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Introduction: Surgical treatment for indicated spinal metastases cases is an option to improve patients’ outcomes. Local data in analysing the potential of patients’ improvement after surgical treatment are limited. We intend to review the clinical outcomes of surgeries performed for cancer patients who were diagnosed with spinal metastases. We aim to identify factors associated with improved spinal pain, neurological deficit and patient survival. Materials and methods: The medical records of 51 patients who were diagnosed with thoracolumbar spinal metastatic tumour and underwent palliative single-stage posterior approach spinal surgery between June 2015 and June 2022 were recruited retrospectively. Patient demographic data, pre-operative and post-operative pain scores, neurological assessment and survival duration were collected from the medical records. Radiological findings were studied using respective imaging and reports. Results: The mean age was 57.5 years, and the median survival was nine months after the surgical treatment. The post-operative pain improvements were statistically significant at two weeks (VAS improved from 5 to 2), and three months follow-up VAS was one (p

Jia Yan,1– 3,* Ke xin Li,2,* Lei Yu,2 Heng ye Yuan,2 Zhi min Zhao,2 Jing Lin,2,4 Chang Shan Wang2 1School of Basic Medicine, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China; 2College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China; 3Medical Experimental Center of Basic Medical School, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China; 4Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Chang Shan Wang; Jing Lin, Email changshanwang@imu.edu.cn; summerjia0627@163.comBackground: Protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT) family members have important roles in cancer processes. However, its functions in the regulation of cancer immunotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are incompletely understood. This study aimed to investigate the roles of PRMT1 in HCC.Methods: Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and clinicopathological data were obtained and used to explore the diagnostic and prognostic value, cellular functions and roles in immune microenvironment regulation of PRMT1 in HCC. The functions of PRMT1 were explored using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO), as well as gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). TIMER and CIBERSORT were used to analyze the relationships between PRMT1 expression and immune cell infiltration. The STRING database was used to construct a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network.Results: PRMT1 was aberrantly expressed in HCC, which high expression was associated with tumor progression, worse overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of patients with HCC. PRMT1 was also associated with immune cell infiltration. Moreover, it was specifically expressed in immune cells, including exhausted CD8 T cells, B cells, and mono/macro cells in patients with immunotherapy. The expression of immune checkpoints was significantly increased in the high-PRMT1 expression groups of HCC patients. Regarding biological mechanisms, cell viability, migration and invasion, and the expression of genes related to fatty acid metabolism were suppressed in PRMT1 knockdown HCC cells. Moreover, genes co-expressed with PRMT1 were involved in the fatty acid metabolic process and enriched in fatty and drug-induced liver disease.Conclusion: Taken together, these results indicate that PRMT1 might exert its oncogenic effects via immune microenvironment regulation and fatty acid metabolism in HCC. Our finding will provide a foundation for further studies and indicate a potential clinical therapeutic target for liver cancer.Keywords: protein arginine methyltransferase, PRMT1, prognosis, tumor-infiltrating, fatty acid metabolism

Hai-Tao Zhang,1 Kuo Wang,2 Ze-Shi Li,1 Chuang-Shi Wang,3 Xi-Kun Han,4,5 Wei Chen,6 Fu-Dong Fan,7 Jun Pan,7 Qing Zhou,7 Hai-Long Cao,7 Hao-Dong Pan,8 Xiateke Hafu,9 Chen Li,10 Guo-Liang Fan,10 Tuo Pan,1 Dong-Jin Wang,1,2,6,7 Wei Wang9 1Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210008, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, the Affiliated Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210008, People’s Republic of China; 3Medical Research and Biometrics Center, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 102300, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; 5Program in Genetic Epidemiology and Statistical Genetics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; 6Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210008, People’s Republic of China; 7Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210008, People’s Republic of China; 8Department of Clinical Medicine, Norman Bethune Health Science Center of Jilin university, Changchun, Jilin, 130021, People’s Republic of China; 9The Xinhua Hospital of Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, Ili, Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China; 10Department of Cardiac Surgery, Dong Fang Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University, Shanghai, 200120, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Dong-Jin Wang, Chief of department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Number 321 Zhongshan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210008, People’s Republic of China, Email dongjin_wang@126.com Wei Wang, The Xinhua Hospital of Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, Ili, Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China, Email wangwei3342@163.comBackground: Early postoperative bacterial pneumonia and sepsis (ePOPS), which occurs within the first 48 hours after cardiovascular surgery, is a serious life-threatening complication. Diagnosis of ePOPS is extremely challenging, and the existing diagnostic tools are insufficient. The purpose of this study was to construct a novel diagnostic prediction model for ePOPS.Methods: Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) with logistic regression was used to construct a model to diagnose ePOPS based on patients’ comorbidities, medical history, and laboratory findings. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the model discrimination.Results: A total of 1203 patients were recruited and randomly split into a training and validation set in a 7:3 ratio. By early morning on the 3rd postoperative day (POD3), 103 patients had experienced 133 episodes of bacterial pneumonia or sepsis (15 patients had both). LASSO logistic regression model showed that duration of mechanical ventilation (P=0.015), NYHA class ≥ III (P=0.001), diabetes (P< 0.001), exudation on chest radiograph (P=0.011) and IL-6 on POD3 (P< 0.001) were independent risk factors. Based on these factors, we created a nomogram named DICS-I with an AUC of 0.787 in the training set and 0.739 in the validation set.Conclusion: The DICS-I model may be used to predict the risk of ePOPS after cardiovascular surgery, and is also especially suitable for predicting the risk of IRAO. The DICS-I model could help clinicians to adjust antibiotics on the POD3.Keywords: early postoperative pneumonia and sepsis, IL-6, LASSO, nomogram

Shu Ping Chuang,1 Jo Yung Wei Wu,2 Chien Shu Wang3 1Department of Psychiatry, Zuoying Branch of Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 2Good-Day Psychology Clinic, Tainan, Taiwan; 3Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, Kaohsiung, TaiwanCorrespondence: Shu Ping Chuang, Department of Psychiatry, Zuoying Branch of Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, No. 553, Jiunshiau Road, Zuoying District, Kaohsiung, 81342, Taiwan, Tel +886-7-5817121&num;3352, Fax +886-7-5818816, Email xota5139@gmail.com; s86924034@gs.ncku.edu.twPurpose: Resilience is viewed as an individual’ positive adaptation and experiences of adversity. The maintenance and recovery of mental health in people with mental disorder is considered a sign of coping with adverse conditions. The purpose of the present meta-analysis was to examine the association between resilience and quality of life in individuals with mental disorders.Methods: Studies were included if research reported measures of association with resilience, as assessed using self-reported resilience scale and quality of life. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed and PsycINFO.Results: Eight studies involving a total of 1439 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Assuming a random-effects model, the weighted mean Pearson correlation between resilience and quality of life was r = 0.551 (95% confidence interval [0.370; 0.691], p < 0.001). This association was moderate, although the heterogeneity among individual effect sizes was substantial (I2 = 93.35%).Conclusion: Despite substantial heterogeneity across included studies, the findings suggest a strong association between resilience and quality of life in people with mental disorders. In clinical practice, the promotion of resilience is important to enhance the quality of life among people with mental illness.Keywords: resilience, quality of life, mental health

Shu Ping Chuang,1 Jo Yung Wei Wu,2 Chien Shu Wang3 1Department of Psychiatry, Zuoying Branch of Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 2Good-Day Psychology Clinic, Tainan, Taiwan; 3Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, Kaohsiung, TaiwanCorrespondence: Shu Ping ChuangDepartment of Psychiatry, Zuoying Branch of Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, No. 553, Jiunshiau Road, Zuoying District, Kaohsiung, 81342, TaiwanTel +886-7-5817121 #3352Fax +886-7-5818816Email xota5139@gmail.comBackground: People with schizophrenia often exhibit deficits in empathy, which plays a major role in social cognition and interpersonal relationship. However, little work has investigated potential factors that influence empathy in schizophrenia. The study aimed to investigate the relationship among metacognition, psychiatric symptoms, cognitive functioning and empathy in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia.Methods: Forty-eight people with schizophrenia were enrolled in the study group. All subjects participated in the metacognitions questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30), brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS), neurocognitive functioning, interpersonal reactivity index (IRI), and the pictorial empathy test (PET).Results: Stepwise regression analysis revealed that cognitive self-consciousness (domain of metacognitions questionnaire-30) accounted for 37% of the variance in perspective taking scores (domain of interpersonal reactivity index). Resistance (subscale of brief psychiatric rating scale) and positive beliefs about worry (domain of metacognitions questionnaire-30) accounted for 34% of the variance in fantasy (domain of interpersonal reactivity index). Activation (subscale of brief psychiatric rating scale) was a significant predictor for empathic concern (domain of interpersonal reactivity index). Resistance, cognitive confidence (domain of metacognitions questionnaire-30), intellectual processes and inhibitory control (go-no-go task) accounted for 38% of the variance in personal distress. Negative symptoms (subscale of brief psychiatric rating scale) and cognitive self-consciousness were significant predictors for the pictorial empathy test.Conclusion: The study was aimed to examine self-perception of metacognitive beliefs and empathy. More research is needed to explore the association between metacognitive beliefs, cognitive functioning and psychiatric symptoms on empathy in people with schizophrenia.Keywords: empathy, metacognitive beliefs, psychiatric symptoms, cognitive functioning, schizophrenia

Shu Ping Chuang,1 Jo Yung Wei Wu,2,3 Chien Shu Wang41Department of Psychiatry, Zuoying Branch of Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 2Department of Counseling and Guidance, National University of Tainan, Tainan, Taiwan; 3Good-Day Psychology Clinic, Tainan, Taiwan; 4Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, Kaohsiung, TaiwanBackground: People with schizophrenia may have a negative self-perception of mental illness. However, the relationship between the self-perception of illness and subjective and objective cognitive functioning remains unclear.Method: Thirty-seven people with schizophrenia were enrolled in the study group. All subjects completed self-reported self-perception of mental illness questionnaires (Birchwood Insight Scale [BIS], Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness [ISMI]), subjective cognitive functioning (Scale to Investigate Cognition in Schizophrenia [SSTICS]) and objective cognitive functioning (Luria Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery [LNNB]).Results: Spearman’s rank analysis showed that awareness of illness (domain of insight) was positively associated with most domains of SSTICS and ISMI. Total insight was positively correlated with alienation (domain of ISMI). Need for treatment (domain of insight) was negatively correlated with stigma resistance (domain of ISMI). Awareness of symptoms (domain of insight) and total insight were negatively associated with receptive speech and arithmetic (LNNB subtest), respectively. ISMI was positively correlated with most domains of SSTICS, but not with LNNB. The group with good insight had higher scores in attention (domain of SSTICS) and total SSTICS and alienation, stereotype endorsement, social withdrawal (domains of ISMI) and total ISMI than the group with poor insight. The group with mild to moderate internalized stigma had higher scores in explicit memory, attention, language, praxia (domains of SSTICS) and total SSTICS than the group with no internalized stigma.Conclusion: We identified that awareness of illness (domain of insight), internalized stigma were significantly associated with most domains of SSTICS, but not with LNNB. Total insight and awareness of symptoms (domain of insight) were significantly associated with receptive speech and arithmetic (LNNB subtest), respectively. Schizophrenia with higher insight or more internalized stigma reported more subjective cognitive impairment. Future studies with larger samples involving follow up are necessary to verify our findings and extend the applicability.Keywords: self perception, insight, internalized stigma, Luria Nebraska neuropsychological battery, schizophrenia

Missed Monteggia fracture leading to chronic radial head dislocation is a known complication. The surgical treatment options remain challenging. The aim of treatment is to reduce the radial head and to maintain the stability of the elbow in all ranges of motion. A few surgical techniques have been described with complications. We report the case of a 13 years old boy with chronic radial head dislocation as a result of an unrecognised Monteggia fracture-dislocation for eight years. We successfully reduced the radial head and corrected the cubital valgus from 45 degrees to 10 degrees with a proximal ulna osteotomy and gradual distraction with 2-pin Monotube external fixator. The correction was uneventful with good functional outcome.

Chien-Shu Wang,1 Jo Yung-Wei Wu,2 Wei-Chung Chang,3 Shu-Ping Chuang1 1Department of Psychiatry, Zuoying Branch of Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 2Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; 3Hsin-Jia Psychotherapy Clinic, Taitung County, Taiwan Aim: The study aimed to investigate the relationship among sociodemographic factors, neurocognitive factors, self-esteem, and health locus of control in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. We examined the self-esteem, internal health locus of control, and external health locus of control through sociodemographic and neurocognitive factors. Methods: Forty-six schizophrenic patients and 31 healthy residents from the community or hospital were recruited as the control group. All subjects participated in the self-esteem questionnaire, health locus of control questionnaire, and a series of neuropychological measures. Results: Multiple regression analysis revealed that inhibition of attention and external health locus of control were predictors for self-esteem (r=−0.30, P

Single-atom catalysts represent the most efficient use of precious metals while at the same time offering the potential for high catalytic activity. Yet it has proven challenging to identify supports enabling high catalytic activity while at the same time inhibiting aggregation of metal adatoms. Density functional theory calculations are employed to identify how the local molecular environment on graphene can be used to stabilize a single platinum adatom and provide favorable activity for a benchmark reaction, CO oxidation. Graphene is modified via defects and dopants - specifically single vacancy and pyridinic N-doping - so that we can see how the electronic structure and chemical activity of Pt atoms are affected. The ability to disperse single atoms on graphene supports is examined by comparing binding energy of Pt atoms at neighboring stable sites versus isolated sites and evaluating the tendency toward clustering. Nudged elastic band calculations indicate that pyridinic N-doped graphene is a promising candidate to support a single Pt atom acting as a catalyst that is resistant to poisoning and enhances CO oxidation efficiency.

The earliest stages of soot formation in flames are believed to involve the formation of small, nanoscale clusters of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules. The structure of these clusters is still highly uncertain, however, impeding the construction of quantitative models of soot inception and growth. To provide insight into the structure of incipient soot, we produced nanoclusters of hydrocarbon molecules by annealing coronene films deposited on Pt(111), and examined them with scanning tunneling microcopy. We find that clusters containing ∼20–100 molecules, are disordered agglomerations of stacks that are ∼5–6 molecules tall. These structures are quite distinct from crystalline coronene, but bear a striking resemblance to recently proposed models for the equilibrium structure of similarly-sized clusters that are assumed to initiate soot formation. In contrast to mature soot, the surfaces of these clusters contain very few molecules with graphitic planes oriented parallel to the surface.

Stigma devalues individuals and groups, producing social and economic disadvantages through two distinct but reinforcing processes: direct discrimination (e.g., a White person not hiring a Black person based on race) and stigma internalization (e.g., women believing men are more qualified for leadership positions). We review strategies that individuals can use to not only cope with but also challenge their stigma. We discuss how attempts to escape stigma can be effective at the individual level but may leave the stigma itself unchanged or even reinforced. We then identify two ways individuals can reappropriate and take ownership of their stigma to weaken it: reframing and self-labeling. Reframing highlights stereotypic characteristics as assets rather than liabilities—for example, framing stereotypically feminine traits (e.g., social intelligence) as essential for effective negotiations or leadership. Self-labeling involves referring to oneself with a group slur. We discuss ways to utilize these reappropriation strategies as well as how to handle potential pitfalls.

BACKGROUND: A theory of nursing derived from nurses' experience can reflect indigenous practice values, which in turn can act as a fertile source of ideas and inventiveness in developing a relevant knowledge base to inform practice. However, systematic study of how Chinese nurses articulate nursing in their everyday practice is lacking. AIM: The aim of this paper is to describe how Chinese nurses conceptualize the practice of nursing; and to arrive at a definition of nursing based on this common understanding. METHOD: A systematic inquiry using a modified version of Van Kaam's controlled explication was designed. In the prescientific phase, 254 written accounts of nurses' views on nursing as lived in their everyday practice were collected in eight Chinese cities. In the scientific phase, concept analysis based on Aristotle's notion of four causes was adopted to capture the richness of the phrases that explain the multi-dimensionality of Chinese nurses' concepts of nursing. This was followed by a survey of 1782 nurses to verify the findings. The most commonly held views were summarized and a Chinese definition of nursing was drafted. FINDINGS: Nursing in the Chinese sense means to understand the dynamic health status of a person, to verify health concerns dialectically, and to consider interventions with the goal of assisting the person to master the appropriate health knowledge and skills for the attainment of optimal well-being. The survey findings show that nursing has developed into a professional caring practice in China today. The definition has some similarities with those of Western nurses, but the underpinning epistemic concerns are grounded in the philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine and Eastern ideologies. CONCLUSION: The findings provide Chinese nurses with a definition of nursing articulated in their own language. The identification of qing, li, zhi, and xin as its epistemic concerns, and the articulation of the process of nursing as 'dialectical verification', provides a perspective for understanding nursing based on Eastern philosophies. The findings can enhance nurses' engagement in a cross-cultural dialogue to promote better understanding of nursing as it is practised in different parts of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  When an infected patient suffers from thrombocytosis, it is very difficult to identify beta-lactam antibiotic induced cases of the disease and separate these from the possibility that the disease is an acute-phase reaction in the infected patient. We present the case of a 54-year-old man who was treated with ceftazidime for pneumonia and developed thrombocytosis during the treatment course. Thrombocytosis persisted until ceftazidime was discontinued, despite clinical and radiological evidence showing that the pneumonia had greatly improved. The Naranjo probability scale indicates ceftazidime as the possible cause of the thrombocytosis in our patient. Although no obvious complications occur in most patients, we should pay close attention to the possibility of adverse reactions and evaluate whether the infection is treated with the appropriate antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]