Objective To describe the significance of the pretreatment inflammatory indicators in predicting the prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after undergoing radical radiotherapy. Methods The data of 246 ESCC patients who underwent radical radiotherapy were retrospectively collected. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to determine the optimal cutoff values for platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII). The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. We conducted univariate and multivariate analyses by using the Cox proportional risk regression model. Software R (version 4.2.0) was used to create the nomogram of prognostic factors. Results The results of the ROC curve analysis showed that the optimal cutoff values of PLR, NLR, and SII were 146.06, 2.67, and 493.97, respectively. The overall response rates were 77.6% and 64.5% in the low and high NLR groups, respectively (P<0.05). The results of the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that the prognosis of patients in the low PLR, NLR, and SII group was better than that of patients in the high PLR, NLR, and SII group (all P<0.05). The results of the multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that gender, treatment modalities, T stage, and NLR were independent factors affecting the overall survival (OS). In addition, T stage and NLR were independent factors affecting the progression-free survival (PFS) (all P<0.05). The nomogram models of OS and PFS prediction were established based on multivariate analysis. The C-index values were 0.703 and 0.668. The calibration curves showed excellent consistency between the predicted and observed OS and PFS. Conclusion The pretreatment values of PLR, NLR, and SII are correlated with the prognosis of patients with ESCC who underwent radical radiotherapy. Moreover, NLR is an independent factor affecting the OS and PFS of ESCC patients. The NLR-based nomogram model has a good predictive ability.

Objective:To observe the efficacy of cosmetic suturing techniques combined with topical recombinant human basic fibroblast growth factor (rh-bFGF) in repairing facial trauma.Methods:A prospective study was conducted on 140 patients with facial trauma admitted to the Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery, Northern Jiangsu People＇s Hospital from January to December 2022. Patients were divided into two groups based on different treatment methods using a random number table method: treatment group (70 cases), including 38 males and 32 females aged 3 to 54 (23.1±8.2) years, received cosmetic suturing techniques combined with topical rh-bFGF for wound repair; control group (70 cases), including 36 males and 34 females aged 2 to 49 (22.3±7.5) years, only received cosmetic suturing techniques for wound repair. Patients were followed up 2 weeks post-surgery to evaluate wound healing quality. Patient satisfaction was assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Six months post-surgery, scar conditions were evaluated using the Vancouver scar scale (VSS).Results:In the treatment group, 65 cases were directly sutured, and 5 cases were repaired with skin flaps, with a first-class healing rate of 100% (70/70). In the control group, 66 cases were directly sutured, and 4 cases were repaired with skin flaps, with a first-class healing rate of 91.4% (64/70). The first-class healing rate in the treatment group was higher than that in the control group, with a statistically significant difference ( P=0.037). Two weeks post-surgery, the VAS score for surgical satisfaction in the treatment group was (1.13±0.52) scores, which was lower than that in the control group (2.56±1.32) scores, with a statistically significant difference ( P<0.001). Six months post-surgery, the VSS score for the treatment group was (2.49±1.27) scores, which was lower than that in the control group (4.67±1.93) scores, with a statistically significant difference ( P<0.001). Conclusions:In repairing facial trauma, the combination of cosmetic suturing techniques and topical rh-bFGF can improve wound healing quality, reduce wound scarring, and enhance patient satisfaction with surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose is a common cause of liver injury. This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of honokiol (Hon) against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity and its potential mechanism. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were administrated with Hon (10 and 30 mg/kg) after APAP (300 mg/kg) treatment. On 1.5 h and 5 h after Hon treatment, mice were sacrificed. Serum and liver were collected. And then, liver injury-related indexes, APAP metabolism-related indexes, mitochondrial respiratory chain function-related indexes, and mitochondrial membrane function-related protein expression were evaluated. RESULTS: It was found that Hon significantly decreased serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT)/aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity and glutathione (GSH) depletion, increased hepatic catalase (CAT) and GSH peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, reduced hepatic MDA and 3-nitrotyrosine contents, inhibited hepatic CYP1A2 activity and APAP protein adducts (APAP-CYS) formation. Meanwhile, oxidative phosphorylation capacity of complex I and electron transfer capacity of complex IV in mitochondrial respiratory chain was increased, whereas the release of H₂O₂ in the mitochondria was decreased following Hon treatment. Furthermore, Hon markedly down-regulated p-JNK in both cytosol and mitochondria, and obviously inhibited the release of apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) and endonuclease G (EndoG) from mitochondria to cytosol. CONCLUSION Hon alleviated APAP-induced liver injury through the following pathways: Reducing the production of APAP-CYS by inhibiting CYP1A2 activity; Ameliorating hepatic oxidative stress by increasing the levels of hepatic CAT, GSH-Px and GSH; Improving mitochondrial respiratory chain function by promoting oxidative phosphorylation capacity of complex I and electron transfer capacity of complex IV; Improving the function of mitochondrial membrane by inhibiting p-JNK and its translocation to mitochondria, thereby reducing the release of AIF and EndoG.

AIM: To investigate the effect of low-dose aspirin on primary prevention of non-fatal myocardial and cerebral infarction in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: From January 2015 to December 2016,40-90 years old patients with type 2 diabetes were treated in the Department of Endocrinology of Yijishan Hospital of Wannan Medical College for more than 2 times (the interval of hospitalization was more than 3 months) , we use the hospital's his system to search out-patient and in-patient files, patients were divided into aspirin group and non-aspirin group according to the use of low-dose aspirin within 1 year after the first visit, the basic data of the first visit were collected: name, sex, age, course of diabetes, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, patients were recorded for laboratory markers including fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, triglyceride, total cholesterol, Low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, creatinine, and platelets, complications such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, hyperlipidemia, diabetic nephropathy and arteriosclerosis were recorded. A Chi square test and a Cox proportional hazard model were used to compare baseline data and cerebrovascular disease after the first use of aspirin. RESULTS: Of the 4 176 patients, 2 137 were type 2 diabetes, 417 were eligible for admission, including 198 males, 219 females, 224 aspirin users and 193 non-users. There was no significant difference in the incidence of cerebral infarction between the aspirin group and the non-aspirin group (χ2=0.820, P=0.365). The incidence of non-fatal myocardial infarction was lower than that of the aspirin non-aspirin group (χ2=10.099, P=0.01) , the incidence of massive hemorrhage was significantly higher than that of aspirin-free group χ2=5.425, P=0.020) . In a subgroup analysis of aspirin use, patients younger than 60 years of age had a lower incidence of ischemic stroke (cerebral infarction) and a risk ratio of 0.428 (95%CI: 0.255-0.719, P=0.001) compared with patients older than 60 years of age, the incidence of cerebral infarction was higher in female patients with a risk ratio of 1.574 (95%CI: 1.018-2.434, P=0.041). CONCLUSION: In this study of patients with type 2 diabetes, low-dose aspirin reduced the incidence of nonfatal myocardial infarction but had no significant effect on the incidence of nonfatal ischemic stroke, and significantly increase the incidence of major bleeding events, we should reconsider the use of low-dose aspirin as a potential benefit of nonfatal cerebral infarction in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Buyang-Huanwu Decoction combined with modified Tingli-Dazao-Xiefei Decoction on the basis of conventional western medicine therapy in the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF) with syndrome of qi deficiency and blood stasis. Methods:Seventy patients who met the inclusion criteria from November 2017 to November 2019 in Shijingshan District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were randomly divided into two groups, 35 in each group. The control group was treated with western medicine for chronic heart failure, and the treatment group was treated with Buyang-Huanwu Decoction combined with Tingli-Dazao-Xiefei Decoction on the basis of the control group. Both groups were treated for 2 weeks. The TCM syndrome scores were observed and compared before and after treatment. Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) was used to evaluate the quality of life of patients. Lee’s Heart Failure Score was used to evaluate the severity of symptoms. The N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP) was detected by ELISA. The adverse reactions during treatment were observed and the clinical efficacy was evaluated. Results:The total effective rate was 91.4% (32/35) in the treatment group and 77.1 % (27/35) in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=7.050, P=0.014). After treatment, the serum NT-proBNP in the treatment group [(1 725.3 ± 1 473.8) ng/L vs. (2 485.7 ± 2 164.4) ng/L; U=341.200, P=0.031] was significantly lower than that of the control group. The NT-proBNP [(54.3 ± 26.7) % vs. (35.5 ± 19.8)%; U=4.310, P=0.003] was significantly higher than that of the control group. After treatment, the TCM syndrome scores and MLHFQ scores in the treatment group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( t=3.785, 9.925, P=0.031, 0.001). During the treatment, no obvious adverse reactions were observed in both groups. Conclusion:On the basis of standardized treatment of Western medicine, Buyang-Huanwu Decoction and Tingli-Dazao-Xiefei Decoction can improve the clinical efficacy of CHF patients with qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome, promote the repair of damaged myocardium (reduce NT-proBNP), and improve the quality of life of patients.

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is involved in diverse brain functions via its extensive projections to multiple target regions. There is a growing understanding of the overall outputs of the OFC at the population level, but reports of the projection patterns of individual OFC neurons across different cortical layers remain rare. Here, by combining neuronal sparse and bright labeling with a whole-brain florescence imaging system (fMOST), we obtained an uninterrupted three-dimensional whole-brain dataset and achieved the full morphological reconstruction of 25 OFC pyramidal neurons. We compared the whole-brain projection targets of these individual OFC neurons in different cortical layers as well as in the same cortical layer. We found cortical layer-dependent projections characterized by divergent patterns for information delivery. Our study not only provides a structural basis for understanding the principles of laminar organizations in the OFC, but also provides clues for future functional and behavioral studies on OFC pyramidal neurons.

Exosomes are a kind of membrane vesicle with a diameter of 30-150 nm. It is formed by the budding of multiple vesicles in cells, which can fuse with the cell membrane and be released into the extracellular matrix. Adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) have the potential of self-renewal and multi-directional differentiation. They can transport the active substance, regulate the inflammatory response, cell migration, proliferation, differentiation and angiogenesis via the action of paracrine exosomes, so as to enhance the ability of wound repair, promote wound healing, and inhibit the formation of scars. Chronic wounds refer to the wounds that can not reach the anatomic and functional integrity through the normal, orderly, and timely repair process, and the course of the wound healing is more than 4 weeks. At present, there are various treatment methods for chronic wounds, among which ADSCs, although showing a good application prospect, have some limitations due to ethical issues, while exosomes can avoid this problem. This article reviews the treatment of chronic wounds with ADSC exosomes.

Objective:To analyze the related risk factors for vertebral artery tortuosity, and explore the mechanism of vertebral artery tortuosity.Methods:Two hundred and eighty-two patients accepted head/neck and MR angiography in our hospital from October 2016 to October 2017 were selected. The tortuosity degrees of vertebral artery were measured and calculated by PACS system. The differences of tortuosity degrees of vertebral arteries in different age groups were compared. Correlation analysis was performed to determine the correlation between vertebral artery tortuosity and both clinical data and and biochemical levels, and multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to determine the independent risk factors for vertebral artery tortuosity.Results:The tortuosity degrees of the left and right vertebral arteries in these patients ranged from 5.1% to 72.6%. The tortuosity degrees of vertebral arteries in patients aged 40-49 years were significantly higher than those in patients aged 20-29 years and 30-39 years ( P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that the tortuosity degree of the right vertebral artery was positively correlated with age and triglyceride level ( r=0.232, P=0.000; r=0.172, P=0.004); the tortuosity degree of the left vertebral artery was positively correlated with triglyceride level ( r=0.123, P=0.043). Multivariate regression analysis showed that age ( 95%CI: 0.059-0.194, P=0.000) and triglyceride level ( 95%CI: 0.173-1.942, P=0.019) were independent risk factors for right vertebral artery tortuosity. Triglyceride level ( 95%CI: 0.041-2.559, P=0.043) was independent risk factor for left vertebral artery tortuosity. Conclusion:There are congenital developmental factors associated with vertebral artery tortuosity; some nurture factor, as triglyceride level, may promote its development.

Objective:To systematically evaluate the safety and efficacy of dexmedetomidine combined with ketamine during dressing changes in burn patients using meta-analysis.Methods:Foreign language databases including PubMed, Cochrane Central, Embase, and Web of Science were searched with the terms of " burns, dexmedetomidine, ketamine, and dressing" , and Chinese databases including Chinese Journal Full-Text Database, Wanfang Data, and China Academic Journal Network Publishing Database were searched with the terms in Chinese version of "右美托咪定,氯胺酮,烧伤,烫伤,热力伤,换药" to retrieve the publicly published randomized controlled trials on the application of dexmedetomidine combined with ketamine for sedation and analgesia during dressing changes in burn patients from the establishment of each database to March 2019. The outcome indexes included systolic blood pressure at 5 minutes after administration, arousal restlessness score, ketamine dosage, dressing change time, body movement/recovery time, pain score, Ramsay sedation scores at 10 minutes after the start of dressing change and 1 hour after dressing change, physician satisfaction score, neuropsychological symptoms, nausea and vomiting times, nausea and vomiting score. RevMan 5.3 and Stata 14.0 statistical software were used to conduct a meta-analysis of eligible studies.Results:A total of 396 burn patients were included in 7 articles, including 198 patients in dexmedetomidine+ ketamine group who received dexmedetomidine and ketamine for sedation and analgesia, and 198 patients in ketamine alone group who received ketamine alone for sedation and analgesia. The bias risks of the seven studies included were uncertain. Compared with those of ketamine alone group, the systolic blood pressure at 5 minutes after administration, arousal restlessness score, nausea and vomiting score of patients in dexmedetomidine+ ketamine group were significantly decreased, with standardized mean differences of -13.89, -0.84, and -0.99 (95% confidence interval=-20.89--6.89, -1.17--0.52, -1.31--0.68, P<0.01), the Ramsay sedation score at 10 minutes after the start of dressing change and that at 1 hour after dressing change were significantly increased, with standardized mean differences of 1.53 and 0.72 (95% confidence interval=1.05-2.02, 0.13-1.31, P<0.05 or P<0.01), and the number of neuropsychological symptom and number of nausea and vomiting were significantly reduced, with relative risks of 0.20 and 0.16 (95% confidence interval=0.07-0.58, 0.05-0.58, P<0.01). The patients in the two groups were similar in ketamine dosage, dressing change time, body movement/recovery time, pain score, and physician satisfaction score. There was no publication bias in dressing change time or ketamine dosage ( P>0.05), while the other indexes might have publication bias ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Compared with ketamine alone, combination of dexmedetomidine and ketamine during dressing changes in burn patients can reduce the occurrence of restlessness, nausea and vomiting, neuropsychological symptoms, and other complications, better stabilize blood pressure, and enhance sedation effect.

On November 16, 2018, one male patient, aged 52 years was admitted to Northern Jiangsu People′s Hospital due to thermal chemical burn to the right lower limb for 1 hour. The total burn area reached 9% total body surface area (TBSA), including 7%TBSA of partial-thickness burn and 2% TBSA of full-thickness burn. After admission, the patient was treated with anti-infection, analgesia, fluid infusion. On November 19, the patient developed symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and oliguria, the related laboratory examination showed acute kidney injury, and the patient was immediately treated with continuous renal replacement therapy. Eschar excision, eschar cutting and shaving, skin grafting were performed on 20 and 27 November, and the specific antidote was applied. After active treatment, the patient′s condition was gradually stable and recovered, and he was discharged 2 months later. There was no obvious abnormality during follow-up of 5 months after discharge. This case reminds that clinicians shall strengthen the understanding of chromic acid burns, especially for the patient combined with thermal burns, timely and effective treatment of wounds after burns, close monitoring of liver and kidney function and blood chromium concentration, and early application of antidote are necessary.