Objective To explore the therapeutic strategy and clinical value of intraoperative chole-dochoscopy and electrohydraulic lithotripsy for refractory intrahepatic bile duct stones.Methods Liver pa-renchyma,intrahepatic bile duct and bile duct stones were explored under direct vision and intraoperative choledochoscope in 1 1 cases of refractory intrahepatic bile duct stones.Electrohydraulic lithotripsy and lithot-omy were performed to remove the stones and protect the liver parenchyma.If the stones could not be re-moved once,a secondary lithotripsy and lithotomy was performed through the fistula tract.Results All re-fractory calculi were crushed after one or two procedures and the clearance rate were 100%.No complica-tions occurred.Ten patients were followed up from 1 to 3 years except one.Three cases revealed recurrent stone during follow-up due to withdrawal of ursodeoxycholic acid capsules in 1 to 2 years.Seven others showed no stone recurrence within follow-up time.Conclusion Intraoperative choledochoscopy and electro-hydraulic lithotripsy is an easy technique and can effectively protect the liver parenchyma.The life quality of patients can be improved with low surgical risk and postoperative complications.

Objective:To established a modified implanting model of VX2 liver tumor in rabbit on the base of the classic implanting method, and compared the results within the two methods. Methods:30 rabbits with the mean weight of (2.65?0.29)kg were divided randomly into two groups with 15 rabbits each. The rabbits in Group A received classic implantation for induction of the liver tumor model, and Group B were inducted by injecting a piece of tumor tissue into the left anterior lobes of liver. Implanting time of each group was recorded and compared, and spiral CT scan was performed at 8th day, 15th day, 22nd day, 29th day postoperatively. The manifestation of tumors in CT scan was observed and tumor volume was calculated simultaneously with formula V=1/2ab2 (a=the shortest diameter and b=the longest diameter).Each tumor was confirmed through pathology. Results:The implanting time of Group A and Group B were (9.47?2.85)min and (5.85?1.62)min, respectively, with significant difference between them. Besides, there was statistical difference of the achievement ratio between two groups, as it was 53.3% for Group A and 86.7% for Group B. No significant difference was found for the tumor growth between two groups. Conclusion:Modified implanting method for induction of the rabbit liver tumor model was superior to the classic implanting method.

Objective To discuss the utility of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the assessment of treatment efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in patients with renal tumors.Methods Forty-seven patients (40 renal cell carcinomas and 7 angiomyolipomas of kidney) with 49 renal tumors were treated with RFA. Tumors were ablated by laparoscopy-assisted (n= 30) and open surgical (n= 17) RFA. The CEUS and contrast-enhanced CT were performed 1 week after treatment to assess the necrotic area. Technical success was defined as elimination of areas that enhanced at imaging within the entire tumor. Results Forty-seven (95. 9%) of 49 tumors were successfully ablated. The mean length of the major axis at the maximal necrotic area was 4. 6 cm. Compared with the lesions before RFA, the necrotic areas were bigger in 45 patients, identical in 3 patients, and smaller in 1 patient. Six lesions showed a residual enhancement at the portion adjacent to the normal renal parenchyma on follow-up CEUS, while 2 were confirmed by CT scans. The sensitivity and specificity of CEUS for detection of residual tumors were 100. 0% and 91.8%, respectively. All patients survived in the follow-up period ranging from 4 to 21 months. Conclusion CEUS combined with CT could be useful for evaluating treatment efficacy of RFA for renal tumors.

Objective:To compare the accuracy of the needle tip reaching the target tissue between two subcutaneous injection techniques under ultrasound imaging in order to provide a basis for clinical injection to make a safe and reasonable decision.Methods:This was a parallel controlled non-inferiority comparative study. A total of 68 patients who received subcutaneous injections in the outpatient injection room of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University from June 2021 to September 2022 were selected as the research subjects, and they were divided intothe A and B group according to the random number table method, there were 34 cases in each group. Group A received pinched skin injections, and group B received taut skin injections. Unify the injection site, injection needle length, and needle insertion angle. The accuracy rate of the needle tip reaching the target tissue, namely the subcutaneous fat layer, was compared between the two groups by ultrasound imaging, and the pain scores and the imaging performance during the injection process were observed.Results:The accuracy of the needle tip reaching the subcutaneous fat layer in the group A was 97.1%(33/34), which compared with the 100.0%(34/34) in the group B, there was no significant difference ( χ2 = 0.53, P>0.05). There was no significant difference about the distribution of pain scores between the two groups ( χ2 = 0.67, P>0.05). There were no significant differences about age, subcutaneous fat thickness and the distance from the needle tip to the myofascial in patients with different pain scores ( F = 1.20, 0.44, H = 0.64, all P>0.05). Conclusions:Under certain conditions, pinching the skin and tightening the skin have the same accuracy and safety when the needle tip reaches the subcutaneous fat layer of the target tissue, and the choice should be made according to the clinical situation. Imaging observations have enlightening significance for the practice of subcutaneous injection.

Objective To investigate whether capsular polysaccharides of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes 6A and 6B contained in 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine ( PCV13 ) could induce cross- protective antibodies against newly discovered serotypes 6C and 6D and the differences between them. Methods New Zealand rabbits were radomly divided into three groups and respectively muscularly administrated with three doses of PCV13, PCV6A and PCV6B on days 0, 14 and 28. PCV6A and PCV6B were conjugates of capsular polysaccharides of serotypes 6A and 6B chemically coupled with diphtheria toxin mutant CRM197. Serum samples were collected on days 0 and 35. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) recommended by World Health Organization (WHO) was used to quantitatively measure serotype-specific antibodies to capsular polysaccharides of serotypes 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D. Opsonophagocytosis assay ( OPA) of WHO pneumococcal serology reference laboratory was used to determine antibody functional activities targeting serotypes 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D. Results Immunization rabbits with PCV13 induced the secretion of antibodies to capsular polysaccharides of serotypes 6A and 6B. These antibodies were able to not only cross-react with capsular polysaccharides of serotypes 6C and 6D but also recognize and bind to target Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D, resulting in the activation of complements and further phagocytosis of target bacteria by differentiated HL60 cells. Bactericid-al titers were largely even among these serotypes except for serotype 6D which was slightly lower. PCV6A could induce antibody against capsular polysaccharide of serotype 6A, which was able to cross-react with capsular pol-ysaccharides of serotypes 6B, 6C and 6D and showed higher bactericidal titers to serotypes 6A, 6B and 6C over serotype 6D. PCV6B could induce antibody against capsular polysaccharide of serotype 6B, which was able to cross-react with capsular polysaccharides of serotypes 6A, 6C and 6D and showed higher bactericidal titers to se-rotypes 6A, 6B and 6C over serotype 6D. Antibody concentrations and bactericidal titers specific to serotypes 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D were significantly increased following immunization with PCV13, PCV6A or PCV6B (P<0. 01). Conclusion PCV13 containing pneumococcal serotypes 6A and 6B induced antibodies against capsular polysaccharides of serotypes 6A and 6B in New Zealand rabbits, which were able to cross-react with capsular polysaccharides of serotypes 6C and 6D and provide cross-protection to bacteria of serotypes 6C and 6D. Both serotypes of 6A and 6B contained in PCV13 contributed to the induction of cross-protective antibodies, especially to serotype 6C.

Purpose: The prevalence of multi-morbidities with colorectal cancer (CRC) is known to be increasing. Particularly prognosis of CRC patients co-diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) was largely unknown. We aimed to examine the death risk of CRC patients according to the multiple MetSyn morbidities. Materials and Methods: We identified CRC patients with MetSyn from the electronic medical records (EMR) systems in five independent hospitals during 2006-2011. Information on deaths was jointly retrieved from EMR, cause of death registry and chronic disease surveillance as well as study-specific questionnaire. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate the overall and CRC-specific hazards ratios (HR) comparing MetSyn CRC cohort with reference CRC cohort. Results: A total of 682 CRC patients in MetSyn CRC cohort were identified from 24 months before CRC diagnosis to 1 month after. During a median follow-up of 92 months, we totally observed 584 deaths from CRC, 245 being in MetSyn cohort and 339 in reference cohort. Overall, MetSyn CRC cohort had an elevated risk of CRC-specific mortality (HR, 1.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07 to 1.90) and overall mortality (HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.84) compared to reference cohort after multiple adjustment. Stratified analyses showed higher mortality risk among women (HR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.27) and specific components of MetSyn. Notably, the number of MetSyn components was observed to be significantly related to CRC prognosis. Conclusion Our findings supported that multi-morbidities of MetSyn associated with elevated death risk after CRC. MetSyn should be considered as an integrated medical condition more than its components in CRC prognostic management.

Purpose: The prevalence of multi-morbidities with colorectal cancer (CRC) is known to be increasing. Particularly prognosis of CRC patients co-diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) was largely unknown. We aimed to examine the death risk of CRC patients according to the multiple MetSyn morbidities. Materials and Methods: We identified CRC patients with MetSyn from the electronic medical records (EMR) systems in five independent hospitals during 2006-2011. Information on deaths was jointly retrieved from EMR, cause of death registry and chronic disease surveillance as well as study-specific questionnaire. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate the overall and CRC-specific hazards ratios (HR) comparing MetSyn CRC cohort with reference CRC cohort. Results: A total of 682 CRC patients in MetSyn CRC cohort were identified from 24 months before CRC diagnosis to 1 month after. During a median follow-up of 92 months, we totally observed 584 deaths from CRC, 245 being in MetSyn cohort and 339 in reference cohort. Overall, MetSyn CRC cohort had an elevated risk of CRC-specific mortality (HR, 1.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07 to 1.90) and overall mortality (HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.84) compared to reference cohort after multiple adjustment. Stratified analyses showed higher mortality risk among women (HR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.27) and specific components of MetSyn. Notably, the number of MetSyn components was observed to be significantly related to CRC prognosis. Conclusion Our findings supported that multi-morbidities of MetSyn associated with elevated death risk after CRC. MetSyn should be considered as an integrated medical condition more than its components in CRC prognostic management.