Objective A comparison of the quality of life and present status of happiness between AIDS patients in Provinces A and B helps to analyze the impact of the prevention and control mechanism on choice of the AIDS patient care mode.Methods The quality of the life questionnaire designed by WHO for AIDS patients and the Subjective Well-being questionnaire from the Memorial University of Newfoundland were called into play to describe the quality of life and present subjective wellbeing of 93 and 57 AIDS patients respectively from Province A and Province B;these patients were interviewed to understand the systematic arrangements of AIDS control in the two provinces and their AIDS patient care models.Results Differences found in the scores of the total quality of life and subjective wellbeing between the two provinces are significant statistically (P＜0.05);differences found in the scores of respective dimensions of quality of life,except for social relations,are significant statistically (P＜0.05).Results of interview found that the prevention and control mechanism of Province A feature a combination of medical administration and disease control departments,management by level of city,county,township and village.The care mode is characteristic of that centering on village doctors.The patient care mechanism in Province B features sectionalized management,and its model is characteristic of that centering on local CDC aided by infectious disease hospitals.Conclusion Establishment of the AIDS prevention and control mechanism should take into account features of local resources,and different regions should provide care models to fit the needs of local AIDS patients.

OBJECTIVETo analyze the content of tanshinone IIA in Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae from different habitats are regularly altered and find out the deviation between the studies.

METHODThe data of the content of tanshinone IIA in samples of Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae from different areas and related information since 1997 was collected and statistically analyzed.

RESULT AND CONCLUSIONThe content of tanshinone IIA in wild Salvia was generally higher than that in the cultivated Salvia, and the content in nearly half cultivated Salvia was less than 0.2%. There existed a big difference between the used statistical model, and the data related the content in samples from Sichuan was the most divisive. The coefficient of variation of wild Salvia was below the cultivated Salvia, and the cultivated Salvia from different areas showed different coefficients of variation. The content of tanshinone IIA was lower when samples were extracted using the heating reflux method.

Objective To investigate the safety and feasibility of modified gasless trans-subclavian approach endoscopic total thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC).Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of consecutive 82 patients with PTC who underwent the modified gasless trans-subclavian approach endoscopic total thyroidectomy in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery,Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital,Affiliated with the Zhejiang University School of Medicine,from March 2022 to June 2023.Results All operations were successfully completed under endoscopy approach without transfer to open surgery.The maximum diameter of PTC was(6.6±5.4)mm.The operation duration was(156.5±32.7)min,and the number of lymph nodes in the central compartment was(12.3±6.4).The postoperative hospital stay was(3.3±1.2)d.Postoperative complications included two cases of transient hypoparathyroidism and six cases of transient recurrent laryngeal nerve injury.All the patients recovered in one month.One case of postoperative bleeding was observed.No permanent laryngeal nerve injury,permanent hypoparathyroidism or incision infection occurred.Conclusion The gasless trans-subclavian approach endoscopic total thyroidectomy is a feasible and safety approach in selected PTC patients.The lymph nodes in the central compartment are thoroughly dissected.This approach has obvious advantages in functional protection of the anterior cervical region,and has clinical application value.

Objective:To explore superior mediastinal lymph node zoning of thyroid cancer for accurate anatomical definition as a reference for surgical access. Methods:A method for zoning superior mediastinal lymph nodes for thyroid cancer was proposed. From Sep 2018 to Nov 2019, 36 cases of thyroid cancer with superior mediastinal lymph nodes metastases were reviewed. The diagnosis, surgical approaches, pathology, characteristics of lymph node metastasis, complications and follow-up results were analyzed.Results:The superior mediastinal lymph nodes were grouped into 10 areas: 1, 2Ra, 2Rb, 2La, 2Lb, 3A, 3P, 4R, 4La and 4Lb. According to the location of the superior mediastinum metastatic lymph nodes, direct vision approach through the neck incision, laparoscope-assisted approach, thracoscepy, laparoscope-assisted combined with thrascopy approach or conventional median sternotomy was performed for regional lymph node dissection. The average follow-up time was (10±4) months. No residual or recurrence of tumor in superior mediastinal area was found.Conclusions:The zoning of the superior mediastinal lymph nodes in thyroid cancer can be used as a guide for surgical approach to lymph node dissection .

Objective:To study the safety and feasibility of gasless transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy though vestibular approach using self-retaining retractor for papillary thyroid carcinoma.Methods:The clinical data of 39 papillary thyroid carcinoma patients undergoing gasless transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy were collected at Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine from Nov 2020 to Jun 2021.Results:All cases successfully underwent laparoscopic surgery without conversion to open surgery. The mean duration of operation was (142±35) min, and the postoperative mean hospital stay was (4.1±0.8) days. The mean maximum diameter of the tumor was (8.5±4.5) mm, and the mean number of lymph node harvest of by central compartment dissection was 7.7±5.9. Postoperative complications were transient hypoparathyroidism in 2 cases but recovered in 1 month. Scalp hydrop in 1 patient,fading subsequently. Transient sensory change around the lower lip in 3 cases, which recovered in 6 months. No patient suffered from recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy or hematoma, no permanent hypoparathyroidism occurred, nor of the postoperative bleeding .Conclusion:The gasless transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy viaoral vestibular approach is a feasible approach in selected papillary thyroid carcinoma patients.

Objective:To establish a predictive model of lateral lymph node metastasis in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC), and further to compare the diagnostic efficiency of this model with the suspected abnormal lymph node thyroglobulin in fine-needle aspirate fluid (FNA-Tg) for lateral lymph node metastasis.Methods:The preoperative clinical and ultrasonographic data of 110 patients (257 lymph nodes) who underwent PTC cervical lymph node dissection were retrospectively analyzed. According to the postoperative pathological results, they were divided into lateral lymph node metastasis and non-metastasis group. Regression analysis was used to screen out independent risk factors affecting lateral lymph node metastasis and establish a predictive model. The ROC curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy and the best diagnostic cut-off point.Results:Prediction model: Logit( P)=-2.987+ 2.189(S/L ratio of lymph nodes)+ 1.748(hilum absent)+ 2.030(hyperechoic)+ 1.849(vascular abnormalities). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and AUC of the prediction model in the diagnosis of lateral lymph node metastasis were 92.1%, 83.9%, 87.9% and 0.929, respectively. The Homser-Lemeshow goodness of fit test showed that the Logistic model has a good fitting effect. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and AUC of FNA-Tg in the diagnosis of lateral lymph node metastasis were 87.4%, 95.4%, 90.3% and 0.968, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and AUC of the combined diagnosis of the predictive model and FNA-Tg were 92.9%, 96.9%, 94.2% and 0.989, respectively. Conclusions:The model has a good predictive value for PTC cervical lymph node metastasis. Combined with FNA-Tg, it can improve its diagnostic efficiency and provide more valuable information for the decision-making of clinical surgical procedures.

BACKGROUNDVulvodynia, or vulvar pain, is a common condition in women; however, there are few evidence-based clinical trials evaluating nonpharmacological therapies for this condition. Acupuncture is one complementary and integrative medicine therapy used by some patients with vulvodynia. This study evaluates two different acupuncture strategies for the treatment of vulvodynia and aims to evaluate whether either of the acupuncture protocols reduces vulvar pain, pain duration or pain with intercourse. The study also examines how long the effect of acupuncture lasts in women with vulvodynia.

METHODS/DESIGNThe study is designed as a randomized controlled trial, focused on two acupuncture protocols. Fifty-one patients who have had vulvodynia for more than 3 months will be recruited. Among them, 34 patients will be randomized into Groups 1a and 1b; those who are unwilling to receive acupuncture will be recruited into the standard care group (Group 2). Patients in Group 1a will have acupuncture focused on the points in the pudendal nerve distribution area, while patients in Group 1b will receive acupuncture focused on traditional (distal) meridian points. Patients in Group 2 will receive routine conventional treatments, such as using pain medications, local injections and physical therapies or other nonsurgical procedures. Acupuncture will last 45 min per session, once or twice a week for 6 weeks. The primary outcome measurement will be objective pain intensity, using the cotton swab test. The secondary outcome measurement will be subjective patient self-reported pain intensity, which will be conducted before cotton swab test. Pain intensities will be measured by an 11-point Numeric Pain Rating Scale. Pain duration and pain score during intercourse are recorded. Local muscle tension, tenderness and trigger points (Ashi points) are also recorded. All measurements will be recorded at baseline (before the treatment), at the end of each week during treatment and at the end of the 6 weeks. Follow-up will be done 6 weeks following the last treatment.

DISCUSSIONResults of this trial will provide preliminary data on whether acupuncture provides better outcomes than nonacupuncture treatments, i.e., standard care, and whether acupuncture focused on the points in pudendal nerve distribution, near the pain area, has better results than traditional acupuncture focused on distal meridian points for vulvodynia.

TRIAL REGISTRATIONClinicaltrials.gov: NCT03481621. Register: March 29, 2018.

Chronic low-back pain (CLBP) is one of the most common pain conditions. Current clinical guidelines for low-back pain recommend acupuncture for CLBP. However, there are very few high-quality acupuncture studies on CLBP in older adults. Clinical acupuncture experts in the American Traditional Chinese Medicine Association (ATCMA) were interested in the recent grant on CLBP research announced by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. The ATCMA experts held an online discussion on the subject of real-world acupuncture treatments for CLBP in older adults. Seven participants, each with more than 20 years of acupuncture practice, discussed their own unique clinical experience while another participant talked about the potential mechanism of acupuncture in pain management. As a result of the discussion, a picture of a similar treatment strategy emerged across the participants for CLBP in older adults. This discussion shows that acupuncture may have complicated mechanisms in pain management, yet it is effective for the treatment of chronic pain involving maladaptive neuroplasticity; therefore, it should be effective for CLBP in older adults.

Few studies have focused on the cost of acupuncture treatments although acupuncture has become popular in the United States (U.S.). The purpose of the current study was to examine the out-of-pocket costs incurred from acupuncture services based on an online website, OkCopay.com. We examined descriptive statistics (range, median and 20% intervals) for the cost of acupuncture "first-time visits" and "follow-up visits" in 41 metropolitan regions in the U.S. The acupuncture prices of 723 clinics throughout 39 metropolitan regions were included, except for Birmingham, Alabama and Detroit, Michigan as there was no online data available at the time of the study for these two regions. The cost range for a first-time acupuncture visit was $15-400; the highest median was $150 in Charleston, South Carolina, while the lowest was $45 in St. Louis, Missouri. The top 10 cities for the highest median were: Baltimore, Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco, San Jose, Boston, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland and Indianapolis, with the median $120, while the median for all 723 clinics was $112. For the follow-up visits, the cost range was $15-300; the highest median was $108 in Charleston, South Carolina, and the lowest $40 in Miami, Florida. The 10 cities with highest median follow-up acupuncture visit costs were: New York, Baltimore, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Boston and Atlanta, with the median $85, while for all 723 clinics the median price was $80. The estimation of the average gross annual income of each acupuncturist from the regions studied was $95,760, while the total annual cost of patients seeking acupuncture services in the U.S. was about $3.5 billion in 2018.

Objective: To evaluate the correlation between ultrasound features of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and lymph node metastasis by preoperative ultrasound elemental observation of thyroid nodules. Methods: Three hundred and seventy-six patients who underwent primary thyroid surgery and confirmed by ultrasound and pathological data as single-focal PTC from Jannary to December 2017 in Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang Univbersity College of Medicine were retrospectively analyzed. According to the presence or absence of lymph node metastasis, they were divided into central and lateral lymph node metastasis group and non-metastasis group. Independent risk factors for central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) and lateral lymph node metastasis (LLNM) were analyzed by χ² test and multivariate Logistic regression. Results: Multivariate analysis showed that the posterior margin of the cancer was <0.25 cm from the posterior wall of the thyroid gland as an independent risk factor for CLNM (P=0.025). Compared with the tumor volume ≤0.38 cm³, the cancer volume >0.38 cm³ (P=0.000), was more prone to CLNM. And multivariate analysis showed that the anterior margin of the cancer was <0.17 cm (P=0.006) from the anterior thyroid capsule and the inner wall of the foci was <0.26 cm (P=0.014) as independent risk factors for LLNM. Compared with the maximum diameter of the tumor lesion ≤1 cm, the maximum diameter >2 cm (P=0.001) group was more prone to LLNM. Compared with the tumor volume ≤0.38 cm³, the tumor volume >0.38 cm³ (P=0.000) was more prone to LLNM. Conclusions The larger volume of single focal PTC carcinoma and the closer to the posterior thyroid capsule are independent risk factors for CLNM. The larger volume and diameter of single focal PTC, and the closer to the anterior and medial wall capsule are independent risk factors for LLNM.