Navigation of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery using electromagnetic versus CT-guided localization (NOVEL): a study protocol for comparing procedural success and complication rates in a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled, non-inferiority phase III trial.

Background: The rise of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) has increased the detection of small pulmonary nodules, demanding more effective localization techniques for their resection. Minimally invasive resection utilizing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is a critical method for treating these nodules. However, traditional computed tomography (CT)-guided localization has limitations such as invasiveness and patient discomfort.

Immunological dynamic characteristics in acute myeloid leukemia predict the long-term outcomes and graft-versus host-disease occurrences post-transplantation.

To investigate the relationship between immune dynamic and graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) risk, 111 initial diagnostic acute myeloid leukemia patients were reviewed. The flow cytometry data of 12 major lymphocyte subsets in bone marrow (BM) from 60 transplant patients at four different time points were analyzed. Additionally, 90 immune subsets in peripheral blood (PB) of 11 post-transplantation on day 100 were reviewed.

Efficacy and safety of ablative CO fractional laser and narrowband intense pulsed light for the treatment of hypertrophic scars: a prospective, randomized controlled trial.

Background And Objectives: Hypertrophic scarring is a complex process, and numerous methods have been introduced to treat scars. This study aims to evaluate the effect of combined CO fractional laser and narrowband intense pulsed light (IPL) compared to IPL alone in the treatment of hypertrophic scars.

Materials And Methods: This was a prospective, randomized controlled study enrolled 138 patients with hypertrophic scars.

The characteristics of dome-shaped macula in Chinese children aged 4-6 years using optical coherence tomography angiography.

Purpose: To evaluate the characteristics of dome-shaped macula (DSM) in children aged 4-6 years with normal visual acuity using optical coherence tomography angiography.

Method: This is a cross-sectional study. A total of 19 children aged 4-6 years were included.

Exosomal miR-27b-3p secreted by visceral adipocytes contributes to endothelial inflammation and atherogenesis.

Obesity, particularly increased visceral fat, positively correlates with various metabolic challenges, including atherosclerosis, but the mechanism is not fully understood. The aim of this study is to determine the role of visceral-fat-derived exosomes (Exo) in endothelial cells and atherosclerosis. We show that obesity changes the miRNA profile of visceral adipose exosomes in mice.

Sphingomyelin synthase 2 is a positive regulator of the CSF1R-STAT3 pathway in pancreatic cancer-associated macrophage.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are one of the most abundant immune cells in the pancreatic cancer stroma and are related to the poor prognosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients. Therefore, targeting tumor-associated macrophages is a possible strategy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. We would like to investigate the role of sphingomyelin synthase 2 (SMS2) and the effect of the synthase 2 selective inhibitor YE2 in TAMs and the pancreatic tumor microenvironment.

Relationship between EMG features and force in orbicularis oris muscle.

Background: Lip incompetence resulting from mouth breathing is a common clinical manifestation, while there are no definite indicators of amplitude and intensity of muscle functional training in clinical practice, which leads to unsatisfactory training results.

Objective: The aim was to quantify the relationship between electromyography (EMG) and force in orbicularis oris muscle, so that the indicators of muscle functional training can be evaluated using EMG signals, so as to improve the training effects.

Methods: The EMG and the force signals of orbicularis oris muscle from 0% to 100% MVC within 5 s in twelve healthy subjects (six males and six females; age, 25 ± 2 years; mass, 60 ± 15 kg) were recorded simultaneously for three trials.

MRI-based texture analysis for differentiate between pediatric posterior fossa ependymoma type A and B.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of texture analysis in differentiating between posterior fossa ependymoma type A (PF-EPN-A) and type B (PF-EPN-B) among children.

Materials And Methods: Our retrospective study included 43 patients (37 PF-EPN-A and 6 PF-EPN-B) who were pathologically diagnosed with ependymomas in the posterior fossa. The texture features were extracted automatically from the volume of interests (VOIs), which were manually delineated on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (T1C), and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) MRI sequences.

Clinical efficacy and safety of a focused-radiofrequency device on middle and lower face rejuvenation: a retrospective clinical study.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a unipolar focused-RF device used to rejuvenate the middle and lower face and to create an assessment system. This retrospective study comprised 52 patients with mild-to-moderate skin laxity and wrinkles who received 1-3 treatments 1 month apart and were followed up for 1-7 months. At baseline and post-treatment, three blinded observers measured facial contour and lines, analyzed VISIA scores, and assessed the results using Alexiades Comprehensive Grading Scale (ACGS) and Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS).

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors diagnosis on multi-center endoscopic ultrasound images using multi-scale image normalization and transfer learning.

Background: Automated diagnosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumors' (GISTs) cancerization is an effective way to improve the clinical diagnostic accuracy and reduce possible risks of biopsy. Although deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) have proven to be very effective in many image classification problems, there is still a lack of studies on endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) images of GISTs. It remains a substantial challenge mainly due to the data distribution bias of multi-center images, the significant inter-class similarity and intra-class variation, and the insufficiency of training data.

The association of hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype with hypertension: A cross-sectional study in a Chinese middle aged-old population.

The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the hypertriglyceridemic waist (HTGW) phenotype and hypertension. We undertook a cross-sectional study with a sample of 9015 adults from China. The HTGW phenotype was defined as elevated waist circumference (WC) and elevated triglyceride (TG) concentration.

Subacute thyroiditis during early pregnancy: a case report and literature review.

Background: Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) is rarely diagnosed in pregnant women, and only 7 cases have been reported to date. Thyroid dysfunction, especially hyperthyroidism, during pregnancy has been associated with both maternal and neonatal complications. Thus, the early diagnosis and treatment of SAT during pregnancy may be beneficial.

Assessment of the retinal vasculature in healthy Chinese preschool children aged 4-6 years old using optical coherence tomography angiography.

Purpose: To establish normal parameters of macular and optic disc vasculature by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in healthy preschool children aged 4-6 years old in China. OCTA reflects retinal metabolism and development in children at these ages and could be used clinically and in future studies to aid diagnosis and prediction of retinal abnormalities and developmental stagnation.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we measured foveal, parafoveal, and perifoveal vessel density in the superficial capillary plexus (SCP); the deep capillary plexus (DCP), the foveal avascular zone (FAZ), and the radial capillary peripapillary (RPC) in the optic disc using investigational spectral-domain OCTA.

Global, regional, and national burden of biliary tract cancer from 1990 to 2017 based on the 2017 Global Burden of Disease study.

Background: Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is a rare malignant neoplasm with poor prognosis. We aimed to report the rates and the trends of biliary tract cancer at the global level from 1990 to 2017 according to gender, age and social-demographic index (SDI).

Methods: Data on biliary tract cancer between 1990 and 2017 was acquired from the 2017 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study including the incidence, death and disability adjusted life-years (DALY).

BMP4-mediated browning of perivascular adipose tissue governs an anti-inflammatory program and prevents atherosclerosis.

Loss of perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) impairs endothelial function and enhances atherosclerosis. However, the roles of PVAT thermoregulation in vascular inflammation and the development of atherosclerosis remains unclear. Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) transforms white adipocyte to beige adipocyte, while promotes a brown-to-white shift in inter-scapular brown adipose tissue (BAT).

Clinical applications of monitoring immune status with 90 immune cell subsets in human whole blood by 10-color flow cytometry.

Introduction: The immune system may involve and predict the different prognosis and therapy consequences. So, it's important to monitor and evaluate the immune status before and after treatments.

Methods: Flow cytometry is the best technology to perform immune monitoring, because it can detect immune cells using small amount of sample in a short time.

Three-Dimensional Computed Tomography (CT) Mapping of Intertrochanteric Fractures in Elderly Patients.

BACKGROUND The complex anatomy of the trochanter and the diversity in mechanisms of injury to it complicate intertrochanteric fracture patterns. Using digital technology, we created three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) mapping to show the relevant characteristics of intertrochanteric fractures in elderly patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS This was a retrospective analysis of a case series of closed intertrochanteric fractures in patients older than age 60 years who had sustained single-sided injuries less than 1 week previously.

Research on allergic rhinitis improvement in asthmatic children after dust mite exposure reduction: a randomized, double-blind, cross-placebo study protocol.

Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) in children is a major respiratory inflammatory disease with a high incidence that is increasing yearly. In China, 54.93% of children with asthma have AR, which often requires synchronous treatment.

Reversible suppression of T cell function in the bone marrow microenvironment of acute myeloid leukemia.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common acute leukemia in adults, with approximately four new cases per 100,000 persons per year. Standard treatment for AML consists of induction chemotherapy with remission achieved in 50 to 75% of cases. Unfortunately, most patients will relapse and die from their disease, as 5-y survival is roughly 29%.

Correction to: Tripartite motif 31 alleviates IL-1ß secretion via promoting the ubiquitination of pyrin domain domains-containing protein 3 in human periodontal ligament fibroblasts.

The article Tripartite motif 31 alleviates IL 1ß secretion via promoting the ubiquitination of pyrin domain domains containing protein 3 in human periodontal ligament fibroblasts, written by Xueying Wu, Mengmeng Lu, Sheng Ding and Qun Zhong, was originally published electronically on the publisher's internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on 22 April 2020 with open access.

Tripartite motif 31 alleviates IL-1ß secretion via promoting the ubiquitination of pyrin domain domains-containing protein 3 in human periodontal ligament fibroblasts.

Apical periodontitis (AP) is an inflammatory disease caused by bacteria infection and is regarded as a common disease in the world. In the progression of AP, the function of nucleotide-binding oligomerization, leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome has been revealed. Although tripartite motif 31 (TRIM31) has been suggested to regulate many chronic inflammations by mediating NLRP3 inflammasome, such mechanism in AP remains unclear.

[An in vitro study of zinc-alpha-2-glycoprotein inhibits activation and proliferation of hepatic stellate cells].

To investigate the mechanism of occurrence and development of zinc-alpha-2-glycoprotein (AZGP1) in the activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and liver fibrosis. The activated human hepatic stellate cell line LX2 was induced by the stimulation of transforming growth factor - β1 to construct carbon tetrachloride liver fibrosis mice model. The situation expression of AZGP1 in liver cells and tissues were observed.