Optimal guiding methods for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt creation: Characteristics of intravascular ultrasound other techniques.

A recent study in examined the use of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation. The study concluded that IVUS significantly reduces procedure time, radiation exposure, and the number of needle passes compared to conventional fluoroscopic guidance. IVUS offers real-time visualization of the portal vein, but challenges remain in terms of equipment costs and the operator learning curve.

Impact of Dexmedetomidine on Analgesia and Inflammatory Response in Knee Surgery: A Study of IPACK and ACB Techniques.

BACKGROUND The interspace between the popliteal artery and posterior capsule of the knee block (IPACK) combined with adductor canal block (ACB) has short-term analgesic effect after arthroscopic knee surgery(AKS), and prolonging the duration of analgesia is very important for patients to recover quickly after surgery. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether perineural dexmedetomidine (DEX) or intravenous can prolong the analgesic time of IPACK and ACB, and ultimately promote the postoperative rehabilitation of patients undergoing AKS. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this randomized controlled trial, 102 eligible AKS patients were allocated to 3 groups: perineural DEX with ropivacaine for Group E (n=34), intravenous DEX for Group I (n=34), and standard IPACK-ACB (ropivacaine alone) for Group C (n=34).

CT-based artificial intelligence system complementing deep learning model and radiologist for liver fibrosis staging.

Noninvasive methods for liver fibrosis staging are urgently needed due to its significance in predicting significant morbidity and mortality. In this study, we developed an automated DL-based segmentation and classification model (Model-C). Test-time adaptation was used to address data distribution shifts.

OphGLM: An ophthalmology large language-and-vision assistant.

Vision computer-aided diagnostic methods have been used in early ophthalmic disease screening and diagnosis. However, the limited output formats of these methods lead to poor human-computer interaction and low clinical applicability value. Thus, ophthalmic visual question answering is worth studying.

Unsupervised domain adaptation based on feature and edge alignment for femur X-ray image segmentation.

The gold standard for diagnosing osteoporosis is bone mineral density (BMD) measurement by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). However, various factors during the imaging process cause domain shifts in DXA images, which lead to incorrect bone segmentation. Research shows that poor bone segmentation is one of the prime reasons of inaccurate BMD measurement, severely affecting the diagnosis and treatment plans for osteoporosis.

Robotic exoskeleton-assisted walking rehabilitation for stroke patients: a bibliometric and visual analysis.

Objective: This study aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the literature on exoskeleton robot assisted walking rehabilitation for stroke patients in the Web of Science Core Collection over the past decade.

Method: Retrieved literature on exoskeleton robot assisted gait training for stroke hemiplegic patients from the Web of Science Core Collection from 1 January 2014 to 31 January 2024. The search method was topic search, and the types of documents were "article, meeting abstract, review article, early access.

Economic Evaluation of COVID-19 Immunization Strategies: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis.

Objectives: This study aimed to systematically assess global economic evaluation studies on COVID-19 vaccination, offer valuable insights for future economic evaluations, and assist policymakers in making evidence-based decisions regarding the implementation of COVID-19 vaccination.

Methods: Searches were performed from January 2020 to September 2023 across seven English databases (PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, EBSCO, KCL-Korean Journal Dataset, SciELO Citation Index, and Derwent Innovations Index) and three Chinese databases (Wanfang Data, China Science and Technology Journal, and CNKI). Rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied.

Challenges of Post-Venipuncture Jugular Venous Thrombosis in Patients with Secondary Hyperparathyroidism: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND Hyperparathyroidism is a common issue in patients on long-term hemodialysis, necessitating parathyroidectomy with deep venipuncture. These patients frequently exhibit a heightened incidence of vascular calcification, complicating deep venipuncture and increasing the risk of associated complications. Therefore, a crucial aspect of preoperative assessment in this population involves identifying vascular calcification, with a preference for ultrasound-guided intraplane puncture.

Considerable effects of lateralization and aging in intracortical excitation and inhibition.

Introduction: Findings based on the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation and electromyography (TMS-EMG) to determine the effects of motor lateralization and aging on intracortical excitation and inhibition in the primary motor cortex (M1) are inconsistent in the literature. TMS and electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) measures the excitability of excitatory and inhibitory circuits in the brain cortex without contamination from the spine and muscles. This study aimed to investigate the effects of motor lateralization (dominant and non-dominant hemispheres) and aging (young and older) and their interaction effects on intracortical excitation and inhibition within the M1 in healthy adults, measured using TMS-EMG and TMS-EEG.

Deep learning approaches for differentiating thyroid nodules with calcification: a two-center study.

Background: Calcification is a common phenomenon in both benign and malignant thyroid nodules. However, the clinical significance of calcification remains unclear. Therefore, we explored a more objective method for distinguishing between benign and malignant thyroid calcified nodules.

Value of Artificial Intelligence in Improving the Accuracy of Diagnosing TI-RADS Category 4 Nodules.

Objective: Considerable heterogeneity is observed in the malignancy rates of thyroid nodules classified as category 4 according to the Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS). This study was aimed at comparing the diagnostic performance of artificial intelligence algorithms and radiologists with different experience levels in distinguishing benign and malignant TI-RADS 4 (TR4) nodules.

Methods: Between January 2019 and September 2022, 1117 TR4 nodules with well-defined pathological findings were collected for this retrospective study.

Specific subsystems of the inferior parietal lobule are associated with hand dysfunction following stroke: A cross-sectional resting-state fMRI study.

Aim: The inferior parietal lobule (IPL) plays important roles in reaching and grasping during hand movements, but how reorganizations of IPL subsystems underlie the paretic hand remains unclear. We aimed to explore whether specific IPL subsystems were disrupted and associated with hand performance after chronic stroke.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 65 patients who had chronic subcortical strokes and 40 healthy controls from China.

Clinical Outcome of Day-3 Cleavage Slow-Growing Embryos at Different Cleavage Rates after Overnight Culture: A Cohort Retrospective Study.

Introduction: We explored the association between clinical outcomes and the cleavage rate of day-3 cleavage slow-growing embryos after overnight culture.

Methods: The data collected from 303 frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles with 606 4-cell or 5-cell embryos cultured overnight (18-22 h) after thawing were analyzed. Based on the growth rate after the overnight culture, the embryos were divided into three groups: no embryo reaching eight cells (Group I), either one of the two embryos reaching eight cells (Group II), and both two embryos reaching eight cells or more (Group III).

Return-to-Work Predictions for Chinese Patients With Occupational Upper Extremity Injury: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: We created predictive models using machine learning algorithms for return-to-work (RTW) in patients with traumatic upper extremity injuries.

Methods: Data were obtained immediately before patient discharge and patients were followed up for 1 year. K-nearest neighbor, logistic regression, support vector machine, and decision tree algorithms were used to create our predictive models for RTW.

Selectively disrupted sensorimotor circuits in chronic stroke with hand dysfunction.

Aim: To investigate the directional and selective disconnection of the sensorimotor cortex (SMC) subregions in chronic stroke patients with hand dysfunction.

Methods: We mapped the resting-state fMRI effective connectivity (EC) patterns for seven SMC subregions in each hemisphere of 65 chronic stroke patients and 40 healthy participants and correlated these patterns with paretic hand performance.

Results: Compared with controls, patients demonstrated disrupted EC in the ipsilesional primary motor cortex_4p, ipsilesional primary somatosensory cortex_2 (PSC_2), and contralesional PSC_3a.

Estimating the risk of malignancy of adnexal masses: validation of the ADNEX model in the hands of nonexpert ultrasonographers in a gynaecological oncology centre in China.

Background: This study aims to validate the diagnostic accuracy of the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) the Assessment of Different NEoplasias in the adneXa (ADNEX) model in the preoperative diagnosis of adnexal masses in the hands of nonexpert ultrasonographers in a gynaecological oncology centre in China.

Methods: This was a single oncology centre, retrospective diagnostic accuracy study of 620 patients. All patients underwent surgery, and the histopathological diagnosis was used as a reference standard.

Preparing genomic revolution: Attitudes, clinical practice, and training needs in delivering genetic counseling in primary care in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China.

Purpose: The aim was to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and clinical practice concerning medical genetics, genetic testing, and counseling among primary care physicians (PCPs) in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China.

Methods: The University of Hong Kong (HKU), HKU-Shenzhen Hospital, and Shenzhen Health Capacity Building and Continuing Education Center invited PCPs from Hong Kong and Shenzhen to participate in an online survey.

Results: The survey was completed by 151 PCPs and 258 PCPs from Hong Kong and Shenzhen, respectively.

LncRNA AFAP1-AS1 regulates proliferation and apoptosis of endometriosis through activating STAT3/TGF-β/Smad signaling via miR-424-5p.

Aim: Endometriosis is a common gynecological disorder characterized by chronic pelvic pain and infertility, which negatively affects women's health worldwide. AFAP1-AS1 has been implicated in endometriosis lesions recently, but its mechanism of endometriosis progression remains unclear.

Methods: Endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) were used to identify the role of AFAP1-AS1 in endometriosis.

Fighting against COVID-19: preparedness and implications on clinical practice in primary care in Shenzhen, China.

Background: The new coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) caused by COVID-19 has affected more than 46 million people worldwide. In China, primary care has played a vital role during the COVID-19 outbreak, and it is important to examine the challenges faced by general practitioners (GPs). This study investigated the roles, preparedness and training needs of GPs in China in managing the NCP outbreak.

The Development of a Competency Assessment Standard for General Practitioners in China.

This paper describes the development of a competency assessment standard for General Practitioners in Shenzhen, China. The standard is to be used for developing and delivering the training curriculum for General Practitioners and to enable rigorous assessment of the mastery of the standards by GP trainees. The requirement for the training of General Practitioners in China is mandated by government policy requires an international standard curriculum to meet the needs of patients and the community.

Diverse functional connectivity patterns of resting-state brain networks associated with good and poor hand outcomes following stroke.

Motor stroke has been characterized by disruptions in multiple large-scale functional brain networks. However, it remains unclear whether stroke patients with good hand outcomes show different connectivity profiles within and between networks from those with poor hand outcomes. In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 52 chronic subcortical stroke patients [illness duration (mean ± SD): 16 ± 16.

Perspectives on the Training of Chinese Primary Health Care Physicians to Reduce Chronic Illnesses and Their Burden.

This paper is a commentary on the training of Chinese Primary Health Care Doctors to reduce chronic illness and its burden. First, we will consider the policy position of the Chinese government concerning the development of a competent and enlarged primary physician workforce to deliver the proposed primary health care system reforms. We then turn to a review of the drivers of the high burden of chronic illnesses especially in older people in China.

Birth prevalence of orofacial clefts among perinatal infants: A register-based study in Bao'an district, Shenzhen, China.

Background: The birth prevalence of orofacial clefts (OFCs) has been widely studied, but results are considerable varied, and epidemiological studies in southern China are few in numbers. To address this gap, we carried out a register-based study to estimate the birth prevalence of OFCs in Bao'an district, Shenzhen, China.

Methods: Data of perinatal infants born between 2003 and 2017 were extracted from Shenzhen Maternal and Child Health Management System.

Cell cycle activation contributes to isoflurane-induced neurotoxicity in the developing brain and the protective effect of CR8.

Aims: It is well established that exposure of common anesthetic isoflurane in early life can induce neuronal apoptosis and long-lasting cognitive deficit, but the underlying mechanisms were not well understood. The cell cycle protein Cyclin B1 plays an important role in the survival of postmitotic neurons. In the present study, we investigated whether cyclin B1-mediated cell cycle activation pathway is a contributing factor in developmental isoflurane neurotoxicity.

Delayed treatment of propofol inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in microglia through the PI3K/PKB pathway.

Propofol is a short-acting intravenous anesthetic agent with potential neuroprotective effect. In this study, we aim to investigate whether delayed propofol treatment is protective against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated inflammatory responses in microglial cells. Cultured BV2 microglial cells were exposed to propofol at various time points after initiation of LPS stimulation.