Research on the pathophysiological mechanism of carotid artery dissection and its clinical translation is limited due to the lack of effective animal models to simulate the occurrence of this condition. Assuming that intimal injury is an important factor in the formation of carotid dissection, we established a novel method for inducing carotid dissection models by scraping the carotid intima using a fine needle. Scraping the carotid intima with fine needles can induce the rapid formation of carotid dissection. Magnetic resonance imaging and hematoxylin-eosin staining suggest the presence of false lumens and mural hematomas in the vessels. Our model-induction technique, inspired by iatrogenic catheter-induced artery dissections (carotid, coronary, aortic), significantly mimics the pathological process of clinical carotid dissection. The results suggest that mechanical injury may be a significant cause of carotid dissection and that intimal injury is a major factor in the formation of arterial dissections. This approach will provide assistance in the understanding of medically induced arterial dissection.

Objective: To explore the surgical intervention strategy for metastatic cervical lymph nodes surrounding the carotid artery in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: A total of 62 patients with advanced head and neck tumors and carotid wrap by disease treated in Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, the Affiliated BenQ Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between June 2019 and December 2023 were reviewed, of whom 9 patients presented with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma in cervical lymph nodes of unknown primary or with no recurrence of primary lesion and all the 9 patients were males, aged from 48 to 79 years old, with≤level 2 of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group-Performance Status (ECOG-PS). Radiographically common carotid artery (CCA) and/or internal carotid artery (ICA) were surrounded by≥270° with tumor. All the 9 patients received implantation of covered stent in carotid artery and radical resection of metastatic cervical lymph nodes. The success rate, complications, surgery-related complications, local recurrence rate, quality of life (QOL) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. The QOL of patients was compared by paired rank sum test, and P<0.05 indicated statistically significant difference. The OS was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier. Results: The success rate of stent implantation was 100%, with no implantation-related complications. R0 resection was performed in 8 cases and R1 resection in 1 case. The QOL of patients after surgery was improved, and the improvements in \"pain\", \"mood\" and \"anxiety\" were statistically significant(Z values were -2.236, -2.460 and -2.200, respectively, and all P values were<0.05). Follow-up was 1-18 months, with a median of 7 months, and 1 case was lost to follow-up. Local recurrence occurred in 3 patients with an incidence of 37.5% (3/8). OS was 59.9% at 12 months after surgery. Conclusion: Implantation of covered stent in carotid artery combined with radical resection is an effective method for the treatment of cervical lymph node metastasis.
目的： 探讨头颈鳞状细胞癌的颈部转移淋巴结包绕颈动脉的手术干预策略。 方法： 回顾性分析2019年6月至2023年12月，南京医科大学附属明基医院耳鼻咽喉头颈外科收治的62例病变包绕颈动脉的晚期头颈肿瘤患者资料，其中原发灶未见复发或原发灶不明的颈部淋巴结转移性鳞状细胞癌患者9例，均为男性，年龄48~79岁。患者的体力状态（performance status，PS）评分均在2级及以下，影像学诊断颈总动脉和/或颈内动脉均被肿瘤包绕≥270°。本组患者均予覆膜支架动脉内置入+颈部淋巴结转移癌根治性切除术。总结覆膜支架动脉内置入的成功率和并发症、手术相关并发症、局部复发率、患者生存质量及总生存率。患者生存质量采用配对秩和检验进行对比分析，总生存率采用Kaplan-Meier进行分析。 结果： 覆膜支架置入成功率100%，无支架置入并发症。手术R0切除8例，R1切除1例。术后患者生存质量提高，在“疼痛”“情绪”“焦虑”方面改善的差异有统计学意义（Z值分别为-2.236、-2.460、-2.200，P值均<0.05）。随访1~18个月，中位随访时间为7个月；1例患者失访，3例出现局部复发，发生率为37.5%（3/8）。患者的12个月生存率为59.9%。 结论： 覆膜支架动脉内置入+颈部淋巴结转移癌根治性切除术是一种治疗颈部淋巴结转移癌的有效方式。.

Objective: To investigate the correlation between perivascular fat density (PFD) and plaque stability in patients with carotid artery stenosis. Methods: Clinical data of 110 patients with carotid artery stenosis treated at Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School from January 2018 to December 2022 were retrospectively collected. Based on pathological results of carotid plaque specimens obtained from carotid endarterectomy (CEA), patients were categorized into stable plaque group (n=51) and vulnerable plaque group (n=59). All patients underwent preoperative carotid CT angiography (CTA) to measure PFD at the narrowest carotid artery. Preoperative levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and other hematological parameters were collected. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with plaque stability in carotid artery stenosis patients. Area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was performed to evaluate the predictive value of PFD for plaque stability. Results: The stable plaque group consisted of 43 males and 8 females with a mean age of (67.6±9.0) years, while the vulnerable plaque group comprised 48 males and 11 females with a mean age of (69.3±9.0) years. The proportions of smokers were 31.4% (16/51) and 50.8% (30/59) in the stable and vulnerable plaque groups, respectively. The proportions of patients with diabetes were 33.3% (17/51) and 52.5% (31/59), respectively. IL-6 levels were 3.46(2.67, 5.34) and 4.51(3.62, 5.51) ng/L in the stable and vulnerable groups, respectively. Mean PFD values were (-69.04±5.35) and (-63.24±6.08) HU, respectively, with maximum PFD values of (-62.90±6.98) and (-56.93±5.90) HU, respectively. The differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that increased mean PFD (OR=1.167, 95%CI: 1.029-1.324, P=0.016) and elevated IL-6 levels (OR=1.489, 95%CI: 1.151-1.926, P=0.002) were associated with vulnerability of carotid artery plaques. ROC curve analysis results showed that a cut-off value of -65.5 HU, the AUC for predicting plaque stability based on the mean PFD was 0.756 (95%CI: 0.667-0.844, P<0.001), with sensitivity of 64.4% and specificity of 74.5%. Conclusion: Increased mean PFD at the narrowest carotid artery is associated with vulnerability of plaques in patients with carotid artery stenosis.
目的： 探讨颈动脉血管周围脂肪密度（PFD）与颈动脉狭窄患者斑块稳定性的相关性。 方法： 回顾性收集2018年1月至2022年12月南京大学医学院附属鼓楼医院110例颈动脉狭窄患者的临床资料。根据颈动脉内膜剥脱术（CEA）所取颈动脉斑块标本的病理结果，将患者分为斑块稳定组（n=51）和斑块易损组（n=59）。所有患者术前均接受颈动脉CT血管造影（CTA）检查，测量颈动脉最狭窄处PFD。收集患者术前白细胞介素-6（IL-6）等血液学指标的水平。采用多因素logistic回归分析颈动脉狭窄患者斑块稳定性的相关因素。采用受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线下面积（AUC）分析PFD对颈动脉斑块稳定性的预测价值。 结果： 斑块稳定组男43例，女8例，年龄（67.6±9.0）岁；斑块易损组男48例，女11例，年龄（69.3±9.0）岁。斑块稳定组和易损组吸烟史比例分别为31.4%（16/51）、50.8%（30/59），糖尿病病史比例分别为33.3%（17/51）、52.5%（31/59），IL-6水平［M（Q1，Q3）］分别为3.46（2.67，5.34）、4.51（3.62，5.51）ng/L，PFD均值分别为（-69.04±5.35）、（-63.24±6.08）HU，PFD最大值分别为（-62.90±6.98）、（-56.93±5.90）HU，差异均有统计学意义（均P<0.05）。多因素logistic回归分析结果显示，PFD均值增加（OR=1.167，95%CI：1.029~1.324，P=0.016）和IL-6水平升高（OR=1.489，95%CI：1.151~1.926，P=0.002）是颈动脉斑块易损的相关因素。ROC曲线分析结果显示，在cut-off值为-65.5 HU时，PFD均值预测斑块稳定性的AUC为0.756（95%CI：0.667~0.844，P<0.001），灵敏度为64.4%，特异度为74.5%。 结论： 颈动脉最狭窄处PFD均值增加是颈动脉狭窄患者斑块易损的相关因素。.

There remains a lack of small-caliber tissue-engineered blood vessels (TEBVs) with wide clinical use. Biotubes were developed by electrospinning and in-body tissue architecture (iBTA) technology to prepare small-caliber TEBVs with promising applications. Different ratios of hybrid fibers of poly(l-lactic-co-ε-caprolactone) (PLCL) and polyurethane (PU) were obtained by electrospinning, and the electrospun tubes were then implanted subcutaneously in the abdominal area of a rabbit (as an in vivo bioreactor). The biotubes were harvested after 4 weeks. They were then decellularized and cross-linked with heparin. PLCL/PU electrospun vascular tubes, decellularized biotubes (D-biotubes), and heparinized combined decellularized biotubes (H + D-biotubes) underwent carotid artery allograft transplantation in a rabbit model. Vascular ultrasound follow-up and histological observation revealed that the biotubes developed based on electrospinning and iBTA technology, after decellularization and heparinization cross-linking, showed a better patency rate, adequate mechanical properties, and remodeling ability in the rabbit model. IBTA technology caused a higher patency, and the heparinization cross-linking process gave the biotubes stronger mechanical properties.

Ultrasound velocimetry has been widely used for blood flow imaging. However, the flow measurements are constrained to resolve the in-plane 2D flow components when using a 1D transducer array. In this work, an ultrasound speckle decorrelation analysis-based velocimetry (3C-vUS) is proposed for 3D velocity components measurement using a 1D transducer array. The 3C-vUS theory is first derived and validated with numerical simulations and phantom experiments. The in vivo testing results show that 3C-vUS can accurately measure the blood flow 3D-velocity-components of the human carotid artery at arbitrary probe-to-vessel angles throughout the cardiac cycle. With such capability, the 3C-vUS will alleviate the requirement of operators and promote disease screening for blood flow-related disorders.

BACKGROUND: Metabolism is increasingly recognized as a key regulator of the function and phenotype of the primary cellular constituents of the atherosclerotic vascular wall, including endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and inflammatory cells. However, a comprehensive analysis of metabolic changes associated with the transition of plaque from a stable to a hemorrhaged phenotype is lacking.
METHODS: In this study, we integrated two large mRNA expression and protein abundance datasets (BIKE, n = 126; MaasHPS, n = 43) from human atherosclerotic carotid artery plaque to reconstruct a genome-scale metabolic network (GEM). Next, the GEM findings were linked to metabolomics data from MaasHPS, providing a comprehensive overview of metabolic changes in human plaque.
RESULTS: Our study identified significant changes in lipid, cholesterol, and inositol metabolism, along with altered lysosomal lytic activity and increased inflammatory activity, in unstable plaques with intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH+) compared to non-hemorrhaged (IPH-) plaques. Moreover, topological analysis of this network model revealed that the conversion of glutamine to glutamate and their flux between the cytoplasm and mitochondria were notably compromised in hemorrhaged plaques, with a significant reduction in overall glutamate levels in IPH+ plaques. Additionally, reduced glutamate availability was associated with an increased presence of macrophages and a pro-inflammatory phenotype in IPH+ plaques, suggesting an inflammation-prone microenvironment.
CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to establish a robust and comprehensive GEM for atherosclerotic plaque, providing a valuable resource for understanding plaque metabolism. The utility of this GEM was illustrated by its ability to reliably predict dysregulation in the cholesterol hydroxylation, inositol metabolism, and the glutamine/glutamate pathway in rupture-prone hemorrhaged plaques, a finding that may pave the way to new diagnostic or therapeutic measures.

BACKGROUND: Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and diameter, stiffness, and wave reflections, are independent and important clinical biomarkers and risk predictors for cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of the present study was to establish nationwide reference values of carotid properties for healthy Chinese adults and to explore potential clinical determinants.
METHODS: A total of 3053 healthy Han Chinese adults (1922 women) aged 18-79 years were enrolled at 28 collaborating tertiary centers throughout China between April 2021 and July 2022. The real-time tracking of common carotid artery walls was achieved by the radio frequency (RF) ultrasound system. The IMT, diameter, compliance coefficient, β stiffness, local pulse wave velocity (PWV), local systolic blood pressure, augmented pressure (AP), and augmentation index (AIx) were then automatically measured and reported. Data were stratified by age groups and sex. The relationships between age and carotid property parameters were analyzed by Jonckheere-Terpstra test and simple linear regressions. The major clinical determinants of carotid properties were identified by Pearson\'s correlation, multiple linear regression, and analyses of covariance.
RESULTS: All the parameters of carotid properties demonstrated significantly age-related trajectories. Women showed thinner IMT, smaller carotid diameter, larger AP, and AIx than men. The β stiffness and PWV were significantly higher in men than women before forties, but the differences reversed after that. The increase rate of carotid IMT (5.5 μm/year in women and 5.8 μm/year in men) and diameter (0.03 mm/year in both men and women) were similar between men and women. For the stiffness and wave reflections, women showed significantly larger age-related variations than men as demonstrated by steeper regression slopes (all P for age by sex interaction <0.05). The blood pressures, body mass index (BMI), and triglyceride levels were identified as major clinical determinants of carotid properties with adjustment of age and sex.
CONCLUSIONS: The age- and sex-specific reference values of carotid properties measured by RF ultrasound for healthy Chinese adults were established. The blood pressures, BMI, and triglyceride levels should be considered for clinical application of corresponding reference values.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on arterial elasticity in patients with early carotid atherosclerosis.
METHODS: A total of 62 patients with early carotid atherosclerosis were randomly divided into a blank group (12 cases, 1 cases dropped-off), a sham-acupuncture group (25 cases, 5 cases dropped-off) and an acupuncture group (25 cases, 3 cases dropped-off). Patients in the acupuncture group received acupuncture treatment, including ①acupuncture：Baihui (GV20), Yintang (GV24+), Renying (ST9), Neiguan (PC6), Yanglingquan (GB34)；②moxibustion：Yinqiguiyuan (Zhongwan ［CV12］, Xiawan ［CV10］, Qihai ［CV6］, Guanyuan ［CV4］), Sihua (Geshu ［BL17］, Danshu ［BL19］)；③Intradermal needle：Xinshu (BL15), Danshu (BL19). Patients in the sham acupuncture group received placebo acupuncture, moxibustion, an intradermal needle, and the acupoints were the same as the acupuncture group. The above treatments were performed twice a week for 12 weeks. No intervention was given to the patients in the blank group. Diet and lifestyle education was given to the three groups. The ultrafast pulse wave velocity, including beginning-systolic pulse wave velocity (BS) and end-systolic pulse wave velocity (ES), was observed before treatment and 1, 2, 3 months after treatment in the three groups. The blood lipid level and platelet count (PLT) at each time point were observed. The safety of the treatments was also evaluated.
RESULTS: Compared with those before treatment, the BS and ES values of both sides in the acupuncture group decreased at 2 and 3 months after treatment (P<0.05). Compared with the blank group, the bilateral ES of the acupuncture group were decreased at 2 months after treatment (P<0.05), and the bilateral BS and ES were decreased at 3 months (P<0.05). Compared with the sham-acupuncture group, the acupuncture group showed a decrease in left BS and left ES after 3 months of treatment (P<0.05), and the overall decrease on the left side of the acupuncture group was better than that on the right side. There were no significant differences between three groups in the levels of blood lipid and PLT at each time point. No serious adverse safety events occurred in the three groups during the treatment.
CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture and moxibustion therapy can improve arterial elasticity in patients with early carotid atherosclerosis, and it is safe and effective.
目的: 观察针灸对颈动脉粥样硬化早期患者动脉弹性的影响。方法: 将62例颈动脉粥样硬化早期患者随机分为空白组（12例，脱落1例）、假针灸组（25例，脱落5例）和针灸组（25例，脱落3例）。针灸组予针灸治疗，包括①针刺：百会、印堂、人迎、内关、阳陵泉；②精灸：引气归元（中脘、下脘、气海、关元）、四花（膈俞、胆俞）；③皮内针：心俞、胆俞。假针灸组予安慰针刺、艾灸和皮内针治疗，穴位同针灸组。以上两组每周治疗2次，共治疗12周。空白组不进行干预。3组均予饮食及生活方式宣教。观察3组患者治疗前及治疗1、2、3个月后极速脉搏波速度，包括收缩初期脉搏波速度（BS）和收缩末期脉搏波速度（ES），以及各时点血脂水平和血小板计数（PLT），并进行安全性评价。结果: 与治疗前比较，针灸组治疗2个月和3个月后双侧BS值、ES值均下降（P<0.05）；与空白组比较，针灸组治疗2个月后双侧ES均下降（P<0.05），治疗3个月后双侧BS与ES均下降（P<0.05）；与假针灸组比较，针灸组治疗3个月后左侧BS与左侧ES均下降（P<0.05），针灸组左侧整体下降幅度优于右侧。各组患者治疗前后和组间血脂水平、PLT比较，差异均无统计学意义。治疗期间3组均无严重不良事件发生。结论: 针灸疗法具有改善颈动脉粥样硬化早期患者动脉弹性的作用，且安全有效。.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of quantitative evaluation using carotid ultrasonography (US)-based high-frame-rate vector flow (V Flow) imaging in patients with low carotid stenosis.
METHODS: This single-centre cross-sectional study consecutively recruited volunteers without carotid plaque and patients with low carotid stenosis from August 2022 to May 2023. Patients were divided into symptomatic and asymptomatic groups according to their head CT or MRI results within 8 weeks. All V Flow imaging examinations were performed using a Mindray Resona R9 US system. The wall shear stress (WSS) values, oscillatory shear index (OSI) values, and turbulence (Tur) indexes in the normal common carotid artery (CCA), normal carotid bifurcation (CB), and on the upstream and downstream surface of carotid plaque were measured. Pearson Chi-square test and Fisher exact test were used for counting data according to their type. For measurement data, independent sample t test and non-parametric rank sum test were used.
RESULTS: The results proved that patients have higher WSS values and Tur indexes of CB than volunteers, and higher WSS values were detected on the surface of the plaques in symptomatic patients. What\'s more, the downstream side of the plaque was more vulnerable to plaque rupture than the upstream side due to more dynamic blood flow.
CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, carotid US-based high-frame-rate V Flow imaging provides reliable mechanical biomarkers for assessing the haemodynamic change in patients with low stenosis. Our study may provide a new imaging tool for monitoring the progression of atherosclerosis and aiding the management of early atherosclerotic patients.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study firstly investigated the difference of V Flow parameters on the surface of carotid plaques between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with low carotid stenosis, which is expected to provide haemodynamic information and the mechanical basis for plaque rupture.

Antiplatelet therapy is an important factor influencing the postterm patency rate of carotid artery stenting (CAS). Clopidogrel is a platelet aggregation inhibitor mediated by the adenosine diphosphate receptor and is affected by CYP2C19 gene polymorphisms in vivo. When the CYP2C19 gene has a nonfunctional mutation, the activity of the encoded enzyme will be weakened or lost, which directly affects the metabolism of clopidogrel and ultimately weakens its antiplatelet aggregation ability. Therefore, based on network pharmacology, analyzing the influence of CYP2C19 gene polymorphisms on the antiplatelet therapeutic effect of clopidogrel after CAS is highly important for the formulation of individualized clinical drug regimens. The effect of the CYP2C19 gene polymorphism on the antiplatelet aggregation of clopidogrel after CAS was analyzed based on network pharmacology. A total of 100 patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease who were confirmed by the neurology department and required CAS treatment were studied. CYP2C19 genotyping was performed on all patients via a gene chip. All patients were classified into the wild-type (WT) group (*1/*1), heterozygous mutation (HTM) group (CYP2C19*1/*2, CYP2C19*1/*3), and homozygous mutation (HMM) group (CYP2C19*2/*2, CYP2C19*2/*3, and CYP2C19*3/*3). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was used to detect the blood concentration of clopidogrel and the plasma clopidogrel clearance (CL) rate in different groups of patients before and after clopidogrel treatment. The platelet aggregation rate of patients with different genotypes was measured by turbidimetry. The incidences of clopidogrel resistance (CR) and stent thrombosis in different groups after three months of treatment were analyzed. The results showed that among the different CYP2C19 genotypes, patients from the HTM group accounted for the most patients, while patients from the HTM group accounted for the least patients. Similarly, the clopidogrel CL of patients in the HMM group was lower than that of patients in the WT group and HTM group (P < 0.01). The platelet inhibition rate of patients in the HMM group was evidently inferior to that of patients in the WT group and HTM group (P < 0.01). The incidence of CR and stent thrombosis in the WT group was notably lower than that in the HTM and HMM groups (P < 0.01). These results indicate that the CYP2C19 gene can affect CR occurrence and stent thrombosis after CAS by influencing clopidogrel metabolism and platelet count.