The pitfalls and challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with carotid near-occlusion: a narrative review.

Background And Objective: Carotid near-occlusion (CNO) is defined as a severe stenosis of the internal carotid artery (ICA) resulting in a reduction in the distal diameter. It is a specific type of carotid stenosis accounting for 34% of the patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis ≥50%. The current guidelines recommend the best medical treatment (BMT) as the treatment of choice.

Comparison of traditional face-to-face teaching with synchronous distance education in medical theory courses teaching to medical undergraduates: A case-controlled study in China.

Synchronous distance education (SDE) has recently been widely used for medical students. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of SDE with traditional face-to-face education (TE) on the learning outcomes of undergraduate medical students. Participants were class enrolled in 2015 and class enrolled in 2016.

Effectiveness of Virtual Simulations Versus Mannequins and Real Persons in Medical and Nursing Education: Meta-Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Virtual simulation (VS) is a developing education approach with the recreation of reality using digital technology. The teaching effectiveness of VSs compared to mannequins and real persons (RPs) has never been investigated in medical and nursing education.

Objective: This study aims to compare VSs and mannequins or RPs in improving the following clinical competencies: knowledge, procedural skills, clinical reasoning, and communication skills.

Enhancing Clinical Accuracy of Medical Chatbots with Large Language Models.

The rapid advancement of large language models (LLMs) has opened up new possibilities for transforming healthcare practices, patient interactions, and medical report generation. This paper explores the application of LLMs in developing medical chatbots and virtual assistants that prioritize clinical accuracy. We propose a novel multi-turn dialogue model, including adjusting the position of layer normalization to improve training stability and convergence, employing a contextual sliding window reply prediction task to capture fine-grained local context, and developing a local critical information distillation mechanism to extract and emphasize the most relevant information.

Metabolomic Profiling of Tumor Tissues Unveils Metabolic Shifts in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients with Concurrent Diabetes Mellitus.

A comprehensive understanding of the exact influence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on the metabolic status of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still lacking. This study explores metabolic alterations in tumor tissues among patients with coexisting NSCLC and T2DM in comparison with NSCLC patients. A combined approach of clinical analysis and metabolomics was employed, including 20 NSCLC patients and 20 NSCLC+T2DM patients.

Enhancing Medical Signal Processing and Diagnosis with AI-Generated Content Techniques.

In medical diagnostics, the accurate classification and analysis of biomedical signals play a crucial role, particularly in the diagnosis of neurological disorders such as epilepsy. Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, which represent the electrical activity of the brain, are fundamental in identifying epileptic seizures. However, challenges such as data scarcity and imbalance significantly hinder the development of robust diagnostic models.

Artificial intelligence-based graded training of pulmonary nodules for junior radiology residents and medical imaging students.

Background: To evaluate the efficiency of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted diagnosis system in the pulmonary nodule detection and diagnosis training of junior radiology residents and medical imaging students.

Methods: The participants were divided into three groups. Medical imaging students of Grade 2020 in the Jinzhou Medical University were randomly divided into Groups 1 and 2; Group 3 comprised junior radiology residents.

Long COVID and its association with neurodegenerative diseases: pathogenesis, neuroimaging, and treatment.

Corona Virus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has presented unprecedented challenges to the world. Changes after acute COVID-19 have had a significant impact on patients with neurodegenerative diseases. This study aims to explore the mechanism of neurodegenerative diseases by examining the main pathways of central nervous system infection of SARS-CoV-2.

Bilateral Inferior Petrosal Sinus Sampling Without Lateralization Is Less Accurate for the Diagnosis of Cushing Disease.

Context: During bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling (BIPSS), the side-to-side adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) ratio, referred to as , was used to predict pituitary adenoma localization.

Objective: To investigate the potential different diagnostic accuracy of BIPSS for differentiating Cushing disease (CD) and ectopic ACTH secretory syndrome (EAS) patients with low lateralization (inferior petrosal sinus [IPS]:IPS ≤ 1.4) and high lateralization (IPS:IPS > 1.

Detection of lung cancer through SERS analysis of serum.

Early detection and postoperative assessment are crucial for improving overall survival among lung cancer patients. Here, we report a non-invasive technique that integrates Raman spectroscopy with machine learning for the detection of lung cancer. The study encompassed 88 postoperative lung cancer patients, 73 non-surgical lung cancer patients, and 68 healthy subjects.

Comparison of the therapeutic effects of medication therapy, specific immunotherapy and anti-IgE (Omalizumab) in patients with hay fever.

Background: Hay fever, characterized by seasonal allergic reactions, poses a significant health challenge. Existing therapies encompass standard drug regimens, biological agents, and specific immunotherapy. This study aims to assess and compare the effectiveness of anti-IgE (omalizumab), medication therapy, and subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) for hay fever.

Genetic Polymorphisms of and may be Associated with Serum sIgE and Blood Eosinophil Levels in Chinese Patients with Allergic Diseases.

Background: It has been suggested that genetic factors may be substantially linked to allergy disorders.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the relationship between the serum specific Immunoglobulin E (sIgE), blood eosinophil, and the polymorphisms of glycoprotein Ib alpha gene () rs6065, platelet endothelial aggregation receptor 1 gene () rs12041331, and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 gene () rs1799762.

Methods: From the Peking Union Medical College Hospital, this study enrolled 60 healthy participants and 283 participants with allergic diseases.

Spectral Analysis on Cuba-Lumacaftor: Cubane as Benzene Bioisosteres of Lumacaftor.

In this paper, we theoretically investigate the electronic structure and physical properties of cuba-lumacaftor, cubane as benzene bioisosteres of lumacaftor, stimulated by recent experimental reports [Wiesenfeldt M. P.; Nature2023, 618, 513-518].

Astaxanthin attenuates cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease models by reducing oxidative stress via the SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling pathway.

Objective: Oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in neurodegenerative diseases. Astaxanthin (AST) can play a neuroprotective role owing to its long-chain conjugated unsaturated double bond, which imparts potent antioxidant, anti-neuroinflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties. However, the biological mechanisms underlying these effects remain unknown.

Machine learning models for differential diagnosis of Cushing's disease and ectopic ACTH secretion syndrome.

Background: Using machine learning (ML) to explore the noninvasive differential diagnosis of Cushing's disease (CD) and ectopic corticotropin (ACTH) secretion (EAS) model is the next hot research topic. This study was to develop and evaluate ML models for differentially diagnosing CD and EAS in ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome (CS).

Methods: Two hundred sixty-four CD and forty-seven EAS were randomly divided into training and validation and test datasets.

The 4G/5G polymorphism of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 is a predictor of allergic cough.

It has been suggested that genetic factors may be substantially linked to allergy disorders. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the genetic susceptibility of Chinese patients with allergy disorders and the polymorphisms of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 gene () rs1799762, cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 gene () rs320995, gasdermin B gene () rs7216389, glycoprotein IIIa gene () rs5918, glycoprotein Ib alpha gene () rs6065, platelet endothelial aggregation receptor 1 gene () rs12041331, and tumor necrosis factor alpha gene () rs1800629. From the Peking Union Medical College Hospital, this study enrolled 60 healthy participants and 286 participants with allergic diseases.

A pulmonary nodule mislocated in "dorsal" segment due to tri-lobed left lung.

Background: The left lung has two lobes and one fissure, while the right lung has three lobes and two fissures. Accessory fissures are usually found in imaging examinations and autopsies; however, finding an actual accessory lobe is rare.

Case Presentation: In a lung nodule resection surgery, a 68-year-old male patient was found with three lobes and two fissures in his left lung.

Should We Use Prolactin Adjustment in Bilateral Inferior Petrosal Sinus Sampling to Diagnose Cushing Disease? A Joint Meta-Analysis of Head-to-Head Diagnostic Tests Accuracy Studies.

Objective: Previous studies have shown inconsistent results regarding the usefulness of prolactin adjustment in bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling (BIPSS) in the differential diagnosis of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-dependent Cushing syndrome (CS). This meta-analysis compared the diagnostic accuracy of prolactin adjustment versus no adjustment in BIPSS.

Methods: This study searched the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane library, and WanFang databases for published data as of March 2022 on the use of prolactin adjustment in BIPSS to differentially diagnose ACTH-dependent CS.

Diagnostic accuracy and safety of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus extracts used for skin prick test.

Background: Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus is a common allergen causing allergic diseases in China. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of D. pteronyssinus extracts produced by Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) for the skin prick test (SPT) in the diagnosis of D.

Four clinical phenotypes of cow's milk protein allergy based on dairy product specific IgE antibody types in North China.

Background: Cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) is a common allergy. Immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated cow's milk allergy is associated with a high mortality risk and poor prognosis. The study aims to investigate whether there are different clinically CMPA phenotypes in China and to explore the association between CMPA phenotypes and specific IgE (sIgE) antibodies against different dairy products.

A noninvasive scoring model for the differential diagnosis of ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome: a retrospective analysis of 311 patients based on easy-to-use parameters.

Objectives: The differential diagnosis of ACTH-dependent Cushing's disease (CS) is challenging. The gold standard approach bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling (BIPSS) is expensive and invasive, while other noninvasive tests, like the high-dose dexamethasone suppression test (HDDST), provide unsatisfactory diagnostic accuracy. This study aimed to find a new noninvasive practical approach with higher diagnostic accuracy to differently diagnose ACTH-dependent CS, which can be used in centers where BIPSS cannot be applied.

Multi-organs perioperative immune-related adverse events and postoperative bronchial anastomotic fistula in a patient receiving neoadjuvant immunotherapy with NSCLC.

The safety of neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy before surgery in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear in the perioperative stage. We describe a case of a 63-year-old man with IIIC stage NSCLC who received neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy and radical lobectomy. After the second cycle of pembrolizumab and chemotherapy (paclitaxel + carboplatin), the patient was diagnosed with immunologic enterocolitis and relieved by glucocorticoid therapy.