OBJECTIVE: To review recent research progress in the use of auxiliary components of nerve conduits for the treatment of peripheral nerve injuries. METHODS: An extensive review of recent domestic and international literature was conducted to evaluate the role of auxiliary components in nerve conduits for peripheral nerve repair, with a focus on their effects and underlying mechanisms. RESULTS: By incorporating auxiliary components such as bioactive molecules, therapeutic cells, and their derivatives, nerve conduits can create a more biomimetic regenerative microenvironment. This is achieved by providing neurotrophic support, modulating the immune microenvironment, improving blood and oxygen supply, and offering directional guidance for nerve regeneration. Consequently, the nerve conduit is transformed from a simple physical scaffold into an active, bio-functional repair system, which enhances the effectiveness for PNI. CONCLUSION While nerve conduits augmented with auxiliary components demonstrate improved effectiveness, further advancements are required in drug delivery systems and the integration of cellular components. Moreover, most current studies are based on animal or in vitro experiments. Randomized controlled clinical trials are necessary to validate their clinical effectiveness.
Peripheral Nerve Injuries/surgery* ; Nerve Regeneration ; Humans ; Tissue Scaffolds ; Animals ; Guided Tissue Regeneration/methods* ; Tissue Engineering/methods* ; Biocompatible Materials ; Peripheral Nerves ; Drug Delivery Systems

Objective:To investigate the value of digital medical 3D technology versus traditional 2D technology in the diagnosis and treatment of solid abdominal tumors in children. Methods:A total of 80 children with solid abdominal tumors who received surgical treatment guided by digital medical 3D technology at Guigang People's Hospital from January 2018 to January 2022 were included in the observation group. An additional 80 children with solid abdominal tumors who received surgical treatment guided by traditional 2D technology at the same hospital from January 2014 to December 2017 were included in the control group. Clinical efficacy was compared between the two groups.Results:The surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative exhaust time, postoperative hospital stay in the observation group were (111.8 ± 28.9) minutes, (26.8 ± 25.2) mL, (2.2 ± 1.2) days, (7.5 ± 1.4) days, respectively, which were significantly shorter or less than those in the control group [(193.1 ± 66.0) minutes, (86.2 ± 47.0) mL, (3.7 ± 0.9) days, (12.2 ± 3.5) days, t = 7.00, 6.88, 5.87, 7.53, all P < 0.05]. The complete surgical resection rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group [92.5% (74/80) vs. 81.3% (65/80), χ2 = 4.44, P < 0.05]. The incidence of complications in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group [6.3% (5/80) vs. 16.3% (13/80), χ2 = 4.00, P < 0.05]. Conclusion:The utilization of digital medical 3D technology in the surgical treatment of solid abdominal tumors in children can markedly decrease surgical time, reduce intraoperative blood loss, promote postoperative recovery, achieve a high surgical resection rate, and minimize postoperative complications.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of pleural effusion after spinal separation surgery for patients with spinal metastatic tumors.Methods:A total of 427 patients with spinal metastatic tumors from January 2014 to January 2022 in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine were retrospectively analyzed. There were 252 males and 175 females, with an average age of 59±12 years (range, 15-87 years). All patients underwent separation surgery. Based on the chest CT within 1 month after surgery, the volume of pleural effusion was measured individually by reconstruction software. Pleural effusion was defined as small volume (0-500 ml), moderate volume (500-1 000 ml), and large volume (above 1 000 ml). Baseline data and perioperative clinical outcomes were compared between the groups, and indicators with statistically significant differences were included in a binary logistic regression analysis to determine the independent risk factors for the development of pleural effusion after isolation of spinal metastatic cancer. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were conducted to calculate the area under the curve (AUC) for each independent risk factor.Results:All patients successfully completed the operation. Among the 427 patients, there were 35 cases of large pleural effusion, 42 cases of moderate pleural effusion, and 350 cases of small pleural effusion. There were significant differences in tumor size (χ 2=9.485, P=0.013), intraoperative blood loss ( Z=-2.503, P=0.011), blood transfusion ( Z=-2.983, P=0.003), preoperative total protein ( Z=2.681, P=0.007), preoperative albumin ( Z=1.720, P= 0.085), postoperative hemoglobin ( t=2.950, P=0.008), postoperative total protein ( Z=4.192, P<0.001), and postoperative albumin ( t=2.268, P=0.032) in the large pleural effusion group versus the small and moderate pleural effusion group. Logistic regression analysis showed that decreased preoperative albumin ( OR=0.89, P=0.045) and metastases located in the thoracic spine ( OR=4.01, P=0.039) were independent risk factors for the occurrence of large pleural effusion after separation surgery. The ROC curve showed that the AUC and 95% CI for preoperative albumin, lesion location, and the combined model were 0.637 (0.54, 0.74), 0.421 (0.36, 0.48), and 0.883 (0.81, 0.92). The combined predictive model showed good predictive value. Conclusion:The volume of pleural effusion can be measured individually and quantitatively based on chest CT. Decreased preoperative albumin and metastases located in the thoracic spine are independent risk factors for the occurrence of large pleural effusion after separation surgery. The combined prediction of the two factors has better predictive efficacy.

Objective: To evaluate the safety and antitumor activity of envafolimab monotherapy in Chinese patients with advanced solid tumors. Methods: This open-label, multicenter phase I trial included dose escalation and dose expansion phases. In the dose escalation phase, patients received subcutaneous 0.1, 0.3, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0 or 10.0 mg/kg envafolimab once weekly (QW) following a modified "3+ 3" design. The dose expansion phase was performed in the 2.5 mg/kg and 5.0 mg/kg (QW) dose cohorts. Results: At November 25, 2019, a total of 287 patients received envafolimab treatment. During the dose escalation phase, no dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) was observed. In all dose cohorts, drug-related treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) for all grades occurred in 75.3% of patients, and grade 3 or 4 occurred in 20.6% of patients. The incidence of immune-related adverse reactions (irAE) was 24.0% for all grades, the most common irAEs (≥2%) included hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, immune-associated hepatitis and rash. The incidence of injection site reactions was low (3.8%), all of which were grades 1-2. Among the 216 efficacy evaluable patients, the objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 11.6% and 43.1%, respectively. Median duration of response was 49.1 weeks (95% CI: 24.0, 49.3). Pharmacokinetic (PK) exposure to envafolimab is proportional to dose and median time to maximum plasma concentration is 72-120 hours based on the PK results from the dose escalation phase of the study. Conclusion: Subcutaneous envafolimab has a favorable safety and promising preliminary anti-tumor activity in Chinese patients with advanced solid tumors.
Humans ; East Asian People ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/therapeutic use*

Objective:To explore the value of convalescent somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in formulating a prognosis for children with severe disorders of consciousness (DOC) caused by brain trauma, infection or hypoxia.Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study of 286 children with DOC children treated between 2013 and 2021. They were divided into a trauma group ( n=103), an intracranial infection group ( n=101), a hypoxia group ( n=42) and an other-causes group ( n=40). Their consciousness status and functional recovery were obtained in follow-up appointments, and their functional condition 1 year after discharge was assessed using the modified Glasgow Outcome scale (GOS). Results:During 8-year follow-up, 16 had died, with 4 deaths within 1 year. Among the 191 cases followed up to 1 year, children with a bilateral N20 SEP had significantly better functional outcomes than those with unilateral or bilateral N20 absence. For the trauma group, the presence of a bilateral N20 signal was a strong indicator of good functional outcome at the 1-year follow-up, with a specificity of 90.9%, sensitivity of 55.6%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 92.6%, negative predictive value (NPV) of 50% and a positive likelihood rate (PLR) of 6.111. However, for the intracranial infection group, the presence of N20 had a low specificity for predicting good outcomes, though the absence of an N20 potential predicted poor functional outcome at 1 year with a specificity of 82.4%, sensitivity of 62.1%, PPV of 75%, and PLR of 3.517. For the hypoxic group, bilateral N20 could not predict a good prognosis, though its absence meant a poor outcome, with a specificity of 87.5%, sensitivity of 63.6%, PPV of 93.3%, and PLR of 5.818.Conclusion:SEPs during the recovery period can help to formulate a prognosis for children with severe DOC. Traumatic brain injury and the presence of bilateral N20 potentials can be used as a good prognostic indicator. For intracranial infection and hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, the absence of an N20 potential indicates a poor prognosis.

Objective:To analyze the impacts of volume-based procurement(VBP) of artificial joints on the hospital costs for discharged patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty.Methods:The discharge data of 515 total hip replacement patients at a tertiary public hospital in Baise city was collected, comprising 353 cases pre-VBP (January 2021 to March 2022) and 162 cases post-VBP (April to October 2022). Data was analyzed using interrupted time series method. Between October to December 2022 and July to August 2023, one-to-one unstructured qualitative interviews were conducted with the director, doctors, and nurses of the orthopedic department, as well as staffs of the medical equipment department and the health insurance office. The aim was to gather insights about the implementation details of the VBP policy for artificial joint implants, VBP policy's impact on hospitalization costs and its underlying causes.Results:After the implementation of the VBP for artificial joint implants, the hospitalization expenses of surgical patients immediately dropped by 22 566 yuan ( P<0.001), but the change in the slope of the long-term trend was not statistically significant ( P=0.430). From the perspective of cost structure, the cost of disposable surgical materials decreased immediately by 26 889 yuan ( P<0.001), with a long-term trend slope change of -515 yuan per month ( P<0.001). Meanwhile, there were varying degrees of immediate increases in surgical treatment costs, non-surgical item treatment costs, and non-surgical disposable medical material costs ( P<0.05). Specifically, the long-term trend slope for surgical treatment costs and non-surgical disposable medical material costs decreased by -637 yuan per month and -372 yuan per month, respectively ( P<0.001). However, the long-term trend slope of non-surgical item treatment costs did not show statistical significance ( P=0.196). The out-of-pocket expenses immediately decreased by 7 195 yuan ( P<0.001), but the change in the slope of the long-term trend was not statistically significant ( P=0.550). The interview results showed that there were not much overall changes found in the use and surgeries of artificial joints after centralized procurement, but there were delivery delays, and the changes in some cost indicators of hospitalization expenses were also related to the reform of diagnosis related groups payment methods. Conclusions:The implementation of VBP effectively reduced the hospitalization cost for total hip arthroplasty patients, primarily by decreasing artificial joint cost. In addition, it optimized the cost structure, alleviated the financial burden on patients and saved medical insurance expenditures. Future initiatives should focus on improving the medical insurance payment reform to form a policy synergy, creating a cohesive policy framework that enhances the effectiveness of VBP policy, thereby facilitating the high-quality development of public hospitals and medical services.

Objective: For patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) complicated with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), both anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy should be applied, but the use of anticoagulation therapy is still poor in these patients in China. The purpose of this study was to explore the status and adherence of antithrombotic therapy in AF patients with ACS and the impact on 1 year clinical outcomes. Methods: Patients with AF hospitalized for ACS were retrospectively included from 6 tertiary hospitals in China between July 2015 and December 2020. According to the use of anticoagulant drugs at discharge, patients were divided into two groups: anticoagulant treatment group and non-anticoagulant treatment group. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the main factors influencing the use of anticoagulant drugs in patients with atrial fibrillation complicated with ACS. Major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) were defined as all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization, and ischemic stroke and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) 3 bleeding events were also collected at 1 year after discharge. After propensity score matching, Cox proportional hazards models and Kaplan-Meier analysis were used to evaluate the effect of anticoagulant treatment and non-anticoagulant treatment on 1-year prognosis. The patients were divided into different groups according to whether anticoagulation was performed at discharge and follow-up, and the sensitivity of the results was analyzed. Results: A total of 664 patients were enrolled, and 273 (41.1%) were treated with anticoagulant therapy, of whom 84 (30.8%) received triple antithrombotic therapy, 91 (33.3%) received double antithrombotic therapy (single antiplatelet combined with anticoagulant), and 98 (35.9%) received single anticoagulant therapy. Three hundred and ninety-one (58.9%) patients were treated with antiplatelet therapy, including 253 (64.7%) with dual antiplatelet therapy and 138 (35.3%) with single antiplatelet therapy. After 1∶1 propensity score matching between the anticoagulant group and the non-anticoagulant group, a total of 218 pairs were matched. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that history of diabetes, HAS-BLED score≥3, and percutaneous coronary intervention were predictors of the absence of anticoagulant therapy, while history of ischemic stroke and persistent atrial fibrillation were predictors of anticoagulant therapy. At 1-year follow-up, 218 patients (79.9%) in the anticoagulant group continued to receive anticoagulant therapy, and 333 patients (85.2%) in the antiplatelet group continued to receive antiplatelet therapy. At 1-year follow-up, 36 MACEs events (13.2%) occurred in the anticoagulant group, and 81 MACEs events (20.7%) in the non-anticoagulant group. HR values and confidence intervals were calculated by Cox proportional risk model. Patients in the non-anticoagulant group faced a higher risk of MACEs (HR=1.802, 95%CI 1.112-2.921, P=0.017), and the risk of bleeding events was similar between the two group (HR=0.825,95%CI 0.397-1.715, P=0.607). Conclusions: History of diabetes, HAS-BLED score≥3, and percutaneous coronary intervention are independent factors for the absence of anticoagulant therapy in patients with AF complicated with ACS. The incidence of MACEs, death and myocardial infarction is lower in the anticoagulant group, and the incidence of bleeding events is similar between the two groups. The risk of bleeding and ischemia/thrombosis should be dynamically assessed during follow-up and antithrombotic regiments should be adjusted accordingly.
Humans ; Atrial Fibrillation/drug therapy* ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors/adverse effects* ; Acute Coronary Syndrome/drug therapy* ; Fibrinolytic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Anticoagulants ; Myocardial Infarction/complications* ; Hemorrhage ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Ischemic Stroke/drug therapy* ; Stroke

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the differences and characteristics of microsatellite instability (MSI) in endometrial cancer (EMC), by using colorectal cancer (CRC) as control. METHODS: In the study, 228 cases of EMC were collected. For comparative analysis, 770 cases of CRC were collected. Mismatch repair (MMR) expression was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC), and microsatellite instability (MSI) was analyzed by PCR and capillary electrophoresis fragment analysis (MSI-PCR). MSI-PCR was detected using five mononucleotide repeat markers: BAT-25, BAT-26, NR-21, NR-24, and MONO-27. RESULTS: In EMC, we found 27.19% (62/228) of deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) using IHC, significantly higher than CRC (7.79%, 60/770). Meanwhile, subclonal expression of MMR protein was found in 4 cases of dMMR-EMC and 2 cases of dMMR-CRC. According to the criteria of major micro-satellite shift, we found 16.23% (37/228) of MSI-high (MSI-H), 2.63% (6/228) of MSI-low (MSI-L), and 81.14% (185/228) of microsatellite stability (MSS) in EMC using MSI-PCR. The discor-dance rate between MMR-IHC and MSI-PCR in EMC was 11.84% (27/228). In CRC, we found 8.05% (62/770) of MSI-H, 0.13% (1/770) of MSI-L, and 91.82% (707/770) of MSS. The discordance rate between MMR-IHC and MSI-PCR in CRC was only 0.52% (4/770). However, according to the criteria of minimal microsatellite shift, 12 cases of EMC showed minimal microsatellite shift including 8 cases of dMMR/MSS and 4 cases of dMMR/MSI-L and these cases were ultimately evaluated as dMMR/MSI-H. Then, 21.49% (49/228) of EMC showed MSI-H and the discordance rate MMR-IHC and MSI-PCR in EMC decreased to 6.58% (15/228). No minimal microsatellite shift was found in CRC. Compared with EMC group with major microsatellite shift, cases with minimal microsatellite shift showed younger age, better tumor differentiation, and earlier International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage. There were significant differences in histological variant and FIGO stage between the two groups (P < 0.001, P=0.006). CONCLUSION EMC was more prone to minimal microsatellite shift, which should not be ignored in the interpretation of MSI-PCR results. The combined detection of MMR-IHC and MSI-PCR is the most sensitive and specific method to capture MSI tumors.
Female ; Humans ; Microsatellite Instability ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; DNA Mismatch Repair

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinicopathological features of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN). METHODS: A total of 13 cases of BPDCN diagnosed in Peking University First Hospital from January 2013 to March 2022 were collected. The clinical features, histopathological characteristics, immunophenotypes and prognosis of the patients were analyzed retrospectively, and the related literatures was reviewed as well. RESULTS: Among the 13 patients, 11 were male and 2 were female, with a median age of 62 years (ranging from 5 to 78 years). Among them, single organ involvement occurred in 5 cases, all of which presented with skin lesions. Two or more organs were involved in other 8 cases (single organ with bone marrow involved in 3 cases; skin, bone marrow and lymph node involved simultaneously in 3 cases; skin, bone marrow, lymph node and spleen involved simultaneously in 2 cases). Histopathologically, it was characterized by the proliferation of medium to large atypical blastic cells, which infiltrated the whole thickness of dermis. When involved, the bone marrow lesions mainly appeared in a diffuse pattern, while the lymph node structure was usually destroyed, and the red pulp of the affected spleen was diffusely invaded. Immunohistochemical staining showed that all the 13 cases were positive for CD4, CD56, and CD123 (13/13) in varying degrees. All the 9 cases expressed TCL1 (9/9). Variable expression of CD68 (KP1) (8/13), TdT (7/12), CD117 (2/6), and high Ki-67 proliferation index (40%~80%) were showed. The neoplastic cells lacked expressions of CD20, CD3, MPO, CD34, or CD30; EBER in situ hybridization were negative (0/9). After definite diagnosis, 6 cases received chemotherapy, among which 1 received adjuvant radiotherapy, and 2 received subsequent bone marrow transplantation. Another 2 cases only received maintenance treatment. The median follow-up time was 14 months (ranging from 6 to 36 months), 5 patients died of the disease (6 to 18 months), 3 patients survived (7 to 36 months up to now), and the remaining 5 patients lost follow-up. CONCLUSION BPDCN is a rare type of malignant lymphohematopoietic tumor with aggressive behavior and poor prognosis. The diagnosis should be made combining clinical features, histopathology, and immunohistochemical phenotype. Attention should be paid to differentiating BPDCN from other neoplasms with blastoid morphology or CD4+CD56+ tumors.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Retrospective Studies ; Dendritic Cells ; Skin Neoplasms/pathology* ; Skin/pathology*