Background/Aims: Esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction (EGJOO) is characterized by elevated integrated relaxation pressure (IRP) and preserved esophageal peristalsis. The clinical significance of EGJOO is uncertain. This study aim to describe the clinical characteristics of these patients and to find out potential parameters to predict patients’ symptom outcome. Methods: Consecutive patients who received high-resolution manometry examination in our hospital in 2013-2019 and met the diagnostic criteria of EGJOO were retrospectively included. Motility and reflux parameters as well as endoscopy and barium esophagogram results were studied and compared. Patients were also followed up to record their treatment methods and symptom outcomes. Results: A total of 138 EGJOO (accounting for 5.2% of total patients taking high-resolution manometry examination in our hospital) patients were included. Only 2.9% of these patients had persistent dysphagia. A total of 81.8% of EGJOO patients had symptom resolution during follow-up. Patients with persistent dysphagia had significantly higher upright IRP (16.6 [10.3, 19.8] vs 7.8 [3.2, 11.5]; P = 0.026) than those without. Upright IRP can effectively distinguished patients with persistent dysphagia (area under curve: 0.826; P = 0.026) using optimal cut-off value of 9.05 mmHg. Conclusion EGJOO patients with persistent dysphagia and higher upright IRP (median > 9.05 mmHg) needs further evaluation and aggressive management.

Background/Aims: Esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction (EGJOO) is characterized by elevated integrated relaxation pressure (IRP) and preserved esophageal peristalsis. The clinical significance of EGJOO is uncertain. This study aim to describe the clinical characteristics of these patients and to find out potential parameters to predict patients’ symptom outcome. Methods: Consecutive patients who received high-resolution manometry examination in our hospital in 2013-2019 and met the diagnostic criteria of EGJOO were retrospectively included. Motility and reflux parameters as well as endoscopy and barium esophagogram results were studied and compared. Patients were also followed up to record their treatment methods and symptom outcomes. Results: A total of 138 EGJOO (accounting for 5.2% of total patients taking high-resolution manometry examination in our hospital) patients were included. Only 2.9% of these patients had persistent dysphagia. A total of 81.8% of EGJOO patients had symptom resolution during follow-up. Patients with persistent dysphagia had significantly higher upright IRP (16.6 [10.3, 19.8] vs 7.8 [3.2, 11.5]; P = 0.026) than those without. Upright IRP can effectively distinguished patients with persistent dysphagia (area under curve: 0.826; P = 0.026) using optimal cut-off value of 9.05 mmHg. Conclusion EGJOO patients with persistent dysphagia and higher upright IRP (median > 9.05 mmHg) needs further evaluation and aggressive management.

Objective:To investigate the metabolic profile of fatty acids in elderly frail patients, and its value as a biomarker of frailty.Methods:Forty-nine older adults were recruited, of whom 19 were non-frail while 15 were in the pre-frail or frail phase.Targeted metabolomics was used to detect the serum levels of fatty acids, concerning 38 short-, medium-and long-chain fatty acids.Results:Metabolomics indicated elevated levels of 9 long-chain fatty acids in the serum of the elderly frail patients, with a 1.056-fold increase in the risk of fatigue for every 1 unit increase in the level of HOMO-γ-linolenic acid( OR=2.056, P=0.016). No metabolic differences were found between the pre-frail and non-frail groups.Three and seven long-chain fatty acids were negatively correlated with the grip strength and gait speed, respectively.The γ-linolenic acid was positively correlated with body mass index(BMI), percent body fat, visceral fat area and other indicators reflecting adipose tissue.However, no correlation was found between skeletal muscle, laboratory indicators or fatty acids.Five metabolic pathways were correlated with frailty, namely fatty acid biosynthesis, fatty acid metabolism, fatty acid elongation in mitochondria, linoleic acid metabolism and α-linolenic acid metabolism. Conclusions:Nine unsaturated fatty acids, including HOMO-γ-linolenic acid and γ-linolenic acid, may be potential biomarkers of frailty in the elderly.However, the value of fatty acid metabolomics for identifying pre-frail elderly people needs to be further investigated.

Objective:To construct a risk prediction score for the needs of coronary care unit (CCU) care in stable condition acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients who receive percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) treatment.Methods:The clinical data of 805 STEMI patients who accepted PCI in the First Hospital of Jilin University from November 2017 to October 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Among the patients, 654 patients from November 2017 to July 2018 were served as the modeling group, the patients with needs of CCU had 125 cases, and the patients without needs of CCU had 529 cases; 151 patients from August 2018 to October 2018 were served as the validation group, the patients with needs of CCU had 28 cases, and the patients without needs of CCU had 123 cases. Binary Logistic regression analysis was used to establish the risk prediction model and determine the score standards. The critical value was determined according to the best Youden index of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results:Among 805 patients with STEMI, 153 cases (19.01%) had the needs of CCU, and the most common reason was pump failure (heart failure and cardiogenic shock, 113 cases). In the modeling group, age (60 to 74 years old, OR = 1.513, 95% CI 0.945 to 2.424, P = 0.085; ≥75 years old, OR = 2.740, 95% CI 1.371 to 5.478, P = 0.004), total ischemic time>4 h ( OR = 1.701, 95% CI 1.022 to 2.831, P = 0.041), admission shock index ≥0.8 ( OR = 1.910, 95% CI 1.178 to 3.099, P = 0.009), multi-vessel disease ( OR = 2.090, 95% CI 1.272 to 3.432, P = 0.004), preoperative diseased vessels thrombolysis in myocardial ischemia (TIMI) blood flow grade 0 ( OR = 2.099, 95% CI 1.313 to 3.353, P = 0.002), acute anterior myocardial infarction ( OR = 3.696, 95% CI 2.347 to 5.819, P<0.001) and previous history of stroke ( OR = 3.927, 95% CI 2.057 to 7.500, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for CCU needs in STEMI patients undergoing PCI. The scoring criteria were as followings: age<60 years old was given 0 score, 60 to 74 years old 1 score, ≥75 years old 2 score; total ischemic time>4 h in 1 score, admission shock index ≥0.8 2 scores, multi-vessel disease 2 scores, preoperative diseased vessels TIMI blood flow grade 0 2 scores, acute anterior myocardial infarction 3 scores, previous history of stroke 3 scores, and the total score was 15 scores. The patients with 0 to 6 scores were low-risk, and the patients with 7 to 15 scores were high-risk. ROC curve analysis result showed that, in modeling group, the area under curve (AUC) of risk prediction score for predicting the needs of CCU in STEMI patients was 0.740 (95% CI 0.692 to 0.788, P = 0.580); in validation group, the AUC of risk prediction score for predicting the needs of CCU in STEMI patients was 0.755 (95% CI 0.658 to 0.853, P = 0.755). Conclusions:A predictive risk score based on seven risk factors such as age, total ischemic time, admission shock index, multi-vessel disease, preoperative diseased vessels TIMI blood flow grade, acute anterior myocardial infarction and previous history of stroke is constructed in order to predict the needs of CCU in STEMI patients with stable condition who receive PCI treatment. It can be used to help doctors to identify high-risk patients before the admission to CCU, thus providing simple and practical clinical tool for rational allocation of limited CCU resources.

Objective: To test the expression of miR-1178 in pancreatic cancer and study its clinicopathological significance and mechanism. Methods: The expression of miR-1178 in 87 paired paraffin pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma specimens and adjacent non- cancerous pancreatic tissue diagnosed by Pathology Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital was detected by hybridization in situ. The relationship between the expression of miR-1178 and clinicopathological characters was analyzed.miR-1178 mimics and inhibitor were used to further detect the close relationship among miR-1178 and cancer invasion. Establish a nude mice subcutaneously transplanted tumor model, 4 weeks after vaccination for tumor volume and weight measurement.Student t-test, rank sum test, and χ² test was used respectively to compare the data between two groups. Cox regression was adopted to improve the single factor and multiple factors analysis. Results: The results of hybridization in situ showed the expression of miR-1178 was increased in 72 cases with pancreatic cancer compared to that in paired normal pancreatic tissues (50/72 vs. 11/72, χ²=43.26, P<0.05). miR-1178 expression was positively associated with tumor lymph node stage (χ²=4.189, P=0.041). Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that miR-1178 was an independent adverse prognostic indicator for patients with pancreatic cancer (HR=2.364, 95%CI: 1.114-5.019, P=0.025). Transwell assay indicated the over-expression of miR-1178 increased the number of AsPC-1 cells that penetrated the ECM-coated membrane (177.0±19.8 vs. 119.7±15.9)(χ²=8.21, P<0.05). For the in vivo experiment, overexpression of miR-1178 significantly promoted tumor growth, compared with control group (tumor volume: (5 122.4±760.2)mm³ vs. (1 976.8±601.8)mm³, t=2.413, P<0.05; tumor weight: (1.55±0.21)g vs. (0.67±0.17)g, t=2.960, P<0.05). Over-expression of miR-1178 down-regulated the expression of Stub1 and elevated the expression of FAK/MMP-9 signal pathway(P<0.05). Conclusions MiR-1178 is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer, and is effective for predicting patients′ prognosis. MiR-1178 regulate Stub1/FAK/MMP-9 signal pathway and promote the invasion of AsPC-1 cells.

Pancreaticoduodenectomy is cumbersome and difficult to operate,with a long operative time and high risk of postoperative complications,thus it is one of the most complicated operations among general surgery.With the popularization and progress of minimally invasive techniques,minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy (MIPD) has obtained a well developing.It has been confirmed that MIPD is noninferior or even superior to the traditional open pancreaticoduodenectomy in term of the feasibility,safety and effects of radical cure.However,the relevant conclusions are mostly from single-center retrospective studies,without high-quality evidence support.The authors has reviewed the recent research progress of MIPD in the indications and contraindications,safety,feasibility and tumor curative effect,and illustrated the current status and prospects of MIPD with clinical experience and related literature,contributing to the standardization of MIPD in China.

Non-arterial Inflammatory ischemic optic neuropathy(NAION)is a common ocular disease in middle and old ages.Symptoms of optic nerve dysfunction in NAION are caused by cerebral ischemia,which leads to optic atrophy.Recent studies have focused on the early interventions targeting NAION′s risk factors to protect the optic nerve and retinal ganglion cells.This article reviews recent progress in studies on the etiology and risk factors of NAION and potential therapies that may help to preserve optic nerve function in NAION.