 0.001]. (2) The level of AMH in the SLE patients with normal menstruation was significantly higher than that in the patients with irregular menstruation [1.931 (0.638, 3.414) μg/L vs. 0.335 (0.159, 1.527) μg/L, P=0.004]. No statistical differences were found in clinical characteristics and laboratory indicators between the groups with decreased AMH group and normal AMH group. (3) The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age (OR=1.124, 95%CI: 1.033-1.224, P=0.007) and disease duration (OR=1.100, 95%CI: 1.017-1.190, P=0.018) were identified as significant risk factors for the decline in AMH levels. (4) After 6 months of treatment with telitacicept, the AMH level was significantly higher than that before treatment [2.050 (0.763, 4.259) μg/L vs. 1.988 (0.473, 2.822) μg/L, P=0.043]. There was no significant difference in AMH level between patients receiving rituximab treatment for 6 months [2.026 (0.376, 2.267) μg/L vs. 1.545 (0.503, 3.414) μg/L, P=0.127]. Conclusion: Ovarian function is decreased in SLE patients of childbearing age, and age and disease duration are the risk factors. The utilization of biological agents demonstrates favorable safety profiles regarding ovarian function in childbearing-age patients with SLE.

Objective: To initially investigate the function of neuronal pentraxin 1 (NPTX1) gene on osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs). Methods: hBMSCs were induced to undergo osteogenic differentiation, and then RNA was collected at different time points, namely 0, 3, 7, 10 and 14 d. The mRNA expression levels of key genes related with osteogenic differentiation, including runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin (OCN), and NPTX1, were detected on the basis of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technology. In order to establish a stable NPTX1-knockdown hBMSCs cell line, NPTX1 shRNA lentivirus was constructed and used to infect hBMSCs. ALP staining, alizarin red (AR) staining, and qPCR were employed to assess the impact of NPTX1-knockdown on the osteogenic differentiation ability of hBMSCs. Results: The results showed that during the osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs in vitro, the mRNA expression levels of osteogenic genes RUNX2, ALP and OCN significantly increased compared with 0 d, while NPTX1 expression decreased markedly (P < 0.01) as the osteogenic induction period exten-ded. At 72 h post-infection with lentivirus, the result of qPCR indicated that the knockdown efficiency of NPTX1 was over 60%. After knocking down NPTX1 in hBMSCs, RNA was extracted from both the NPTX1-knockdown group (sh NPTX1 group) and the control group (shNC group) cultured in regular proliferation medium. The results of qPCR showed that the expression levels of osteogenic-related genes RUNX2 and osterix (OSX) were significantly higher in the sh NPTX1 group compared with the shNC group (P < 0.01). ALP staining revealed a significantly deeper coloration in the sh NPTX1 group than in the shNC group at the end of 7 d of osteogenic induction. AR staining demonstrated a marked increase in mineralized nodules in the sh NPTX1 group compared with the shNC group at the end of 14 d of osteogenic induction. Conclusion: NPTX1 exerts a modulatory role in the osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs, and its knockdown has been found to enhance the osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs. This finding implies that NPTX1 could potentially serve as a therapeutic target for the treatment of osteogenic abnormalities, including osteoporosis.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical and radiographic efficacy of micro crestal flap-alveolar ridge preservation following extraction of mandibular molars with severe periodontitis compared with natural healing, and to preliminarily propose the surgical indication. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data from patients with mandibular molars with severe periodontitis either receiving micro crestal flap-alveolar ridge preservation (MCF-ARP group) or undergoing natural healing in department of periodontology, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology from September 2013 to June 2021. Cone-beam computed tomography scannings performed before/immediately after extraction (as baseline) and repeated before implantation (after the extraction socket healing) were used to measure the ridge width, height and volumetric changes of the sockets, and the proportion of guided bone regeneration (GBR) during implant therapy were compared between the two groups. Results: Between baseline and healing, significant differences in changes of MCF-ARP group [(8.34±2.81) mm] and natural healing group [(3.82±3.58) mm] in the distances from mandibular canal to center of the tooth socket were recorded (P < 0.001). The ridge width at 1 mm below the most coronal aspect of the crest increased by (3.50±4.88) mm in the MCF-ARP group but decreased by (0.16±5.70) mm in the natural healing group, respectively (P=0.019). After healing, the MCF-ARP group showed the distances from mandibular canal to center of the tooth socket >8 mm in all the cases, with 97.1% exceeding 10 mm. Natural healing group displayed 23.1% of the cases with center bone height < 8 mm and 61.5% exceeding 10 mm. Volume changes at the buccal and lingual aspect as well as the total socket were significantly greater in the MCF-ARP group compared with natural healing group (P < 0.001).At the time of implantation, GBR was performed in 5 out of 68 subjects (8.3%) in the MCF-ARP group, whereas 8 out of 26 subjects (30.8%) in the natural healing group required GBR, reflecting significant difference (P=0.003). Conclusion: In the sites of mandibular molars with severe periodontitis, when the distances from mandibular canal to center of the tooth socket was not enough (less than 7 mm), clinicians could consider performing the micro crestal flap-alveolar ridge preservation to achieve augmentation for alveolar ridge and reduce the proportion of guided bone regeneration during implant therapy to reduce the difficulty and risk of injuries during implant therapy.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of clear aligner therapy in patients with severe periodontitis accompanied by pathological tooth displacement in the anterior region. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed patients diagnosed with severe periodontitis and pathological displacement in the anterior region, who visited both the Periodontics and Orthodontics Departments at Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology between 2019 and 2022. A total of 26 eligible cases were included in this study. All the patients underwent regular periodontal maintenance throughout the treatment process, and clear aligners were used for orthodontic treatment. Intraoral scans were analyzed by dedicated software to measure and compare occlusal distribution and proximal contact scores before and after orthodontic treatment. Periodontal clinical indicators were assessed at three key time points: before periodontal treatment (T0), before orthodontic treatment (T1), and after orthodontic treatment (T2). All the cases were treated with clear aligner. Results: A total of 217 pathologically displaced anterior teeth from 26 patients were analyzed. Among these, 105 teeth exhibited periodontal pockets [probing depth (PD) ≥5 mm] before periodontal treatment. After clear aligner therapy, the occlusal score improved significantly from 10.35±8.61 to 23.62±9.73 (P < 0.001), and the proximal contact score increased from 13.62±4.73 to 31.62±10.37 (P < 0.001). The median PD decreased significantly from 3.33 mm [interquartile range (IQR)=0.92] at T0 to 2.50 mm (IQR=0.67, P < 0.001) at T1 and remained stable at 2.50 mm (IQR=0.50) after treatment (T2). A significant reduction in PD was observed between T0 and T2 (P < 0.001), but no significant difference was found between T1 and T2 (P=0.948). Conclusion: Clear aligner therapy demonstrates favorable clinical efficacy in patients with severe periodontitis and pathological anterior tooth displacement. It effectively improves occlusal distribution and proximal contact while maintaining periodontal health in these patients. However, further large-scale prospective controlled studies are needed to verify its long-term clinical outcomes.

Adolescence is defined as a population ranging from ten to nineteen years old. Permanent teeth in adolescents are of critical significance as they are actively involved in mastication, contribute to aesthetic appearance, play a role in pronunciation, and are integral to the growth and development of the stomatognathic system. Specifically, permanent teeth in adolescents comprise those with incomplete root development and those with complete root development but unstable gingival margin positions. However, the prevalence of permanent tooth defects among adolescents remains high, primarily due to their insufficient awareness of oral health care and poor compliance with preventive measures. Therefore, it is very important to emphasize the necessity for timely and appropriate restoration of permanent tooth defects in adolescents. Given the distinct physiological characteristics of adolescent permanent teeth compared with mature permanent teeth, interim restoration approaches are required. The field of adolescent permanent tooth restoration is an interdisciplinary area, involving both prosthodontics and pediatric dentistry. Currently, a comprehensive and standardized principle for the selection of restoration indications is lacking, which poses challenges for clinicians in making optimal treatment decisions. Therefore, this article aims to comprehensively summarize the clinical dilemmas associated with the restoration of adolescent permanent teeth, and propose a set of principles for the selection of restoration methods and materials, aiming to offer practical clinical guidelines for dentists when dealing with permanent tooth defects in adolescent patients. In particular, because of the different restoration dilemmas of anterior and posterior permanent teeth, a variety of interim restoration methods, their applicable conditions, advantages, and disadvantages are introduced respectively. Additionally, it provides an in-depth discussion of different interim restoration materials, including direct restoration materials like light-cured composite resin and dual-cured temporary crown resin, as well as indirect restoration materials such as polymeric porcelain and CAD/CAM resin-matrix ceramics. The goal of this research is to provide a foundation for the development of evidence-based restoration plans in clinical practice and to contribute to the establishment of future standards in the field of adolescent permanent tooth restoration. This will enhance the quality of dental care for adolescents and promote better oral health outcomes in this population.

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of overlapping syndromes of low muscle mass in Chinese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their impact on physical function. Methods: Consecutive patients with RA were recruited from September 2019 to April 2024 at Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital. Clinical data including disease acti-vity, physical function and radiographic assessment were collected. All patients also finished measurement of body composition, grip strength, and gait speed, and overlapping syndromes of low muscle mass as well as malnutrition, sarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity, and cachexia were evaluated. The Stanford health assessment questionnaire- disability index (HAQ-DI) was used to evaluate physical function. Logistic regression was used to analyze the related factors of physical dysfunction. Results: A total of 1 016 RA patients were recruited. Their mean age was (52.4±12.5) years, and 82.5% were female. There were 557 cases (54.8%) with overlapping syndromes of low muscle mass and all of them were malnutrition. On this basis, 326 cases (32.1%) exhibited sarcopenia, 124 (12.2%) sarcopenic obesity, and 33 (3.2%) cachexia. There were 584 (57.4%) of RA patients having physical dysfunction, with varying degrees of severity 421 (41.4%) mild, 124 (12.2%) moderate, and 39 (3.8%) severe. Compared with patients without overlapping syndromes of low muscle mass (n=459) or with malnutrition only (n=231), RA patients with both malnutrition and sarcopenia (n=326) had significantly higher core disease activity indicators and higher rate of physical dysfunction (69.6% vs. 42.0% vs. 56.6%). However, compared with patients without overlapping syndromes of low muscle mass, patients with malnutrition only had lower HAQ-DI score (median 0.0 vs. 0.1) and lower rate of physical dysfunction (42.0% vs. 56.6%). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that simultaneously overlapping malnutrition and sarcopenia were associated factors of physical dysfunction (OR=2.021, 95%CI: 1.067-3.828), but malnutrition only was not. Conclusion: Simultaneously overlapping malnutrition and sarcopenia can deteriorate disease activity and physical dysfunction in RA patients. The screening and evaluation of overlapping syndromes of low muscle mass, especially sarcopenia should be emphasized in patients with RA.

Objective: To evaluate the intra-fraction and inter-fraction positional deviations in head and neck tumor patients undergoing intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) guided by cone-beam CT (CBCT), as well as the correction capability and stability of the HexaPOD evo RT 6D couch in addressing these deviations. Methods: From May 2019 to April 2022, 59 consecutive patients with head and neck tumors were enrolled at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Peking University Third Hospital.Using the Elekta AXESSE image-guided stereotactic treatment system, a pre-treatment CBCT scan was performed, followed by bone window mode registration with the planning reference images.Deviations were corrected automatically or manually on the 6D couch, followed by a second CBCT scan for confirmation of the deviation correction.Positional errors in translation (X, Y, Z directions) and rotation (Rx, Ry, Rz directions) were recorded before and after correction, and intra-fraction and inter-fraction positional errors were analyzed. Results: Positional error data before and after correction of the 6D couch were successfully obtained and corrected online in 506 CBCT scans.The maximum positional errors before and after correction were 0.90 cm to 0.04 cm (X direction), 1.74 cm to 0.09 cm (Y direction), 1.80 cm to 0.09 cm (Z direction), and 2.90° to 0.14°(Rx direction), 3.00° to 0.15°(Ry direction), 3.00° to 0.15°(Rz direction), respectively.The mean absolute values of translational (X, Y, Z directions) and rotational (Rx, Ry, Rz directions) errors significantly decreased after online correction, from 0.18 cm, 0.22 cm, 0.25 cm, and 0.82°, 1.11°, 0.73° to 0.01 cm, 0.01 cm, 0.01 cm, and 0.04°, 0.06°, 0.04°(all P values < 0.001).After correction, the frequencies of translational errors less than 0.10 cm in the X, Y, Z directions were 99.60%, 98.62%, and 95.45%, respectively, and the frequencies of rotational errors less than 0.2° were all above 99.80%. Conclusion: Online correction combined with CBCT and the 6D couch significantly reduces both translational and rotational positional errors in patients undergoing head and neck radiation therapy, greatly enhancing the precision of treatment.

Objective: To study the durability of the anti-demineralization effects of fluoride varnish after being applied to dental root surfaces. Methods: Coronal and radicular dentin samples were prepared from extracted human teeth. Duraphat^® (DP) was applied to the dentine surfaces to form a protective film. The film-dentin interfaces were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the fluoride element was analyzed with energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). Thus, the differences between applying DP on crowns and roots were compared. Radicular dentin samples were prepared and randomly divi-ded into four groups: (1) Blank: DP was not applied, and demineralized in acetic acid (pH 4.5) for 4 days; (2) Blank+aging: DP was not applied, the samples were put into deionized water for 14 days at room temperature, and then demineralized in acetic acid (pH 4.5) for 4 days; (3) DP: DP was applied and demineralized in acetic acid (pH 4.5) for 4 days; (4) DP+aging: DP was applied, the samples were put into deionized water for 14 days at room temperature, and then demineralized in acetic acid (pH 4.5) for 4 days. Finally, SEM observation and EDS analysis of fluoride content were performed on film-dentin interfaces to evaluate the degree of demineralization, the morphology of DP film, and the penetration of fluorine. Results: The immediate penetration depth of fluoride element from DP was deeper in the coronal dentin than that in radicular dentin. The samples in the blank and blank+aging groups demine-ralized significantly after acid etching. The DP group did not undergo demineralization, and the fluorine element penetrated to (76.00±8.94) μm below the interfaces. The structure of the protective film in the DP+aging group was damaged, but the underneath dentin did not undergo demineralization. The fluorine element still remained at a depth of (5.00±3.53) μm below the interfaces. Conclusion: DP has an anti-demineralization effect on the root surface, and this effect can still be exerted for a period of time after losing the structure of protective film. It has the ability to prevent root caries and a certain durability.

Objective: To explore the function of LIM and calponin homology domains 1 (LIMCH1) in the development and progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), along with their potential clinical applications. Methods: By utilizing transcriptome sequencing data from two groups of oral squamous cell carcinoma patients, along with bioinformatics analytical techniques such as Gene Ontology (GO) and gene co-expression networks, we identified genes that might play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma. We employed real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting to validate the expression patterns of these genes across twelve patient tissue samples. Furthermore, we conducted CCK-8 assays, flow cytometry analyses, and scratch wound healing assays to assess the impact of key genes on the biological behaviors of both the Cal27 oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line and the potentially malignant DOK oral lesion cell line. Additionally, we examined correlations between these key genes and clinical disease parameters in 214 oral squamous cell carcinoma patients using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data; gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) analysis results were also incorporated to enhance our findings from real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting regarding potential mechanisms underlying the action of these key genes. Results: The integrated analysis of sequencing data and bioinformatics revealed that LIMCH1 exhibited significantly reduced mRNA (P < 0.001) and protein levels (P < 0.01) in the oral squamous cell carcinoma tissues compared with normal control tissues. In the Cal27 cells, the low LIMCH1 level group demonstrated a larger wound healing area within 24 hours than the control group (P < 0.01), enhanced proliferation capacity over 72 hours relative to the control group (P < 0.01), and an increased apoptosis rate within 24 hours compared with the high expression group (P < 0.05). However, no significant differences were observed between the low and high level groups in DOK cells. Furthermore, it was determined that low LIMCH1 level correlated with poor prognosis in the patients (P=0.013) and a higher lymph node metastasis rate (P < 0.05). Investigations into the potential mechanisms of action indicated that LIMCH1 did not influence the onset or progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma via the epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathway. Conclusion: LIMCH1 level may function as a promising biomarker to aid in the prognostic assessment of oral squamous cell carcinoma; however, its precise mechanistic role requires further investigation.

Objective: To investigate the effects of LncRNA SNHG20 on epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and microtubule formation in human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells through targeted regulation of the miR-520c-3p/RAB22A pathway. Methods: After real-time fluorescence quantitative detection of LncRNA SNHG20, miR-520c-3p, RAB22A mRNA expression levels in OSCC tissues and cells, dual luciferase reporter assay was used to detect the relationship between the three. OSCC cells were randomly separated into control group, sh-NC group, sh-SNHG20 group, sh-SNHG20+anti NC group, and sh-SNHG20+anti miR-520c-3p group. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of N-cadherin, vimentin, and E-cadherin proteins in the OSCC cells. The morphology of HSC-3 cells was observed under microscope. Changes in the number of microtubules formed were detected. The effect of LncRNA SNHG20 on the growth of OSCC tumors and the expression levels of LncRNA SNHG20, miR-520c-3p and RAB22 A in the transplanted tumors were detected by nude mice tumorigenesis experiment. Results: LncRNA SNHG20 and RAB22A mRNA were upregulated in the OSCC tissues and cells, while miR-520c-3p was downregulated (P < 0.05). There were binding sites between LncRNA SNHG20 and miR-520c-3p, RAB22A and miR-520c-3p, which had targeted regulation relationship. Compared with the sh-NC group, the sh-SNHG20 group had fewer stromal like cells, more epithelial like cells, incomplete microtubule structure, and fewer nodules. LncRNA SNHG20, RAB22A, N-Cadherin, and vimentin were downregulated, while miR-520c-3p and E-cadherin were upregulated (P < 0.05). Compared with the sh-SNHG20+anti-NC group, the sh-SNHG20+anti-miR-520c-3p group had a higher number of stromal like cells, a lower number of epithelioid cells, tighter microtubule arrangement, and more microtubule nodules. miR-520c-3p and E-cadherin were downregulated, while RAB22A, N-cadherin, and vimentin were upregulated (P < 0.05). The transplanted tumor of OSCC in sh-SNHG20 group was smaller and lower than that in sh-NC group. The expression levels of LncRNA SNHG20 and RAB22A in the transplanted tumor tissues were lower than those in sh-NC group, and the expression level of miR-520c-3p was higher than that in sh-NC group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: LncRNA SNHG20 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition and microtubule formation in human oral squamous cell carcinoma cells by targeting the miR-520c-3p/RAB22A pathway. Inhibiting the expression of LncRNA SNHG20 can target and regulate the miR-520c-3p/RAB22A pathway to inhibit EMT and microtubule formation in OSCC cells.

Objective: To study the distribution characteristics of natural killer (NK) cells and their subsets in normal peripheral blood in China, and to explore their normal value and significance. Methods: In this study, peripheral blood was collected from 200 healthy adults. Their age range was 18-87 years. All the subjects were divided into 6 age groups: 18-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, and 71-87 years. With CD16, CD56, CD4, CD19, as surface markers, fluid cytology detection techniques were used to detect NK cells and the relative and absolute counts. SPSS 27.0 was used for systematic analysis of the data, and the measurement data were expressed as mean±standard deviations. A t test, variance analysis or rank sum test were performed to compare the differences between the age groups and the sex groups. The significance level was set at α=0.05, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The range of NK B cells in the 200 healthy adult subjects was (0.46±0.24)×10⁶/L, that of CD3^-CD56⁺NK cells was (13.14±7.56)×10⁶/L, that of CD56^dimCD16⁺NK cells was (5.23±3.12)×10⁶/L, that of CD56^brightNK cells was (85.61±7.40)×10⁶/L, and that of NK T cells was (4.16±3.34)×10⁶/L. There were no statistically significant differences in CD3^-CD56⁺NK cells and NK T cells with respect to age (P= 0.417, P=0.217). However, there was a decreasing trend in the number of NK B cells and CD56^dimCD16⁺NK cells with increasing age (r=0.234, P < 0.001; r=0.099, P < 0.001), particularly after the age of 50. Conversely, CD56^brightNK cells showed an increasing trend with age (r=0.143, P < 0.001). Conclusion: The detection of NK cells and their subsets has significant reference value for the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and tumors. This study provides a preliminary reference range for clinical detection of NK cell subsets, but further research with a larger sample size and multi-center trials are needed to confirm these findings.

Objective: To quantitatively evaluate the accuracy of data obtained from liquid-interference surfaces using an intraoral 3D scanner (IOS) integrated with a compressed airflow system, so as to provide clinical proof of accuracy for the application of the compressed airflow system-based scanning head in improving data quality on liquid-interference surfaces. Methods: The study selected a standard model as the scanning object, adhering to the "YY/T 1818—2022 Dental Science Intraoral Digital Impression Scanner" guidelines, a standard that defined parameters for intraoral scanning. To establish a baseline for accuracy, the ATOS Q 12M scanner, known for its high precision, was used to generate true reference values. These true values served as the benchmark for evaluating the IOS performance. Building on the design of an existing scanner, a new scanning head was developed to integrate with a compressed airflow system. This new design aimed to help the IOS capture high-precision data on surfaces where liquid-interference, such as saliva, might otherwise degrade scanning accuracy. The traditional scanning method, without airflow assistance, was employed as a control group for comparison. The study included five groups in total, one control group and four experimental groups, to investigate the effects of scanning lens obstruction, airflow presence, liquid media, and the use of the new scanning head on scanning process and accuracy. Each group underwent 15 scans, generating ample data for a robust statistical comparison. By evaluating trueness and precision in each group, the study assessed the impact of the compressed airflow system on the accuracy of IOS data collected from liquid-interference surfaces. Additionally, we selected Elite and Primescan scanners as references for numerical accuracy values. Results: The scanning accuracy on liquid-interference surfaces was significantly reduced in terms of both trueness and precision [Trueness: 18.5 (6.5) vs. 38.0 (6.7), P < 0.05; Precision: 19.1 (8.5) vs. 31.7 (15.0), P < 0.05]. The use of the new scanning head assisted by the compressed airflow system significantly improved the scanning accuracy [Trueness: 22.3(7.6) vs. 38.0 (6.7), P < 0.05; Precision: 25.8 (9.6) vs. 31.7 (15.0), P < 0.05]. Conclusion: The scanning head based on the compressed airflow system can assist in improving the accuracy of data obtained from liquid-interference surfaces by the IOS.

Objective: To explore the relationship between lipid metabolism molecules in plasma and carotid atherosclerotic plaques, traditional cardiovascular risk factors and possible dietary related factors. Methods: Firstly, among 1 312 community people from those who participated in a 10-year follow-up study of subclinical atherosclerosis cohort in Shijingshan District, Beijing, 85 individuals with 2 or more carotid soft plaques or mixed plaques and 89 healthy individuals without plaques were selected according to the inclusive and the exclusive criteria (< 70 years, not having clinical cardiovascular disease and other diseases, etc.). Secondly, 10 cases and 10 controls were randomly selected in the above 85 and 89 individuals respectively. Carotid plaques were detected using GE Vivid i Ultrasound Machine with 8L detector. Lipid metabolism molecules were detected by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The detection indexes included 113 lipid metabolism molecules. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors were collected by unified standard questionnaires, and dietary related factors were collected by main dietary frequency and weight scale. The difference of lipid metabolism molecules between the case group and the control group was analyzed by Wilcoxin rank test. In the control group, the Spearman correlation method was used to analyze the correlation between statistically significant lipid metabolism molecules and traditional cardiovascular risk factors and dietary factors. Results: Among the 113 lipid metabolism molecules, 53 lipid metabolism molecules were detected. C24:0 sphingomyelin (SM), C22:0/ C24:0 ceramide molecules, C18:0 phosphoethanolamine (PE) molecules, and C18:0/C18:2 (Cis) phosphatidylcholine (PC) were significantly higher in the carotid atherosclerotic plaque group than in the control group. The correlation analysis showed that C24:0 SM was significantly positively correlated with low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, r=0.636, P < 0.05), C18:2 (Cis) PC (DLPC) was significantly positively correlated with systolic pressure (r=0.733, P < 0.05), C18:0 PE was significantly positively correlated with high sensitivity C-response protein (r=0.782, P < 0.01), C22:0, C24:0 ceramide and C18:0 PE were negatively correlated with vegetable intake (r=-0.679, P < 0.05;r=-0.711, P < 0.05;r=-0.808, P < 0.01), C24:0 ceramide was also negatively correlated with beans food intake (r=-0.736, P < 0.05) in the control group. Conclusions: The increase of plasma C24:0 SM, C22:0, C24:0 ceramide, C18:0 PE, C18:2 (Cis) PC (DLPC), C18:0 PC (DSPC) may be new risk factors for human atherosclerotic plaques. These molecules may be related to blood lipid, blood pressure or inflammatory level and the intake of vegetables and soy products, but the nature of the association needs to be verified in a larger sample population.

We reported the diagnostic and therapeutic process of a young male patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who presented with severe hyponatremia as the main manifestation upon admission, and analyzed and discussed the case. The patient was a 19-year-old young male with a subacute course of disease, fever ≥38.3 ℃ that could not be explained by other causes, acute and subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus, oral ulcers, arthritis, leukopenia (< 4×10⁹/L), low C3+low C4, and positive anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA). According to the 2019 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) classification criteria, the score was 27 points. The patient was admitted to the hospital with SLE. After admission, further diagnosis of lupus was confirmed, excluding infection, tumor, endocrine disease, etc. Hyponatremia was the main complication of this lupus patient. Hyponatremia was a rare complication of lupus, only a few cases have been reported. In this study, the paient ' s blood osmotic pressure was significantly reduced, which was considered to be hypotonic hyponatretic, urine osmotic pressure increased, maximum urine dilution caused by excessive water intake such as primary polydipsia, hypoosmotic fluid intake, and beer drinking were excluded, and 24 h urine volume and sodium were improved. The urinary sodium concentration was close to 20 mmol/L although with severe hyponatremia, considering the possibility of isovolemic hypotonic hyponatremia, the syndrome of improper secretion of antidiuretic hormone or adrenal cortical insufficiency. The patient had no manifestations, such as hypotension, typical site pigmentation, and high potassium, and there was little possibility of adrenal cortical insufficiency, and syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) was considered for hyponatremia in the patient. The etiological mechanism of hyponatremia in lupus patients is not clear, but it is related to acute kidney injury, drugs and systemic inflammation. In this case, we reported for the first time that SLE was associated with abnormal hypothalamic signals, suggesting a possible mechanism of lupus hyponatremia. The patient underwent water restriction, intravenous and oral sodium supplementation, and the blood sodium quickly returned to normal after pulse therapy. The abnormal signal of the head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) fornix column was improved after 1 month of treatment, further confirming our diagnosis. SLE complicated with hyponatremia is rare, but severe hyponatremia can be life-threatening, and attention should be paid to it. The possibility of neuropsychiatric lupus should be vigilant in patients with lupus combined with hyponatremia.

Objective: To comprehensively understand the COVID-19 vaccination and infection status among patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients diagnosed with SSc who were hospitalized in the Rheumatology and Immunology Department of Peking University People' s Hospital from January 2016 to March 2023. We collected detailed clinical cha-racteristics, vaccination status, and infection details through a systematic review of medical records and telephone follow-ups with the SSc patients. Results: Out of 236 identified patients, 99 SSc patients participated in the follow-up. This cohort included 41 patients with limited SSc, 28 with diffuse SSc, and 30 with SSc overlap syndromes. Treatments varied, with glucocorticoids administered to 57.58% of patients, immunosuppressants to 56.57%, biologic agents to 7.07%, and small molecule targeted therapies to 6.06%. Notably, 49 patients had received the COVID-19 vaccine. Between November 2022 and March 2023, a total of 81 patients contracted COVID-19. The infection rate among those who received three doses or more (19/29, 65.5%) was significantly lower compared with unvaccinated patients (45/50, 90.0%, P=0.007). Fourteen of these patients required hospitalization due to COVID-19. Furthermore, 26 patients reported exacerbation of SSc symptoms post-infection, which included severe manifestations, such as Raynaud phenomenon, skin lesions, fingertip ulcers, pulmonary hypertension, and interstitial lung disease. Compared with healthy cohabitants, the SSc patients exhibited more severe symptoms following COVID-19, including fever (36.71%) and fatigue (35.44%). Multivariate regression analysis identified subcutaneous calcinosis (OR=7.713, 95%CI: 1.142-45.051) and positivity for anti-centromere antibodies (OR=9.210, 95%CI: 1.211-70.028) as independent risk factors for hospitalization due to COVID-19. Conclusion: Vaccination is both effective and safe in preventing COVID-19 among SSc patients. Additionally, it underscores that these patients experience exacerbation of their underlying disease and more severe COVID-19 symptoms compared with individuals without underlying conditions. Thus, proactive prevention, continuous monitoring, and early treatment of COVID-19 are of significant importance for the health and well-being of SSc patients. Timely interventions can help mitigate the impact of infections and improve overall patient outcomes.

Objective: To explore the effect of concurrent administration of goserelin for ovarian function protection on the pathological complete response (pCR) rate and objective response rate (ORR) of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in young breast cancer patients. Methods: The study enrolled breast cancer patients aged 18-45 with clinical stages ⅡA~ⅢC from January 2016 to May 2020. According to patients' willingness, they were divided into two groups: Those who chose to receive goserelin to protect ovarian function during NAC (goserelin group) and those who did not (chemotherapy group). The pCR rate and ORR were compared between the two groups, and subgroup analysis was conducted for patients with different molecular subtypes. Results: A total of 93 patients were included in this study (31 in the goserelin group and 62 in the chemotherapy group). After propensity score weighting (PSW) adjustment, baseline data such as age, preoperative clinical stage, postoperative pathological stage, pa-thological type, hormone receptor status, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and Ki-67 expression, molecular subtypes, and chemotherapy regimens were well-matched between the two groups. There was no significant difference in the pCR rate between the goserelin group and the chemotherapy group, with rates of 29.0% and 25.8%, respectively (P=0.741). Similarly, there was no significant difference in ORR between the two groups (90.3% vs. 87.1%, P=0.746). Subgroup analysis revealed that among the patients with hormone receptor-positive tumors, there were no significant differences in pCR rate (6.3% vs. 7.7%, P=0.852) or ORR (87.5% vs. 82.1%, P=0.839) between the goserelin and chemotherapy groups. Among the patients with hormone receptor-negative tumors, there were also no significant differences in pCR rate (53.3% vs. 56.5%, P=0.847) or ORR (93.3% vs. 95.7%, P=0.975) between the two groups. One year after the completion of chemotherapy, the incidence of chemotherapy-induced amenorrhea (CIA) was significantly lower in the goserelin group compared with the chemotherapy group (9.5% vs. 33.3%, P=0.036). Conclusion: For young breast cancer patients with clinical stages of ⅡA~ⅢC, there was no statistical difference in pCR rate and ORR whether or not using goserelin during NAC. However, it is still necessary to expand the sample size and carry out a longer follow-up to evaluate the effect of goserelin on the long-term survival of young patients.

Objective: To investigate the expression and physiological significance of the ferroptosis marker 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) in myofibroblasts induced by transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), providing theoretical evidence for its potential role in the diagnosis and treatment of fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods: Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (NIH3t3) were cultured and divided into two groups after 12 h of starvation: the control group (cultured in 1% serum-containing medium) and the TGF-β1 group (cultured in 10 μg/L TGF-β1 with 1% serum-containing medium). Cell morphology changes in both groups were observed under a microscope. To confirm successful establishment of the SSc cell model, fibrosis markers were analyzed using reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blot. Next, flow cytometry was employed to assess the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in both groups. Finally, Western blot and immunofluorescence staining were used to measure the expression of 4-HNE in the TGF-β1-treated cells. Results: Microscopic observations revealed that TGF-β1 treatment caused the NIH3t3 cells to transition from a typical spindle shape to a flat, polygonal shape with multiple protrusions, indicating fibroblast activation. The RT-qPCR and Western blot analyses showed that the expression of the fibrosis marker Vimentin was significantly upregulated in the TGF-β1 group compared with the control group (P < 0.01), confirming that TGF-β1 effectively promoted fibrosis-related gene and protein expression. Flow cytometry results indicated that TGF-β1 significantly elevated intracellular ROS levels, suggesting the induction of oxidative stress. Furthermore, both Western blot and immuno-fluorescence staining demonstrated a significant increase in 4-HNE expression in the TGF-β1-treated cells (immunofluorescence intensity P < 0.05). Conclusion: TGF-β1 promotes fibroblast activation and fibrosis while inducing ROS production, leading to a marked increase in 4-HNE expression. Given the role of 4-HNE as a marker of lipid peroxidation and its elevated levels in the SSc cell model, this study suggests that 4-HNE could serve as a potential biomarker for fibrosis in SSc. The findings highlight the importance of investigating the mechanisms of 4-HNE in fibrosis and suggest that targeting this pathway could offer new therapeutic opportunities for treating SSc.

Objective: To evaluate knee biomechanics of patients about 12 months after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction during cutting and determine the abnormal biomechanical characteristics. Methods: Sixteen males about 12 months after ACL reconstruction were recruited for this study. Three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic data were collected during cutting movement. Knee joint angles and moments were calculated. Paired t-tests were used to compare the differences in knee biomechanics between the surgical leg and nonsurgical leg. Results: The peak posterior ground reaction force (surgical leg: 0.380±0.071; nonsurgical leg: 0.427±0.069, P = 0.003) and vertical ground reaction force (surgical leg: 1.996±0.202, nonsurgical leg: 2.110±0.182, P = 0.001) were significantly smaller in the surgical leg than in the nonsurgical leg. When compared with the uninjured leg, the surgical leg demonstrated a smaller knee flexion angle (surgical leg: 38.3°± 7.4°; nonsurgical leg: 42.8°± 7.9°, P < 0.001) and larger external rotation angle (surgical leg: 10.3°± 2.4°; nonsurgical leg: 7.7°± 2.1°, P = 0.008). The surgical leg also demonstrated a smaller peak knee extension moment (surgical leg: 0.092 ± 0.031; nonsurgical leg: 0.133 ± 0.024, P < 0.001) and peak knee external rotation moment (surgical leg: 0.005 ± 0.004; nonsurgical leg: 0.008 ± 0.004, P = 0.015) when compared with the nonsurgical leg. Conclusion: The individuals with ACL reconstruction mainly showed asymmetrical movements in the sagittal and horizontal planes. The surgical leg demonstrated a smaller peak knee flexion angle, knee extension moment, and knee external rotation moment, with greater knee external rotation angle.

Objective: The triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) Gyroid porous scaffolds were built with identical porosity while varying pore sizes were used by fluid mechanics finite element analysis (FEA) to simulate the in vivo microenvironment. The effects of scaffolds with different pore sizes on cell adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation were evaluated through calculating fluid velocity, wall shear stress, and permeability in the scaffolds. Methods: Three types of gyroid porous scaffolds, with pore sizes of 400, 600 and 800 μm, were established by nTopology software. Each scaffold had dimensions of 10 mm × 10 mm × 10 mm and isotropic internal structures. The models were imported to the ANSYS 2022R1 software, and meshed into over 3 million unstructured tetrahedral elements. Boun- dary conditions were set with inlet flow velocities of 0.01, 0.1, and 1 mm/s, and outlet pressure of 0 Pa. Pressure, velocity, and wall shear stress were calculated as fluid flowed through the scaffolds using the Navier-Stokes equations. At the same time, permeability was determined based on Darcy' s law. The compressive strength of scaffolds with different pore sizes was evaluated by ANSYS 2022R1 Static structural analysis. Results: A linear relationship was observed between the wall shear stress and fluid velocity at inlet flow rates of 0.01, 0.1 and 1 mm/s, with increasing velocity leading to higher wall shear stress. At the flow velocity of 0.1 mm/s, the initial pressures of scaffolds with pore sizes of 400, 600 and 800 μm were 0.272, 0.083 and 0.079 Pa, respectively. The fluid pressures were gradually decreased across the scaffolds. The average flow velocities were 0.093, 0.078 and 0.070 mm/s, the average wall shear stresses 2.955, 1.343 and 1.706 mPa, permeabilities values 0.54×10^-8 1.80×10^-8 and 1.89×10^-8 m² in the scaffolds with pore sizes of 400, 600 and 800 μm. The scaffold surface area proportions according with optimal wall shear stress range for cell growth and osteogenic differentiation were calcula-ted, which was highest in the 600 μm scaffold (27.65%), followed by the 800 μm scaffold (17.30%) and the 400 μm scaffold (1.95%). The compressive strengths of the scaffolds were 23, 26 and 34 MPa for the 400, 600 and 800 μm pore sizes. Conclusion: The uniform stress distributions appeared in all gyroid scaffold types under compressive stress. The permeabilities of scaffolds with pore sizes of 600 and 800 μm were significantly higher than the 400 μm. The average wall shear stress in the scaffold of 600 μm was the lowest, and the scaffold surface area proportion for cell growth and osteogenic differentiation the largest, indicating that it might be the most favorable design for supporting these cellular activities.

Objective: To evaluate the wound healing of recipient and donor sites following keratinized mucosa augmentation (KMA) around implants in reconstructed jaw areas and to compare these outcomes with gingival grafts in native jawbone, so as to provide clinical guidance for postoperative maintenance, and to investigate the impact of clinical experience on the evaluation of KMA postoperative healing through subgroup comparisons. Methods: This study included patients who underwent resection of maxillofacial tumors, fibular or iliac flap reconstruction, and implant placement at Peking University Dental Hospital from October 2020 to April 2023. Three months post-implant placement, the patients were referred for KMA procedures. Clinical photographs of the reconstructed area were taken preoperatively, immediately postoperatively, and 3 weeks and 3 months post-surgery. Additionally, photographs of the palatal donor site were obtained preoperatively and 3 weeks later. Wound healing was assessed by four junior and three senior clinicians utilizing the early healing index (EHI), early wound healing score (EHS), and pink esthetic score (PES).And senior clinicians evaluated the healing effect compared with gingival transplantation on natural jawbone using a 10-point scale. Results: A total of 26 patients with jawbone reconstruction were included, with an average age of (34.2±10.2) years, 11 males (42.3%) and 15 females (57.7%). Among them, 13 cases (50.0%) underwent fibula flap reconstruction, and 13 cases (50.0%) underwent iliac flap reconstruction. The average number of implants per patient was 3.2±0.7. In the recipient area, 3 weeks postoperatively, the EHS was 7.0 (4.0, 9.0), with sub-item scores as follows: Clinical signs of re-epithelialization (CSR) 6.0 (3.0, 6.0), clinical signs of haemostasis (CSH) 1.5 (1.0, 2.0), and clinical signs of inflammation (CSI) 1.0 (0.0, 1.0), indicating that the average appearance of the wound in the recipient area was characterized by generally well-approximated wound edges with minimal fibrin lines and mild erythema and swelling. The EHI for the recipient area was 2.0 (1.5, 2.5), suggesting that the incision was mostly closed with some fibrin lines 3 weeks postoperatively. The long-term healing evaluation system, PES, was 2.5 (2.0, 3.0), with sub-scores for color [1.0 (1.0, 1.5)] and texture [1.5 (1.0, 2.0)], which were slightly different from the reference values.In the palatal donor area, 3 weeks postoperatively, the EHI score was lower at 1.3 (1.0, 2.5), while the EHS score was higher at 8.5 (6.0, 10.0), indicating better soft tissue healing in the donor area compared with the recipient area. Among the clinicians with different levels of experience, the assessment of wound healing revealed that except for the CSI sub-item, where the junior group scored higher than the senior group, all other sub-items showed significantly higher scores in the senior group compared with the junior group. In the EHS evaluation system, the CSH sub-item demonstrated no significant differences between the groups with varying levels of experience. Experienced clinicians' evaluation outcomes of healing effect compared with gum graft on natural alveolar bone was 8.5 (7.5, 9.5), showing high consistency [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC): 0.892; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.791－0.949], suggesting slightly suboptimal healing results after KMA surgery. Conclusion: The healing process following KMA in the context of jawbone reconstruction is relatively protracted, emphasizing the necessity for comprehensive postoperative management. Moreover, clinician experience plays a significant role in the assessment of wound healing outcomes for KMA in maxillofacial reconstruction.

Objective: To comprehensively assess the occurrence of residual symptoms in patients with axial spondyloarthritis who have successfully attained the treatment goal of low disease activity, and to conduct a thorough analysis of the related factors. Methods: An analysis was performed on axial spondyloarthritis patients who achieved low disease activity for the first time during their visits at the Rheumatology and Immunology Department of Peking University Third Hospital, spanning from May 1, 2021, to February 29, 2024. Based on the ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score-C-reactive protein (ASDAS-CRP), the patients who achieved low disease activity were divided into a non-remission low disease activity group and a remission group. The occurrence of residual fatigue and pain symptoms in both groups was assessed, and binary Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the related factors. Results: In the study, 201 patients achieved low disease activity during treatment. The gender distribution was skewed towards males, with 151 male patients (75.1%) and 50 female patients (24.9%). The median age of the patients who achieved low disease activity was 32.0 (28.0, 37.0) years, and the median disease duration was 6.7 (3.8, 11.5) years. Notably, 140 patients (69.7%) achieved low disease activity but did not experience complete remission, while 61 patients (30.3%) attained remission. A substantial proportion of the patients, 45.8%, reported residual fatigue visual analogue scale (VAS) ≥4, with a marked difference between the non-remission low disease activity group and the remission group (53.6% vs. 27.9%, P=0.001). Similarly, 24.4% of the patients had residual pain VAS ≥4, with a significant disparity between the non-remission low disease activity group and the remission group (30.0% vs. 11.5%, P=0.005). Binary Logistic regression analysis revealed that C-reactive protein levels had a notable negative influence on residual fatigue symptom (B=-0.142, P=0.008, OR=0.868), whereas ASAS-HI had a positive effect on residual fatigue (B=0.288, P < 0.001, OR=1.334). Gender was found to have a significant impact on residual pain symptoms, with females exhibiting a higher risk (B=1.135, P=0.002, OR=3.112). Conclusion: The residual fatigue and pain symptoms are common in axial spondyloarthritis patients who have achieved low disease activity, particularly among female patients. More assessment and recognition of the residual disease burden in these patients will be needed to optimize the treatment strategies.

With the increasingly complex global health and safety situation, in order to establish a strong global health and safety governance system, promote international cooperation and ensure public health and safety, the member countries of the World Health Organization initiated the revision of the International Health Regulations (2005). After the amendment of the International Health Regulations (2005) was adopted on 1 June 2024, China, as one of the contracting parties, urgently needs to promote the domestic rule of law and the foreign-related rule of law as a whole, realise the effective connection between domestic law and this regulation, and promote the transformation and application of international law. Compared with the original regulations, the Amendment has adjusted and improved relevant health measures, strengthened the construction of the public health service system, and further clarified the responsibilities and obligations of both the World Health Organization and the Parties, which has led to the application of the amendment to the International Health Regulations (2005) in China. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the domestic health law and regulation system, strengthen domestic core capacity building, deepen international cooperation and promote global governance, and strive to promote the solution of these problems.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of modified femoral neck osteotomy (mFNO) in the surgical treatment of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and severe spinal kyphosis combined with hip flexion contracture. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 61 AS patients (103 hips) with spinal kyphosis and hip flexion contracture who underwent pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) from January 1, 2019 to November 15, 2023. Data on mFNO operation time, blood loss, preoperative and postoperative values of the angle of the trunk and lower limb (ATL), hip passive range of motion (ROM), visual analogue scale (VAS), and incidence of in-hospital complications were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using paired-samples t test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The study ultimately included 10 cases, 9 males and 1 female, with an average age of (41.30±9.03) years. These patients underwent surgery for a total of 52 times, including 19 hips both receiving mFNO and THA, and 14 times PSO. The average operation time for nine bilateral mFNO was (133.11±34.81) min, with blood loss of (433.33±187.10) mL. A unilateral mFNO took 60 min with 200 mL of blood loss. The preoperative ATL of 19 hips was 40.37°±13.66°, and the postoperative ATL value was 88.47°±12.46° (P < 0.05). The preoperative VAS score was 0, while the postoperative VAS score was 5.95±1.51 (P < 0.05). The preoperative hip extension ROM was 37.37°±18.13°, while the postoperative hip extension ROM was -4.95°±21.24° (P < 0.05). Hip flexion ROM improved from 37.37°±18.13° to 50.79°±20.36° after FNO (P < 0.05). There were three cases of in-hospital complications (3/52, 5.67%): One case of postoperative atelectasis following PSO (1/52, 1.92%), one greater trochanter fracture identified during THA (1/52, 1.92%), and one early dislocation post-THA (1/52, 1.92%). Conclusion: mFNO significantly improves the ATL in AS patients with severe spinal kyphosis combined with hip flexion contracture, facilitating PSO and THA surgeries.

Objective: To measure the concentration of growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) in the serum of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), to study the correlations between the levels of GDF-15 and different factors including basic clinical information, biochemical examinations, and atrial structure, and further to explore the association between GDF-15 and AF types and structural remodeling. Methods: AF patients who were admitted to the ward of the Department of Cardiology at Peking University Third Hospital between October 2017 and October 2019 were prospectively enrolled. Patients admitted to the ward at the same time with sinus rhythm and no prior AF history were enrolled in the control group. Clinical information and blood samples of the patients were collected. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the concentration of GDF-15. SPSS 23.0 was used for statistical analysis. Results: In the study, 156 AF patients (64 persistent AF and 92 paroxysmal AF) and 38 patients of the control group were included. Serum GDF-15 levels in the AF group were significantly higher than in the control group [1 112 (723, 1 525) ng/L vs. 697 (499, 825) ng/L, P < 0.001]. Serum GDF-15 levels in the persistent AF group were significantly higher than in the paroxysmal AF group [1 140 (858, 1 708) ng/L vs. 1 090 (662, 1 374) ng/L, P=0.047]. The area under the curve (AUC) of serum GDF-15 levels for prediction of AF was 0.736 (95%CI: 0.651-0.822, P < 0.001). The cut-off value was 843.2 ng/L with a sensitivity of 68.2% and a specificity of 78.9%. The AUC of serum GDF-15 levels for prediction of persistent AF was 0.594 (95%CI: 0.504-0.684, P=0.047). The cut-off va-lue was 771.5 ng/L with a sensitivity of 82.8% and a specificity of 35.9%. Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that the serum GDF-15 levels were positively correlated with age (r=0.480, P < 0.001), left atrial pressure (LAP, r=0.300, P < 0.001), and also negatively correlated with left atrial appendage flow velocity (LAAV, r=-0.252, P=0.002). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that age and LAP affected the GDF-15 levels significantly (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis suggested GDF-15 (OR=1.002, 95%CI: 1.001-1.003, P=0.004) and left atrial diameter (LAD, OR=1.400, 95%CI: 1.214-1.616, P < 0.001) were independent predictors of AF. Conclusions: Serum GDF-15 levels are higher in AF patients. Meanwhile, serum GDF-15 levels are higher in persistent AF patients than paroxysmal AF patients. GDF-15 is associated with AF and atrial structural remodeling.

Objective: To analyze the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients with multilocular cystic renal neoplasm of low malignant potential and compare the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with multilocular cystic renal neoplasm of low malignant potential who underwent different surgical methods. Methods: Clinicopathological data and prognosis of patients admitted to Peking University Third Hospital from January 2010 to September 2023 were collected. Patients who underwent radical nephrectomy or nephron-sparing surgery and were pathologically diagnosed with multilocular cystic renal neoplasm of low malignant potential were identified. Based on the surgical methods, the patients were divided into radical nephrectomy group and nephron-sparing surgery group. The clinicopathological characteristics of the two groups were compared. Results: A total of 35 patients were enrolled in this study. The median age at diagnosis was 53.0 (39.0-62.0) years. Among the 35 patients, 23 were males (65.7%) and 12 were females (34.3%). Nine patients underwent radical nephrectomy (25.7%), while 26 patients underwent nephron-sparing surgery (74.3%). The clinical T-stage of 35 patients did not exceed T2a stage. The median operation time was 145.0 min, and the median estimated intraoperative blood loss was 20.0 mL. The median postoperative hospitalization days was 6.0 d. The postoperative pathological results did not indicate renal sinus invasion, sarcomatous change, adrenal invasion or lymph node invasion. Based on the surgical methods, the patients were divided into a radical nephrectomy group and a nephron-sparing surgery group. There was no significant difference in clinicopathological charac-teristics between the two groups. Except for one patient who was lost to the follow-up, all the other patients were followed up for 8-111 months, with a median follow-up time of 70.5 months. Only one patient died from non-cancer-specific reasons, other patients had no tumor metastasis or recurrence. Conclusion: Patients with multilocular cystic renal neoplasm of low malignant potential have a good prognosis. There is no significant difference in clinicopathological characteristics of patients between nephron-sparing surgery group and radical nephrectomy group for multilocular cystic renal neoplasm of low malignant potential.

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with severe fall injury and explore the prehospital factors affecting the injury severity score (ISS). Methods: Clinical data of severe trauma patients with fall injury and ISS≥16 from January 2018 to December 2020 were retrieved from trauma database of Peking University People' s Hospital. The patients' age, gender, suicidal tendencies, psychiatric disorders, fall height, properties of the impact surface, the body part hitting the ground, abbreviated injury scale, Glasgow coma scale (GCS), length of stay in intensive care unit (ICU), operation were collected. And the in-hospital mortality were calculated. Univariate analysis and multiple linear regression models were used to analyze the relationship between the above factors and ISS. The patients' GCS, length of stay in ICU, surgery, and in-hospital mortality were collected to analyze the general clinical characteristics of patients. Results: A total of 160 patients were finally eligible, including 138 males and 22 females, with an average age of (45.56±15.85) years. Among the 160 patients, there were 36 cases (22.50%) with suicidal tendencies, 12 cases (7.50%) with psychiatric disorders. Their average fall height was (7.20±8.33) meters, and 48 cases (30.00%) hit the soft contact medium. 40 cases (25.00%) with impact on the head at the ground, lower limbs in 26 cases (16.25%), ventral in 16 cases (10.00%), dorsal in 40 cases (25.00%), lateral in 38 cases (23.75%). The patients' ISS was 22.8±6.85, GCS was 13.49±3.39, lengths of ICU stays were (9.96±8.12) days, and 142 (88.75%) patients underwent surgery, 8 in-hospital deaths were all due to head trauma, with an in-hospital mortality rate of 5.00%. Univariate analysis suggested that the main factors influencing ISS were the presence of suicidal tendencies (P=0.01) and the site of impact on the ground (P=0.02). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that suicidal tendencies and head impact on the ground were in-fluential factors for high ISS. Conclusion: Collecting prehospital information of patients with fall injuries, such as whether they have suicidal tendencies and whether they hit the ground with their heads, can effectively predict the severity of patients' injuries, which is conducive to early diagnosis, early care, and early treatment, thus reducing preventable death.

Objective: To propose a novel neural network to achieve tooth instance segmentation and recognition based on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) voxel data. Methods: The proposed methods included three different convolutional neural network models. The architecture was based on the Resnet module and built according to the structure of "Encoder-Decoder" and U-Net. The CBCT image was de-sampled and a fixed-size region of interest (ROI) containing all the teeth was determined. ROI would first through a two-branch "encoder and decoder" structure of the network, the network could predict each voxel in the input data of the spatial embedding. The post-processing algorithm would cluster the prediction results of the relevant spatial location information according to the two-branch network to realize the tooth instance segmentation. The tooth position identification was realized by another U-Net model based on the multi-classification segmentation task. According to the predicted results of the network, the post-processing algorithm would classify the tooth position according to the voting results of each tooth instance segmentation. At the original spatial resolution, a U-Net network model for the fine-tooth segmentation was trained using the region corresponding to each tooth as the input. According to the results of instance segmentation and tooth position identification, the model would process the correspon-ding positions on the high-resolution CBCT images to obtain the high-resolution tooth segmentation results. In this study, CBCT data of 59 cases with simple crown prostheses and implants were collected for manual labeling as the database, and statistical indicators were evaluated for the prediction results of the algorithm. To assess the performance of tooth segmentation and classification, instance Dice similarity coefficient (IDSC) and the average Dice similarity coefficient (ADSC) were calculated. Results: The experimental results showed that the IDSC was 89.35%, and the ADSC was 84. 74%. After eliminating the data with prostheses artifacts, the database of 43 samples was generated, and the performance of the training network was better, with 90.34% for IDSC and 87.88% for ADSC. The framework achieved excellent performance on tooth segmentation and identification. Voxels near intercuspation surfaces and fuzzy boundaries could be separated into correct instances by this framework. Conclusions: The results show that this method can not only successfully achieve 3D tooth instance segmentation but also identify all teeth notation numbers accurately, which has clinical practicability.

This study reports the diagnosis and treatment of a 26-year-old pregnant woman with severe malnutrition combined with acute pyelonephritis causing sepsis, refractory septic shock and multiple organ failure. A female patient, 26 years old, was admitted to hospital mainly due to "menelipsis for more than 19 weeks, nausea and vomiting for 20 days, fever with fatigue for 3 days". At the end of 19 weeks of intrauterine pregnancy, the patient presented with fever accompanied by urinary tract irritation. Laboratory tests showed elevated inflammatory indicators, and ultrasonography showed bilateral pelvicalyceal dilation. She was diagnosed with acute pyelonephritis, sepsis, acute kidney injury (AKI) and severe malnutrition. After a whole-hospital consultation, the patient was treated with meropenem and vancomycin as antimicrobial therapy, and bilateral nephrostomy drainage was performed simultaneously. After that, the patient suffered a sudden decrease in blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation, and rapid heart rate. Septic shock with multiple organ dysfunction was considered, and she was transferred to intensive care unit (ICU) immediately. After the patient was transferred to ICU, emergency tracheal intubation and ventilator-assisted ventilation were performed. Rapid fluid resuscitation was administered for the patient. While pulse indicator continuous cardiac output (PICCO) monitoring was performed, norepinephrine, terlipressin, and methylene blue were administered to maintain peripheral vascular resistance. Since the patient developed septic cardiomyopathy and cardiogenic shock later, levosimendan and epinephrine were admi-nistered to improve cardiac function. While etiological specimens were delivered, meropenem, teicoplanin and caspofungin were given as initial empiric antimicrobial therapy. Unfortunately, the intrauterine fetal death occurred on the night of admission to ICU. On the 3rd day of ICU admission, a still-born child was delivered vaginally with 1/5 defect of the fetal membrane. On the 6th day of ICU admission, the patient had fever again with elevated inflammatory indicators. After excluding infection in other parts, intrau-terine infection caused by incomplete delivery of fetal membrane was considered. Then emergency uterine curettage was performed and the infection gradually improved. Later the laboratory results showed that the nephrostomy drainage was cultured for Escherichia coli and uterine, cervical and vaginal secretions were cultured for Candida albicans. Due to severe infection and intrauterine incomplete abortion, the patient developed disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Active antimicrobial therapy and blood product supplement were given. However, the patient was critically ill with significant decrease in hemoglobin and platelets combined with multiple organ failure. Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) was not excluded yet, so plasma exchange was performed for the patient in order not to delay treatment. The patient underwent bedside continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) for AKI. The patient was complicated with acute liver injury, and the liver function gradually returned to normal after liver protection, antimicrobial therapy and other treatments. Due to the application of large doses of vasoactive drugs, the extremities of the patient gradually developed cyanosis and ischemic necrosis. Local dry gangrene of the bilateral toes remained at the time of discharge. In general, the patient suffered from septic shock, cardiogenic shock, combined with DIC and multiple organ dysfunction. After infection source control, antimicrobial therapy, uterine curettage, blood purification treatment, nutritional and metabolic support, the patient was discharged with a better health condition.

Objective: To investigate the prognostic factors for all-cause mortality in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) with intermediate-to-high-risk primary prostate cancer. Methods: From January 2012 to October 2023, the clinical data of the patients with MIBC with intermediate-to-high-risk primary prostate cancer in Peking University Third Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. All the patients were monitored and the occurrence of all-cause death was documented as the outcome event in the prognostic study. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional risk regression analysis models were implemented to search for independent influences on the prognosis of patients. For significant influencing factors (pathological T stage, M stage and perineural invasion of bladder cancer), survival curves were plotted before and after multifactorial Cox regression adjusting for confounding factors. Results: A total of 32 patients were included in this study. The mean age was (72.5±6.6) years; the median preoperative total prostate specific antigen (tPSA) was 6.68 (2.47, 6.84) μg/L; the mean preoperative creatinine was (95±36) μmol/L, and the median survival time was 65 months. The majority of the patients (87.5%) had high-grade bladder cancer, 53.1% had lymphatic invasion, and 31.3% had perineural invasion. Prostate involvement was observed in 25.0% of the cases, and the positive rate of soft-tissue surgical margin was 37.5%. Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that preoperative creatinine level (HR=1.02, 95%CI: 1.01-1.04), pathological stage of bladder cancer T3 (HR=11.58, 95%CI: 1.38-97.36) and T4 (HR=19.53, 95%CI: 4.26-89.52) metastasis of bladder cancer (HR=9.44, 95%CI: 1.26-70.49) and perineural invasion of bladder cancer (HR=6.26, 95%CI: 1.39-28.27) were independent prognostic factors (P < 0.05). Survival curves with Log-rank test after adjusting for confounding factors demonstrated that bladder cancer pathology T3, T4, M1, and perineural invasion were unfavorable factors affecting the patients' survival prognosis (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Patients with MIBC with intermediate-to-high risk primary prostate cancer generally portends a poor prognosis. High preoperative serum creatinine, T3 or T4 pathological stage of bladder cancer, metastasis of bladder cancer and bladder cancer perineural invasion are poor prognostic factors for patients with MIBC with intermediate-to-high risk primary prostate cancer.

Objective: To explore the clinical safety and effectiveness of self-draining ureteral stent with thread in kidney transplant recipients in renal transplantation. Methods: This study is a prospective cohort clinical study in the Department of Urology of Peking University People's Hospital from November 2022 to January 2024. The ureteral stent with thread group, in which a 2-0 Mersilene suture of 20-30 cm was used at the bladder end of the ureteral stent during the operation. On the 9th day after the operation, the suture attached to the end of the ureteral stent was expelled out of the urethral orifice with the urine when the catheter was removed. The ureteral stent could be removed along with the suture. As to the cystoscope group, a ureteral stent was routinely placed during kidney transplantation, and the ureteral stent was removed under local infiltration anesthesia through cystoscopy after the operation. The pain scores [numerical rating scale (NRS)-11] during catheter removal and the incidence of urinary tract infections were observed and compared between the two groups. t test was used to compare the pain scores of indwelling ureteral stents and ureteral stents removal between the two groups, and Chi-square test was used to compare the occurrence of urinary system complications within 3 months after operation between the two groups. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: As of March 2024, all the recipients were followed up for an average of 6 months (3 to 12 months) postoperatively. A total of 46 kidney transplantation patients were included, with 21 in the ureteral stent with thread group and 25 in the cystoscope group. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in age distribution, male-to-female ratio, and deceased versus live donor grafts. Three months after renal transplantation, there were 15 cases of urinary tract infection in the cystoscope group and 4 cases in the ureteral stent with thread group (P=0.007). No significant urinary fistula, wound infection, or ureteral stenosis occurred in either group. No stent-related complications, stent migration, or stone formation were observed. The postoperative bladder spasm symptom scores for indwelling ureteral stents in the cystoscope group and the ureteral stent with thread group were 4.4±2.5 and 4.6±2.4, respectively, with no statistically significant difference (t=0.29, P=0.773). However, the pain scores during ureteral stent removal were 4.9±1.6 and 3.0±1.0 in the two groups, respectively, with a statistically significant diffe-rence (t=5.017, P < 0.001). The total costs of indwelling and removing ureteral stents in the cystoscopy group and the ureteral stent with thread group were 6 452.0 (5 539.5, 6 452.0) yuan and 3 225.0 (3 225.0, 3 225.0) yuan, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Compared with the conventional transplanted kidney ureteral stent, the self-discharge ureteral stent technique with sutures is simpler, has a shorter ureteral stent inlay time, reduces the symptoms of bladder spasms, significantly reduces the cost of catheterization, and has fewer postoperative urinary system complications. It is a worthy improved surgical method to be promoted.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility, safety and effectiveness of robot-assisted laparoscopic buccal mucosa graft ureteroplasty in the treatment of complex long proximal ureteral stricture. Methods: The clinical data of 20 patients with proximal ureteral stricture undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopic buccal mucosa graft ureteroplasty admitted to the Department of Urology, Peking University First Hospital and Beijing Jiangong Hospital from July 2022 to January 2023 were prospectively collected and analyzed. Intraoperative conditions, postoperative complications and follow-up data were also recorded and analyzed. Results: The operations under robot-assisted laparoscopy were performed successfully in all the 20 patients without conversion to traditional laparoscopic surgery or open surgery. The study included 14 males and 6 females with a mean age of (41±11) years (range: 19 to 60 years) and a mean body mass index of (24.3±3.6) kg/m² (range: 18.2 to 31.8 kg/m²). There were 9 cases on the left side and 11 cases on the right side. The strictures of all the patients were located in the proximal segment of the ureter (including the ureteropelvic junction). The mean preoperative serum creatinine was (92.2±23.3) μmol/L (range: 49.2 to 138.9 μmol/L), and the mean length of ureteral stricture was (2.8±0.9) cm (range: 1.0 to 4.0 cm). Ten patients had previously undergone unsuccessful reconstructive surgery. During the operation, 12 patients received posteriorly augmented anastomosis with ventral onlay. The mean length of the buccal mucosa graft harvested during the operation was (3.1±0.6) cm (range: 2.0 to 4.3 cm), and the median width was 1.5 cm (range: 1.0 to 2.0 cm). The omentum flap was used to wrap the reconstructed ureteral segment in all the 20 cases. The median operative time was 154 min (range: 113 to 300 min), and the median estimated blood loss was 45 mL (range: 0 to 100 mL). The median postoperative hospital stay was 4 d (range: 4 to 14 d). The mean postoperative follow-up time was (15.0±1.7) months (range: 12.5 to 17.9 months), and the surgical success rate was 100.0% in this study. After surgery, 11 patients reported mild discomfort at the oral donor site, 2 patients deve-loped urinary tract infection, and no postoperative complications were reported in the other 7 patients. The mean serum creatinine was (90.9±23.9) μmol/L (range: 60.0 to 153.0 μmol/L) six months after surgery. Conclusion: Robot-assisted laparoscopic buccal mucosa graft ureteroplasty for the treatment of complex long proximal ureteral stricture has satisfactory efficacy without severe complications, which has shown good feasibility, safety and effectiveness. However, large sample studies and long-term follow-up are still needed to evaluate its long-term efficacy.

Objective: To investigate the effect of interleukin-25 (IL-25) on ovalbumin (OVA) induced atopic dermatitis of mice, and the significance of regulating IL-25. Methods: In this study, 90 healthy male 6-week-old specific pathogen free (SPF) BALB/c mice were divided into 6 groups (15 in each group): ① subcutaneous injection of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) group (normal control group); ② subcutaneous injection of mouse IL-25 group (IL-25 group); ③ subcutaneous injection of anti-mouse IL-25 monoclonal antibody (anti-IL-25 group), each group received subcutaneous injection once a day for 1 week, 2 weeks apart, repeated daily subcutaneous injections for 1 week, 2 weeks apart, and repeated daily subcutaneous injections for 1 week, for a total of 7 weeks; ④ OVA treated group (model group); ⑤ OVA treated and IL-25 subcutaneous injection group (IL-25 treated dermatitis group); ⑥ OVA treated and anti-mouse IL-25 monoclonal antibody injection group (anti-IL-25 treated dermatitis group). The ⑤ and ⑥ groups in the process of treatment with OVA, IL-25 or anti-IL-25 antibody were given in the same way as the ② and ③ groups. Scratching behavior and skin performance of the mice were recorded during the seven-week-treatment. Twenty four hours after the final treatment, blood was taken from the mouse heart, and the serum was separated to detect the total IgE, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, etc. The skin samples of the treatment sites were used for hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, immunohistochemistry, real-time PCR and Western blot detections. A single factor (ANOVA) analysis of variance was used to compare the differences in various indicators between the groups. Results: The frequency of scratches in the IL-25 treated dermatitis group was higher than that in the model group, and the scratching behavior of the anti-IL-25 treated dermatitis group was significantly lower than that in the model group. The appearance of atopic dermatitis, thickening of the epidermis and the degree of dermal inflammation in the IL-25 treated dermatitis group were more serious than those in the model group and the anti-IL-25 treated dermatitis group. The levels of serum IgE, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 in the IL-25 treated dermatitis group were significantly higher than that in the model group and the anti-IL-25 treated dermatitis group. There were significantly more CD4⁺ T cells in the dermis of IL-25 treated dermatitis group than that in the anti-IL-25 treated dermatitis group. The expression levels of filaggrin and defensin β2 proteins in the IL-25 treated dermatitis group were significantly lower than those in the model group and the anti-IL-25 treated dermatitis group. Conclusion: In the OVA induced atopic dermatitis mice model, IL-25 can significantly promote the damage of the epidermal barrier function and aggravate the OVA-induced dermatitis. Antagonizing IL-25 can alleviate OVA induced dermatitis to a certain extent.

Objective: To analyze the factors related to spontaneous re-eruption after intruded injury in permanent anterior teeth in children and adolescents. Methods: Clinical data from 5- to 17-year-old patients who sustained intrusive luxation of permanent anterior teeth and treated in the Department of Pedia-tric Dentistry of Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology from June 2015 to August 2024 were reviewed. Information of age, gender, degree of intrusion, direction of intrusion, tooth development, concomitant injuries, luxation and post-osteoclastic eruption of the adjacent teeth were recorded. The patients were divided into two groups based on whether they showed spontaneous re-eruption during advised observation after intrusion. Univariate and multifactor analysis were performed using Logistic regression. Results: Data from 170 teeth in 139 patients whose age ranging from 5.3-16.3 years [mean age (9.0± 2.1) years] were examined. A gender disparity was observed among the patients, with 84 being male and 55 being female. Among the 170 teeth, 112 were categorized as successfully spontaneous re-eruption during advised observation after intrusion, while 58 were not. In terms of the degree of intrusion, 45 teeth (26.47%) had intrusion less than 3 mm, 102 teeth (60.00%) experienced intrusion between 3-7 mm, and 23 teeth (13.53%) were faced with intrusion exceeding 7 mm. As for the direction of intrusion, 117 teeth (68.82%) were straight intrusion while mesial-distal and buccal-lingual intrusion respectively accounting for 17 (10.00%) and 23 (13.53%). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that mesial-distal intrusion (OR=0.167, 95%CI: 0.031-0.9048, P=0.038), intrusion of >7 mm (OR=0.065, 95%CI: 0.014-0.299, P < 0.001) and luxation of adjacent teeth (OR=0.369, 95%CI: 0.144-0.944, P=0.037) were independent risk factors for spontaneous re-eruption of traumatically intruded permanent anterior teeth in children and adolescents during advised observation after intrusion, while intrusion of < 3 mm (OR=9.860, 95%CI: 2.430-40.009, P=0.001) and post-osteoclastic eruption of adjacent teeth (OR=4.712, 95%CI: 1.528-14.531, P=0.007) were independent protective factors. The possibility of spontaneous re-eruption in permanent anterior teeth during advised observation after intrusion was decreased by 61.1% with the increase of root development using Cvek' s classification (OR=0.611, 95%CI: 0.408-0.914, P=0.017). Age (OR=1.077, 95%CI: 0.763-1.521, P=0.673) and laceration of gingival (OR=0.865, 95%CI: 0.290-2.578, P=0.794) didn't significantly affect the spontaneous re-eruption during advised observation after intrusion. Conclusion: In this study, mesial-distal intrusion, intrusion of >7 mm and luxation of adjacent teeth were independent risk factors for spontaneous re-eruption of traumatically intruded permanent anterior teeth in children and adolescents during advised observation, while intrusion of < 3 mm and post-osteoclastic eruption of adjacent teeth were served as independent protective factors.

Objective: To summarize the clinical characteristics of patients with renal angiomyolipoma (RAML) combined with inferior vena cava (IVC) tumor thrombus, and to explore the feasibility of partial nephrectomy and thrombectomy in this series of patients. Methods: The clinical data of patients diagnosed with RAML combined with IVC tumor thrombus in the Department of Urology of the Peking University Third Hospital from April 2014 to March 2023 were retrospectively analyzed, and demographic and perioperative data of RAML patients with IVC tumor thrombus were recorded and collected from Electronic Medical Record System, including age, gender, surgical methods, and follow-up time, etc. The clinical characteristics between classic angiomyolipoma (CAML) patients with IVC tumor thrombus and epithelioid angiomyolipoma (EAML) patients with IVC tumor thrombus were compared to determine the clinical characteristics of these patients. Results: A total of 11 patients were included in this study, including 7 patients with CAML with IVC tumor thrombus and 4 patients with EAML with IVC tumor thrombus. There were 9 females (9/11, 81.8%) and 2 males (2/11, 18.2%), with an average age of (44.0±17.1) years. 9 patients (9/11, 81.8%) experienced clinical symptoms, including local symptoms including abdominal pain, hematuria, abdominal masses, and systemic symptoms including weight loss and fever; 2 patients (2/11, 18.2%) with RAML and IVC tumor thrombus did not show clinical symptoms, which were discovered by physical examination. Among the 11 patients, 10 underwent radical nephrectomy with thrombectomy, of whom, 3 underwent open surgery (3/10, 30.0%), 2 underwent laparoscopic surgery (2/10, 20.0%), and 5 underwent robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery (5/10, 50.0%). In addition, 1 patient underwent open partial nephrectomy and thrombectomy. The patients with EAML combined with IVC tumor thrombus had a higher proportion of systemic clinical symptoms (100% vs. 0%, P=0.003), more intraoperative bleeding [400 (240, 3 050) mL vs. 50 (50, 300) mL, P =0.036], and a higher proportion of tumor necrosis (75% vs. 0%, P=0.024) compared to the patients with CAML combined with IVC tumor thrombus. However, there was no statistically significant difference in operation time [(415.8±201.2) min vs. (226.0±87.3) min, P=0.053] between the two groups. Conclusion: Compared with the patients with CAML and IVC tumor thrombus, the patients with EAML and IVC tumor thrombus had a higher rate of systemic symptoms and tumor necrosis. In addition, in the selected patients with CAML with IVC tumor thrombus, partial nephrectomy and tumor thrombectomy could be performed to better preserve renal function.

Objective: To analyze the clinical effects of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in different surgical methods for nephrectomy combined with Mayo Ⅲ-Ⅳ inferior vena cave (IVC) tumor thrombectomy. Methods: In the study, 28 patients who did surgery of nephrectomy and Mayo Ⅲ-Ⅳ IVC thrombectomys in Peking University Third Hospital from 2022 January to 2024 February were included. Of the 28 patients, 16 patients did robotic surgery, 2 patients did laparoscopic surgery, and 10 patients did open surgery. All patients' clinical data were collected. Results: Intra-operative TEE was used in 9 robotic surgeries, of which 7 cases showed image changes compared with preoperative image results. Intraoperative TEE indicated that tumor thrombus entered the right atrium in 2 cases, showed that tumor thrombus grade rose from Mayo Ⅲ to Mayo Ⅳ in 2 cases, and indicated that tumor thrombus adhered to IVC wall in 3 cases. All of these surgical plans were timely adjusted. Intra-operative TEE was used in 6 cases of open surgery, and 4 cases of them showed Mayo grade changes compared with preoperative image results. Intraoperative TEE indicated that tumor thrombus adhered to the IVC wall in 3 cases, and tumor thrombus adhered to the IVC wall with thrombus in one case. The surgical plans were adjusted, and the tumor thrombus was left or segmentally removed. Laparoscopic surgery did not use intraoperative TEE. The effects of intraoperative TEE included: the combination of exploration and TEE monitoring was used in open surgery, and tumor thrombus removal process was fully monitored by intraoperative TEE in the robotic surgery. Intraoperative TEE real-time monitored circulatory status and cardiac function changes. Conclusion: In different surgical methods for nephrectomy combined with Mayo Ⅲ-Ⅳ tumor thrombectomy, intraoperative TEE can re-determine the tumor thrombus grade and degree of tumor thrombus adhered to IVC, track the tumor thrombus removal process in real-time, and monitor circulatory status and cardiac function changes. Intraoperative TEE plays an important role in different surgical methods, but its clinical application is still insufficient. Intraoperative TEE is recommended to such type of surgeries.

Objective: To analyze the association between the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and the risk of nephrolithiasis across various demographic and clinical subgroups, aiming to enhance early diagnosis and treatment of nephrolithiasis and promote personalized care in diverse populations. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed the medical records of 84 968 adults, stratified into three categories (low, middle, high) according to their TyG index scores. To evaluate the association between the TyG index and nephrolithiasis risk, multivariable Logistic regression models were employed, adjusting for potential confounders. Additionally, piecewise linear regression models were used to investigate the non-linear dynamics of the TyG index's relationship with nephrolithiasis risk. Subgroup analyses were performed to explore variations in the effects of the TyG index across different demographic and clinical populations. Results: Increasing TyG index was associated with a higher risk of nephrolithiasis, rising from 4.36% in the low group to 8.96% in the high group (P < 0.001). In adjusted models, males in the middle and high TyG index categories demonstrated significantly elevated risks of nephrolithiasis, with odds ratios of 1.18 (95%CI: 1.07-1.31, P=0.002) and 1.29 (95%CI: 1.15-1.45, P < 0.001), respectively. Conversely, in females, the association was not statistically significant post-adjustment (OR=0.98, 95%CI: 0.82-1.16, P=0.778). Among males, for each unit increment in the TyG index below the critical threshold of 8.98, there was a notable 40% escalation in the risk of developing nephrolithiasis (OR=1.40, 95%CI: 1.24-1.58, P < 0.001). Surpassing this threshold, the TyG index no longer conferred a significant increase in risk (OR=0.91, 95%CI: 0.78-1.06, P=0.24). Subgroup analyses indicated that this association remained stable regardless of age, BMI, or hypertension status. Conclusion: The TyG index is positively associated with the risk of nephrolithiasis in males, demonstrating a nonlinear dose-response relationship that becomes especially pronounced at certain index levels. This biomarker could potentially serve as a valuable clinical tool for identifying males who are at a high risk of developing nephrolithiasis, thereby enabling targeted preventive strategies. Further research is urgently needed to explore the underlying mechanisms and to verify the applicability of these results across different populations.

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic efficacy of targeted biopsy combined with regional systematic biopsy in prostate cancer (PCa) in patients with prostate imaging reporting and data system v2.1 (PI-RADS v2.1) 4-5. Methods: From January 2023 to October 2023, patients who underwent prostate biopsy for the first time with total prostate specific antigen (tPSA) ≤ 20 ng/mL and had a multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) PI-RADS of 4-5 in Peking University First Hospital were prospectively collected. All the patients underwent transrectal ultrasound-guided cognitive fusion targeted biopsy (3 cores) followed by systematic biopsy (12 cores). Various hypothetical biopsy schemes were defined based on different biopsy sites. The detection effectiveness of targeted biopsy combined with regional systematic biopsy and other biopsy schemes for prostate cancer were compared using Cochran's Q and McNemar tests. Results: A total of 255 patients were enrolled, of whom 204 (80.0%) were detected with prostate adenocarcinoma and 187 (73.3%) were clinically significant with prostate cancer (csPCa). The detection rate of PCa with targeted biopsy was significantly lower than that of targeted biopsy combined with 12-core system biopsy (77.3% vs. 80.0%, P=0.016), and 71.4% (5/7) of the missed patients was csPCa. There was no significant difference in the detection rate between targeted biopsy combined with 4-core regional system biopsy and 12-core system biopsy (P>0.999), and 1 case of csPCa and clinically insignificant prostate cancer (cisPCa) were missed. There was no significant difference in the detection rate of PCa between targeted combined regional system biopsy and targeted combined lateral or traditional 6-core system biopsy and the number of cores were reduced. Missed diagnosis of targeted biopsy was correlated with the maximum diameter of the lesion (OR=0.086, 95%CI: 0.013-0.562, P=0.010). For the patients with PI-RADS 5, only 1 case of PCa was missed in 122 cases by targeted biopsy alone. For patients with PI-RADS 4, 6 PCa cases were missed among the 133 patients with targeted biopsy alone, and 1 case of csPCa and cisPCa were missed by targeted biopsy combined with regional system biopsy. The statistics of positive core counts for different biopsy schemes indicated that targeted combined regional systematic biopsy had a higher proportion of positive cores second only to targeted biopsy alone. Conclusion: Targeted biopsy combined with regional systematic biopsy has high diagnostic efficacy in patients with PI-RADS 4-5 and can be considered as one of the improved schemes for combined biopsy. Targeted biopsy alone is also a feasible option for patients for patients with a PI-RADS score of 5.