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Objective This systematic review evaluates the performance and limitations of AI-based models for Degenerative cervical diseases (DCD) diagnosis using MRI. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted in three databases—PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science—covering studies published between January 2010 and March 2024. Studies were included if they employed AI techniques for the diagnosis or prognosis of DCD using MRI. Key performance metrics, methodological details, and limitations were extracted and analyzed. Results Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria, with AI models showing high diagnostic performance. Accuracy ranged from 81.58% to 98%, sensitivities from 84% to 98%, specificities from 90% to 100%, and AUC values reached up to 0.97. Convolutional neural networks (CNN) were the most frequently used models (four studies), followed by support vector machines (three studies). Comparative analysis revealed that CNN-based approaches showed consistently high performance in ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament detection, while traditional machine learning methods demonstrated varying effectiveness in cervical spondylotic myelopathy classification. Sample sizes varied significantly, ranging from 28 to 900 patients. MRI protocols also differed across studies, with variations in field strengths, slice thicknesses, and sequences used. Seven studies assessed inter-rater reliability. Most studies lacked external validation, which raises concerns about the generalizability of the models. Additionally, hardware configurations were inconsistently reported, and data augmentation techniques were underutilized, limiting the robustness of the models in smaller datasets. Conclusion While AI models for DCD diagnosis using MRI show high diagnostic potential, methodological weaknesses such as insufficient external validation and small sample sizes hinder broader clinical adoption. Future research should focus on larger, standardized, multi-center studies to improve the robustness and clinical relevance of AI-driven tools for DCD diagnosis.

ObjectiveTo explore the effectiveness of Tai Chi on cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).MethodsAccording to the PRISMA guidelines, randomized controlled trial (RCT) literature on the efficacy of Tai Chi on MCI patients was searched in China National Knowledge Network (CNKI), China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Wanfang Data, China Scientific Journal Database (VIP), PubMed, Embase, Duxiu Database, Web of Science and Cochrane Library from their inception to April 2024. The risk of bias in each study was appraised using the Cochrane risk−of−bias tool using Revman 5.4. Random effect model or fixed effect model was used to compare the effects of Tai Chi and control conditions on baseline and post−intervention assessment of cognitive function. Meta−analysis was performed using Stata15.0 software.ResultsNine studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Tai Chi significantly improved Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA, SMD, 1.43, p

BackgroundDeep Brain Stimulation (DBS) has been widely applied and accepted in the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Despite numerous studies exploring the effects of DBS on the progression of neurodegenerative diseases and the treatment of advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD), there is a limited number of articles summarizing this research. The purpose of this study is to investigate the current trends, hot topics, and potential in research surrounding DBS therapy for PD, as well as to anticipate the challenges of such research.MethodsWe searched the Web of Science Core Collection database (WoSCC) for DBS research literature related to PD published from January 2014 to January 2024, utilized CiteSpace, VOS viewer, the bibliometric online analysis platform, Scimago Graphica, Microsoft Excel 2021, and R software version 4.2.3 for data analysis. And we conducted quantitative research on publications, citations, journals, authors, countries, institutions, keywords, and references, visualized the results in network graphs.ResultsFrom 2014 to 2024, papers from 39 journals from 11 countries were among the top 100 cited. Most papers were published in Neurology, with the highest average citations per paper in Nature Neuroscience. The United States (US) contributed the most publications, followed by the United Kingdom (UK) and Germany. In terms of total publications, University College London (UCL) contributed the most papers. The primary classifications of articles were Clinical Neurology, Neurosciences, and Surgery. The top five keywords were subthalamic nucleus, DBS, PD, medical therapy, and basal ganglia. Cluster analysis indicates that DBS research focus on improving quality of life and applying computational models.ConclusionThrough bibliometric analysis, researchers could quickly and clearly understand the hotspots and boundaries of their research field, thus guiding their research direction and scope to improve research efficiency and the quality of outcomes. Although studies indicate that DBS is currently a crucial method for treating advanced PD, in the long run, creating a personalized, low-cost treatment regimen with precise targeting and long-term efficacy poses a challenge.

Abstract Gastric cancer (GC) represents a significant burden of cancer-related mortality worldwide, underscoring an urgent need for the development of early detection strategies and precise postoperative interventions. However, the identification of non-invasive biomarkers for early diagnosis and patient risk stratification remains underexplored. Here, we conduct a targeted metabolomics analysis of 702 plasma samples from multi-center participants to elucidate the GC metabolic reprogramming. Our machine learning analysis reveals a 10-metabolite GC diagnostic model, which is validated in an external test set with a sensitivity of 0.905, outperforming conventional methods leveraging cancer protein markers (sensitivity

BackgroundAccording to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), there is a significant public health issue regarding the increasing number of individuals affected by obesity and overweight on an annual basis. Therefore, it is imperative to urgently identify interventions that can effectively control and improve this condition. Baduanjin, as a medium-intensity exercise, appears a suitable approach for weight reduction among individuals with obesity. This paper aimed to provide a systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of Baduanjin in addressing obesity and overweight, with the ultimate goal of assisting individuals with obesity in finding an effective, safe, and engaging method for weight reduction.MethodsWe conducted a comprehensive search of multiple databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, The China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), The Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), The Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), and WanFang Database to identify relevant articles published from the inception of each database until September 2023. Specifically, we focused on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of Baduanjin on weight reduction. Data from these studies were extracted and analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. In cases where there was no significant heterogeneity (I2 < 50%, p > 0.1), we employed a fixed effects model for data synthesis; otherwise, a random effects model was selected. Funnel plots were used to assess publication bias, and the mean difference (MD) was reported as an indicator of treatment group differences.ResultsA total of 420 participants were included in 10 studies. The MD results of the experimental group when compared with the control group were −3.69 (95%CI = −4.97 to −2.40, p < 0.001) for body weight (BW), −5.42 (95%CI = −6.56 to −4.28, p < 0.001) for body mass index (BMI), −1.36 (95%CI = −1.76 to −0.96, p < 0.001) for waist circumference (WC), −3.40 (95%CI = −4.43 to −2.37, p < 0.001) for hip circumference (HC), and −0.03 (95%CI = −0.04 to −0.02, p > 0.1) for the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). All of the values in the experimental group showed significant difference. The results of the Egger’s test (t = 1.43, p = 0.190) suggest that there was no substantial bias present within the data analysis process. The safety profile revealed no adverse events reported across all 10 studies.ConclusionBaduanjin could be effective in reducing weight, and the practice of Baduanjin has the potential to regulate BW, BMI, WC, HC, and WHR. However, further well-designed RCTs are still necessary to provide more robust evidence in the future.Systematic review registrationhttp://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42024513789.

BackgroundGastric signet ring cell carcinoma (GSRCC) is a rare and highly malignant disease with a poor prognosis. To assess the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients with GSRCC, prognostic nomograms were developed and validated using common clinical factors.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study included patients diagnosed with GSRCC between 2011 and 2018 from the National Cancer Center (n = 1453) and SEER databases (n = 2745). Prognostic nomograms were established by identifying independent prognostic factors using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. The calibration curve and C-index were used to assess the predictions. The clinical usefulness of the survival prediction model was further evaluated using the DCA and ROC curves. The models were internally validated in the training cohort and externally validated in the validation cohort. Two web servers were created to make the nomogram easier to use.ResultsPatients with GSRCC were divided into training (n = 2938) and validation (n = 1260) cohorts. The nomograms incorporated six predictors: age, race, tumor site, tumor size, N stage, T stage, and AJCC stage. Excellent agreement was observed between the internal and exterior calibration plots for the GSRCC survival estimates. The C-index and area under the ROC curve were roughly greater than 0.7. Both nomograms had adequate clinical efficacy, as demonstrated by the DCA plots. Furthermore, we developed a dynamic web application utilizing the constructed nomograms available at https://jiangyujuan.shinyapps.io/OS-nomogram/ and https://jiangyujuan.shinyapps.io/DynNomapp-DFS/.ConclusionWe developed web-based dynamic nomograms utilizing six independent prognostic variables that assist physicians in estimating the OS and CSS of patients with GSRCC.

The pursuit of efficient C–N bond formation is a prime focus of synthetic organic chemistry. Here, the authors documented a base promoted amination between alkyl iodides and diazonium salts via halogen-atom transfer (XAT) process.

Objective: The postoperative survival rates of patients with gastric cancer at different stages treated at the National Cancer Center (NCC) of China have not been reported. Therefore, we evaluated the survival of patients with gastric cancer who underwent surgery at the NCC from 2011 to 2018 to provide baseline information for further studies. Methods: We identified 7,301 patients with primary gastric carcinoma who underwent surgery at the NCC between January 2011 and May 2018; among these, 5,008 patients were enrolled in this study. Follow up was completed on April 30, 2020. We analyzed the 5-year survival according to the stage, sex, age, and other clinicopathological features. Results: Five-year survival rates of patients with pTNM stages IA, IB, IIA, IIB, IIIA, IIIB, IIIC, and IV treated at the NCC were 94.9%, 91.8%, 86.5%, 76.1%, 61.1%, 44.2%, 29.7%, and 8.1%, respectively, which were similar to those reported in Japan during the same period. Five-year survival rates of patients with ypTNM stages I, II, III, and IV were 93.1%, 63.2%, 27.2%, and 0.0%, respectively. In multivariable analysis, age, signet ring cell carcinoma, adjuvant chemotherapy, and degree of differentiation were revealed as important prognostic factors. Conclusion: The survival rates of patients with gastric cancer treated at the NCC have been significantly improved, reaching the levels of Japan in the same period.

BackgroundCirculating tumor cells (CTCs) have been identified as a prognostic biomarker of tumors such as breast cancer and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, because they are obtained through a simple and noninvasive blood draw or liquid biopsy, but its clinical significance in osteosarcoma is still unclear. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between CTCs and clinicopathological features and discussed whether CTCs could be used as a biomarker for metastasis in osteosarcoma.MethodsWe enrolled 50 osteosarcoma patients with Enneking Stage IIB and Stage III and detected CTCs in 5 ml of peripheral blood samples collected from patients using the Canpatrol® CTC detection platform. Subsequently, multiplex RNA in situ hybridization (RNA-ISH) based on various molecular markers was performed to identify and classify CTCs. The relationships between clinical pathological features and CTC counts, subtypes (epithelial type, E type; hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal type, H type; mesenchymal type, M type), and insulin-like growth factor mRNA-binding protein 3 (IMP3) expression in CTCs were analyzed.ResultsCTCs were detected in 86% (43/50) of the osteosarcoma patients. The CTC counts, especially the total CTCs and H-type CTCs, signifcantly differed between Enneking Stage IIB and Stage III patients (P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed between the CTC count or type and other clinicopathological features (P > 0.05). There were significant differences in the expression of IMP3 in different types of CTCs, and the IMP3 positive rates in E/H/M type CTCs were 38.4, 65.6, and 62.0%, respectively (P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that IMP3-positive CTC count had the best performance for diagnostic metastasis, with the largest area under the curve of 0.873 and cutoff value of four cells/5ml blood (sensitivity = 87.5%; specificity = 82.4%). Serial CTC monitoring in one patient suggested that total CTCs and H-type CTCs were associated with disease progression.ConclusionThis study demonstrates that the CTCs, especially the IMP3-positive CTCs and H/M-type CTCs, are related to the metastasis of osteosarcoma.

BackgroundThe present work evaluated how Peking prognostic score (PPS), the new prognostic index determined according to sarcopenia and lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratio (LCR), was a prognostic factor for patients with gastric cancer liver metastases (GCLM) who received hepatectomy.MethodsThis work extracted information about patients with GCLM who underwent hepatectomy from June 2012 to May 2018. The PPS of the patients was calculated from sarcopenia status and LCR before surgery, and patients were then divided into three groups based on their PPS. This work also carried out univariate and multivariate analyses for identifying variables that were linked with overall survival (OS) together with recurrence-free survival (RFS) after hepatectomy among three groups according to PPS.ResultsThis work included 108 GCLM cases who received hepatectomy. All cases were classified into 3 groups, i.e., 26 (24.1%), 48 (44.4%), and 34 (31.5%) in groups 0–2, separately. PPS exhibited positive relation with age (p < 0.001), body mass index (BMI; p = 0.012), and liver metastasis number. The relapse rate after hepatectomy in patients with GCLM was 69.4%. Additionally, the remnant liver relapse rates of groups 0–2 were 80.0, 68.7, and 53.5%. Patients in group 0 had significantly increased remnant liver relapse rates when compared with those in groups 0 and 1. PPS was significantly related to relapse patterns (p = 0.003). Relative to group 0, those of the other 2 groups showed dismal OS [hazard ratio (HR) = 3.98, 7.49 for groups 1 and 2; p < 0.001] along with RFS (HR = 3.65, 5.33 for groups 1 and 2; p < 0.001). As revealed by multivariate analysis, PPS independently predicted OS (p < 0.001) together with RFS (p < 0.001).ConclusionThe PPS could be an easy nutrition-inflammation prognostic scoring system and an independent preoperative predictor of survival for GCLM cases after hepatectomy.

BackgroundColon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is the most common subtype of colon cancer. However, the 5-year survival rate of COAD patients remains unsatisfactory. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play essential roles in the occurrence and development of COAD. Herein, we are committed to establish and validate a prognostic m6A-related lncRNA signature.MethodsWe obtained m6A-related lncRNAs by coexpression. The m6A-related lncRNA risk signature (m6ALncSig) was developed via univariate, LASSO, and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival curves, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and nomogram generation were conducted to assess m6ALncSig. In addition, the potential immunotherapeutic signatures were also discussed. Real-time PCR and CCK8 analysis were performed to evaluate the expression and functions of lncRNA UBA6-AS1, which was selected.ResultsThe risk signature comprising 14 m6A-related lncRNAs (m6ALncSig) was established, which possessed a superior predictive ability of prognosis. Meanwhile, m6ALncSig was linked to immune cell infiltration. The level of UBA6-AS1 expression was validated in 17 pairs of COAD samples. In cell function experiments, UBA6-AS1 knockdown attenuated cell proliferation capacity.ConclusionsCollectively, m6ALncSig could serve as an independent predictive factor for COAD and accurately estimate the outcome for COAD patients. Importantly, UBA6-AS1 was first identified as an oncogene in COAD.

BackgroundThis study focused on assessing the role of the Peking prognostic score (PPS), a novel prognostic index based on muscle atrophy and lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratio, within gastric cancer patient prognosis.MethodsWe analyzed the data collected from 774 gastric cancer cases between April 2011 and February 2016 (discovery cohort). The results were assessed in 575 gastric cancer cases from March 2016 to September 2019 (validation cohort). For evaluating skeletal muscle mass, we obtained computed tomography images at the third lumbar vertebra level (L3). We performed a time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve (t-ROC) to analyze PPS’s prognostic significance with others.ResultsThe discovery cohort enrolled altogether 774 patients with non-metastatic gastric cancer, including 639 (82.5%) men along with 135 (17.5%) women. The patients were divided into 3 groups; 166 patients (21.4%) were assigned into group 0, 472 (60.9%) in group 1, and 136 (17.7%) in group 2, respectively. An increased PPS was in direct proportion to an elder age, reduced body mass index, higher Pathological Tumor Lymph Node Metastasis stage, perineural invasion, and vascular invasion. We identified PPS to independently estimate patient overall survival (OS) together with disease-free survival (DFS; both P < 0.001). Additionally, as revealed by t-ROC analysis, PPS exhibited the highest sensitivity compared with other prognostic scoring systems in predicting patient survival. Finally, we evaluated the prognostic value of PPS in the validation cohort and confirmed that preoperative PPS independently estimates patient OS and DFS.ConclusionThe PPS accounts for an efficient nutrition-inflammation prognostic scoring system in gastric cancer patients.

BackgroundThe present work focused on assessing the role of computed tomography (CT)-determined sarcopenia in the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer liver metastases (GCLM) receiving hepatectomy.MethodsWe analyzed data collected from GCLM cases that underwent hepatectomy between March 2011 and July 2017. The third lumbar vertebra (L3) level skeletal muscle index (SMI) was analyzed by abdominal CT to determine the sarcopenia before surgery. The thresholds for CT-based sarcopenia of sex-specific L3 SMI were ≤ 34.9 cm2/m2 and ≤ 40.8 cm2/m2 for female and male, separately We determined overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS)by univariate and multivariate analyses.ResultsThe cohort enrolled altogether 114 patients with GCLM receiving hepatectomy (average age: 62.6 years, male: 79.8%), and 58 (50.8%) patients had sarcopenia. The mean SMI was 34.2 in patients with sarcopenia compared to 42.7 in patients without sarcopenia (p < 0.001). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates in patients with GCLM after hepatectomy were 78.1, 43.7, and 34.3%, respectively. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year RFS rates in patients were 49.8, 33.6, and 29.3%, respectively. Sarcopenia was related to an advanced age (≥65.0 years) (p = 0.009), reduced BMI (1) (p = 0.025). Sarcopenia had a significant associated with the patterns of recurrence (p < 0.001). In addition, patients with sarcopenia had a significant difference in number of liver metastases in comparison with those without sarcopenia (p = 0.025). We discovered from multivariate analysis that sarcopenia independently predicted RFS [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.76; 95% confidence interval (CI)= 1.18–2.35, p = 0.007]. Nevertheless, sarcopenia was not the prognostic factors that independently predicted OS (HR = 1.62; 95% CI = 0.57–2.73; p = 0.330).ConclusionsIn conclusion, we showed that CT-determined sarcopenia was the facile and effective prognostic factor for RFS inpatients with GCLM after hepatectomy. Patients with sarcopenia are associated with an increased tumor recurrence risk, and thereby customized treatment should be applied.