Objective:To evaluate the effect of lung recruitment maneuvers combined with individualized positive end-expiratory pressure(PEEP) on the degree of postoperative atelectasis in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery.Methods:One hundred and forty-three elderly patients, aged ≥65 yr, with body mass index of 18.5-30.0 kg/m 2, scheduled for elective laparoscopic surgery, were assigned to either individualized PEEP combined with recruitment maneuvers (group Ⅱ) or fixed PEEP (group Ⅰ) using a random number table method. PEEP was maintained at 6 cmH 2O starting from the beginning of procedure until the end of the procedure in group I. Individualized PEEP titration was performed after induction of anesthesia in group Ⅱ. The primary outcome measure was the 12-zone lung ultrasound score at 15 min after tracheal extubation. Other outcome measures were the occurrence of postoperative pulmonary complications within 7 days after surgery, Quality of Recovery-15 scale score on 3rd day after surgery, rate of unplanned admission to intensive care units, length of hospital stay, incidence of intraoperative hypoxemia, usage rate of intraoperative vasoactive drugs, and incidence of postoperative hypotension. Results:Compared with group Ⅰ, the lung ultrasound score, driving pressure and postoperative pulmonary complications were significantly decreased, the dynamic lung compliance was increased ( P<0.05 or 0.01), and no significant changes were found in the other parameters in group Ⅱ ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Individualized PEEP combined with recruitment maneuvers can reduce the degree of postoperative atelectasis in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder resulting from genetic susceptibility, abnormal immune function in the intestinal mucosa, disruptions of gut microbiota, and other factors. With the population aging, the numbers of elderly patients with IBD and those with Alzheimer diseases (AD) are on the rise. Studies have demonstrated that there is a significant association between IBD and AD, as both conditions share similar pathophysiological mechanisms: immune imbalance, chronic inflammation and gut microbiota disruptions. This article reviews the comorbidity between IBD and AD and the common pathological mechanisms of these two conditions to provide reference for clinical management of these patients.

Objective:To evaluate the relationship between preoperative malnutrition and postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in elderly patients undergoing thoracoscopic and laparoscopic radical esophagectomy.Methods:The elderly patients who underwent elective thoracoscopic and laparoscopic radical esophagectomy in the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University were enrolled.The general clinical data and nutritional status, Assess Respiratory Risk in Surgical Patients in Catalonia (ARISCAT) score, tumor pathological stage and operation-related variables based on the Gobal Leader Initiative on Malnutrition criteria were recorded.The patients were divided into 2 groups according to whether PPCs occurred during hospitalization, and the differences between the variables were compared.Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for PPCs in elderly patients undergoing thoracoscopic and laparoscopic radical esophagectomy.The accuracy of the ARISCAT score and ARISCAT score combined with malnutrition in predicting the occurrence of PPCs was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve.Results:A total of 256 elderly patients undergoing thoracoscopic and laparoscopic radical esophagectomy were included, and the incidence of PPCs was 23.8%.There were no significant differences between patients with and without PPCs in FEV 1/FVC, age, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ratio, malnutrition ratio and ratio of patients with high ARISCAT score ( P<0.05). The results of logistic regression analysis showed that increasing age, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, malnutrition and high ARISCAT score were independent risk factors for PPCs.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of ARISCAT score and malnutrition combined with ARISCAT score in predicting the occurrence of PPCs was 0.722 and 0.777, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Preoperative malnutrition is an independent risk factor for the occurrence of PPCs in elderly patients undergoing thoracoscopic and laparoscopic radical esophagectomy, which is helpful in improving the accuracy of ARISCAT score in predicting the occurrence of PPCs.

Objective:To evaluate the predictive value of preoperative frailty combined with nutritional status for prolonged postoperative ileus (PPOI) in the patients with gynecological malignancies.Methods:Patients undergoing elective surgery for gynecological malignancies in the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University from April 2022 to February 2023 were selected. The Frail scale was used to evaluate the frailty within 24 h of admission, and the nutritional status was evaluated by the Controlling Nutritional Status score. The general characteristics of patients and occurrence of PPOI were recorded, and the risk factors for PPOI were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. The ability of frailty, nutritional status and their combination to predict PPOI was assessed by the receiver operating characteristic curve.Results:Two hundred and fourteen patients were finally included, 52 cases developed of PPOI, and 98 cases were frail patients. Preoperative frailty combined with moderate to severe malnutrition was an independent risk factor for PPOI in the patients with gynecological malignancies ( P<0.05), and the area under the curve in predicting the occurrence of PPOI was 0.796 (95% confidence interval 0.736-0.857) in the patients with gynecological malignancies. Conclusions:Preoperative frailty combined with moderate to severe malnutrition has a higher accuracy in predicting PPOI in the patients with gynecological malignancies.