BACKGROUND:Different operation approaches can be selected during the repair of thoracolumbar fractures. Traditional posterior median approach wil cause great wound on patients, and easily induces some adverse consequences. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects and biocompatibility of conventional posterior median approach and paraspinal approach fixation for treatment of thoracolumbar fractures. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on clinical data of 53 cases of thoracolumbar fracture in the Shaanxi Province Nuclear Industry 215 Hospital from December 2012 to December 2013. They were divided into two groups according to approach method. The control group (n=27) received pedicle screw placement fixation through conventional posterior median approach. The observation group (n=26) underwent pedicle screw placement fixation through paraspinal muscle approach. After repair, they were folowed up for 12 months. Imaging results, pain score and perioperative relevant indexes were observed and compared in both groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Imaging examination was conducted before repair, immediately after repair and during final folow-up in both groups. The height of vertebral anterior border and kyphosis correction effect were good after different therapies in both group, but no significant difference was detectable between the two groups (al P > 0.05). These findings suggest that height of vertebral anterior border and kyphosis correction effect were identical between the two groups. Pain visual analog scale score was significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group at 24 hours and 3 days after repair and during final folow-up (al P < 0.05). Perioperative relevant indexes were analyzed in both groups. Intraoperative bleeding amount, drainage and bed time after repair were observed in the observation group, which showed significant advantages as compared with the control group (al P < 0.05). These results confirmed that compared with the traditional posterior median approach surgery, minimaly invasive pedicle screw placement through paraspinal muscle approach for thoracolumbar fractures can obtain better repair effects and biocompatibility.

Objective To analyze the characteristics ot lymph node metastasis and prognostic factors for carcinoma of papilla of Vater (CPV) after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD).Methods From January 2005 to December 2010,94 patients with CPV underwent PD and dissection of regional lymph nodes at the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital.We carefully evaluated nodal involvement in the patients to determine the lymphatic spread of CPV and analyzed the clinicopathological variables in relation to prognosis.Results The overall rate of nodal involvement was 46.8％.Using the UICC staging (7th edition),lymphatic invasion in pT1,pT2,pT3 and pT4 were 15.4％ (2/13),62.7％ (32/51),80.0％ (8/10) and 100％ (2/2),respectively.The metastatic rates in the posterior pancreaticoduodenal lymph nodes,the mesopancreatic lymph nodes,the hepatoduodenal ligamental lymph nodes and the proper hepatic periarterial lymph nodes were 30.9％ (29/94),21.3％ (20/94),11.7％(11/94) and 6.4％ (6/94),respectively.Significant prognostic factors were tumor pT stage (P＜0.01),duodenal wall infiltration (P =0.001),liver metastasis (P =0.001),pancreatic paren chymal invasion (P=0.004),nodal involvement (P＜0.01) and different regional lymph nodes invasion (the posterior pancreaticoduodenal,P＜0.01; the mesopancreatic,P＜0.01; the hepatoduodenal ligamental,P＜0.01; the proper hepatic periarterial,P=0.010).Cox regression analysis for overall survival revealed that the posterior pancreaticoduodenal nodal involvement (P＜0.01),the mesopancreatic nodal involvement (P＜0.01) and duodenal wall infiltration (P=0.019) were significant independent prognostic risk factors.Conclusions The mesopancreatic lymph nodes and the posterior pancreaticoduodenal lymph nodes should equally be regarded as the first stop in lymphatic spread of CPV.Therefore,we should pay much attention to these regional lymph node dissections,especially to ensure complete resection of the uncinate process and the mesopancreas.

INTRODUCTION: Sepsis is defined as a life-threatening complication that occurs when the body responds to an infection attacking the host. Sepsis rapidly progresses and patients deteriorate and develop septic shock, with multiple organ failure, if not promptly treated. Currently no effective therapy is available for sepsis; therefore, early diagnosis is crucial to decrease the high mortality rate. Genome-wide expression analyses of patients in critical conditions have confirmed that the expression levels of the majority of genes are changed, suggesting that the molecular basis of sepsis is at the gene level. This review aims to elucidate the role of circular (circ) RNAs in the pathogenesis of sepsis and sepsis-induced organ damage. In addition, the feasibility of using circRNAs as novel diagnostic biomarkers for sepsis is also discussed, as well as circRNA-based therapy. METHOD: This narrative review is based on a literature search using Medline database. Search terms used were "circular RNAs and sepsis", "circRNAs and sepsis", "non-coding RNAs and sepsis", "ncRNAs and sepsis", "circRNAs and septic pathogenesis", "circRNAs and septic model", "circRNAs and septic shock" and "circRNAs, biomarker, and sepsis". RESULTS: Numerous studies indicate that circRNAs might exert pivotal roles in regulating the immune system of the host against various pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses. Dysregulation of circRNA expression levels has been confirmed as an early event in sepsis and associated with the inflammatory response, immunosuppression and coagulation dysfunction. This impairment in regulation eventually leads to multiple organ dysfunctions, including of the kidneys, lungs and heart. CONCLUSION By investigating the regulation of circRNAs in sepsis, new molecular targets for the diagnosis and intervention of sepsis can be identified. Such an understanding will be important for the development of therapeutic drugs.
Biomarkers ; Humans ; RNA, Circular ; Shock, Septic/genetics*

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of continuous increase of blood lactic acid (Lac) in prognosis evaluation of patients with sepsis.Methods:From January 2016 to December 2018, 84 patients with sepsis in the Department of Critical Medicine of Lanzhou First People's Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. According to the final outcome, the patients were divided into death group and survival group. The general condition, initial Lac, Lac at 6, 12, 18, 24 h, and the duration of Lac>2 mmol/L (T Lac>2) were compared between the two groups. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to analyze the sensitivity and specificity of gender, age, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ), initial lac, 6, 12, 18, 24 h lac, T Lac>2 in evaluating the prognosis of patients with sepsis. At the same time, the relationship between these parameters and the prognosis of patients was analyzed by Cox regression analysis to evaluate the clinical value of the time of continuous increase of blood lactate in the prognosis of patients with sepsis. Results:There was no significant difference in age, gender, APACHE Ⅱ score and initial lac between the two groups ( P>0.05). The Lac of death group was higher than that of survival group at 6, 12, 18 and 24 h after treatment ( P<0.05), and T Lac>2 in death group was significantly longer than that in survival group ( P<0.05). Cox regression analysis showed that age, gender, APACHE Ⅱ score, initial Lac, 6, 12, 18, 24 h lac had no significant effect on the prognosis of sepsis patients, while T Lac>2 was significantly correlated with survival rate and death risk. The longer T Lac>2 was, the lower the survival rate and the higher the risk of death. At the same time, ROC curve analysis showed that gender, age, APACHE Ⅱ score and area under the curve (AUC) of initial lac showed that these indicators could not effectively evaluate the prognosis of patients ( P>0.05). The area under the curve of T Lac>2 was the largest, and the evaluation of prognosis was the best, followed by 24 h Lac and 18 h, 12 h and 6 h Lac. In addition, the sensitivity of T Lac>2, 24, 18, 12, 6 h for sepsis mortality risk assessment were 90.9%, 81.8%, 81.8%, 81.8%, 88.6%, and the specificity were 71.4%, 52.5%, 52.5%, 47.7% and 25.2%, respectively. Conclusions:Transient increase of lactic acid can not evaluate the prognosis of patients with sepsis, but the duration of lactic acid increase has a significant impact on the prognosis of patients with sepsis. The longer the increase of Lactic acid (T Lac>2) is, the lower the survival rate and the higher the risk of death. The sensitivity and specificity of lactic acid duration in evaluating the risk of death were higher than those of other parameters, and the prognostic efficacy was the best.

Objective:To investigate the effect of smart air cell mattresses on sleep quality.Methods:Twenty healthy young people were enrolled as subjects, and each subject underwent a four-night polysomnographic monitoring experiment, including two nights each on a smart air cell mattress and a general mattress. The differences in sleep quality were compared by self-assessment of sleep quality, objective sleep indicators, and electroencephalogram (EEG) spectral analysis.Results:In the comparison between the smart air cell mattress and the general mattress, the differences in self-assessment of sleep quality and objective sleep indicators were not statistically significant (all P > 0.05), but the smart air cell mattress had a slight overall advantage. The relative power of EEG in the low-frequency band and the relative power of EEG in the high-frequency band were higher in the subjects with the smart air cell mattress. Conclusions:For the healthy young population, the smart air cell mattress can positively influence sleep quality to some extent, and the change in EEG relative power indicates an increase in sleep depth.

Objective: To investigate the methods for qualitative pathological assessment of dynamic changes in liver fibrosis/cirrhosis after antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), since antiviral therapy can partially reverse liver fibrosis and cirrhosis caused by hepatitis B and semi-quantitative, rather than qualitative, pathological assessment is often used for the research on liver fibrosis regression. Methods: Previously untreated CHB patients with liver fibrosis and cirrhosis were enrolled, and liver biopsy was performed before treatment and at 78 weeks after the antiviral therapy based on entecavir. The follow-up assessment was performed once every half a year. Based on the proportion of different types of fibrous septum, we put forward the new qualitative criteria called P-I-R classification (predominantly progressive, predominantly regressive, and indeterminate) for evaluating dynamic changes in liver fibrosis. This classification or Ishak fibrosis stage was used to evaluate the change in liver fibrosis after treatment and Ishak liver inflammation score was used to evaluate the change in liver inflammation after treatment. Results: A total of 112 CHB patients who underwent liver biopsy before and after treatment were enrolled, and among these patients, 71 with an Ishak stage of ≥3 and qualified results of live biopsy were included in the final analysis. Based on the P-I-R classification, 58% (41/71) were classified as predominantly progressive, 29% (21/71) were classified as indeterminate, and 13% (9/71) were classified as predominantly regressive; there were no significant differences between the three groups in alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, albumin, HBeAg positive rate, HBV DNA, and liver stiffness (P < 0.05). After treatment, the proportion of predominantly progressive, indeterminate, or predominantly regressive patients changed to 11% (8/71), 11% (8/71), and 78% (55/71), respectively. Among the 35 patients who had no change in Ishak stage after treatment, 72% (25/35) were classified as predominantly regressive and had certain reductions in the Laennec score, percentage of collagen area, and liver stiffness. Conclusion This new P-I-R classification can be used to assess the dynamic changes in liver fibrosis after antiviral therapy in CHB patients.