OBJECTIVETo compare outcomes of patients undergoing either open or endoscopic carpal tunnel release for the treatment of idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome.

METHODSA prospective, randomized study was performed on 70 hands in 62 patients with idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome from April 2000 to April 2004. Either open (36 hands in 30 patients) or endoscopic (34 hands in 32 patients) carpal tunnel release was performed randomly. Symptom improvement, complications, and the time of operation, in-hospital stay, and return to work between the two groups were assessed with average 2 years of follow-up. The electromyography was tested pre- and 3 months post-operation.

RESULTSThere were no significant differences between the two surgical groups with regard to postoperative improvements of symptom, electromyography tests, and the incidence of complications. But it was statistically less in the rate of scar tenderness, the time of operation, in-hospital stay, and return to work in the endoscopic group compared with the open group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe endoscopic carpal tunnel release is a reliable method in the treatment of idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome. And it has the advantages of slight scar tenderness, less operation time, less in-hospital stay, early functional recovery, safety, and high- satisfaction rate compared with open methods.

Adult ; Aged ; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ; surgery ; Endoscopy ; adverse effects ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; classification ; epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Surgical Procedures, Operative ; adverse effects ; methods

ObjectiveTo investigate the value of red blood cell distribution width-to-platelet ratio (RPR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in predicting chronic hepatitis C (CHC)-related compensated liver cirrhosis by comparing serological markers between CHC patients and patients with compensated hepatitis C cirrhosis. MethodsThe patients with CHC in two townships of Fuyu County were screened for liver cirrhosis and liver cancer from September to December in 2019 and 2020, respectively. General information was collected; HCV RNA quantification, liver function, and routine blood test results were measured; liver transient elastography and abdominal ultrasound were performed at the same time. RPR, PLR, NLR, fibrosis-4 (FIB-4), and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) were calculated. The Mann-Whiney U test was used for comparison between groups. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to determine the optimal cut-off values of RPR and PLR. A multivariate unconditional logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the risk factors for CHC-related liver cirrhosis. The linear regression trend test was used to investigate the changing trend of RPR, PLR, FIB-4, and APRI in hepatitis C patients with different fibrosis stages. ResultsA total of 968 CHC patients were enrolled, among whom 123 (12.7%) were diagnosed with compensated liver cirrhosis (liver cirrhosis group). Compared with the CHC group, the liver cirrhosis group had a significant increase in RPR and a significant reduction in PLR (P＜0.001). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age ＞60 years (odds ratio ［OR］=1.79, 95% confidence interval ［CI］: 1.12-2.86, P=0.015), albumin ＜40 g/L (OR=1040, 95% CI: 3.47-31.18, P＜0.001), RPR ＞0.081 (OR=3.83, 95% CI: 2.19-6.69, P＜0.001), PLR ＜91.11 (OR=225, 95% CI: 1.31-3.89, P=0.004), FIB-4 ＞3.25 (OR=3.14, 95% CI: 1.74-5.67, P＜0.001), and APRI ＞2 (OR=360, 95% CI: 110-11.78, P=0.035) were associated with the development of CHC-related compensated liver cirrhosis. With the aggravation of liver fibrosis, RPR, FIB-4, and APRI gradually increased and PLR gradually decreased (all P＜0.001). ConclusionRPR and PLR are associated with the development and fibrosis progression of CHC-related compensated liver cirrhosis. Elderly patients with CHC (age ＞60 years) should be monitored for the changes in albumin and liver fibrosis indicators, and RPR and PLR should also be monitored regularly to identify liver cirrhosis in the early stage, give timely treatment, and reduce the incidence rate of liver cancer.

Central nervous system （CNS） is a sophisticated system subject to complex regulation， which dominates the high-level neural activities of the human body. Due to its complex physiological structure and refined regulatory mechanism covering a variety of diseases， CNS is the place where many chronic， refractory and rare diseases occur. Nerve cell is the basic unit of CNS， and its dysfunction and death is the root cause of CNS diseases. Ferroptosis is a new form of programmed cell death proposed in recent years， and has been proved to be closely related to the production and development of multiple CNS diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， including Chinese herbs， acupuncture and moxibustion， and massage， has shown unique advantages in the treatment of CNS diseases for a long time. A large number of studies have demonstrated that TCM participates in the regulation of CNS diseases via regulating ferroptosis and shows a good research prospect. This paper summarized the characteristics of ferroptosis and discussed the association between ferroptosis and CNS diseases in pathological mechanism. We also reviewed the regulation of various CNS diseases by different TCM interventions through ferroptosis， providing references for TCM to participate in the treatment of CNS diseases properly in the future.

To summarize the clinical experience of Professor LIU Jinmin in treatment for epilepsy. It is believed that main pathogenesis of epilepsy is yangming failure to close and vital activity loss control， so a therapeutic approach focused on restoring the closure of yangming and regaining vital activity was proposed for the treatment of epilepsy. For excess syndrome， the treatment focuses on draining excess and descending qi， promoting purgation and restoring spirit. When yangming dryness-heat predominates， the approach involves unblock the bowels and regulating the spirit， descending qi and reducing fire， with modified Chengqi Decoction （承气汤） as prescription； when yangming phlegm-fire predominates， the treatment focuses on clearing heat and resolving phlegm， calming mind and suppressing fright， with modified Qingxin Wendan Decoction （清心温胆汤） as prescription； when yangming blood stasis predominates， the approach involves breaking up blood stasis and promoting purgation， eliminating stasis and awakening the mind， with Taoren Chengqi Decoction （桃核承气汤） as prescription. For deficiency syndrome， the treatment emphasizes tonifying deficiency and raising qi， strengthening the stomach and nourishing the spirit. When center qi deficiency and sinking of clear qi of the nutrients from food， the approach involves replenishing and uplifting qi while nourishing vital activity， with modified Liujunzi Decoction （六君子汤） as prescription； when yin deficiency and fluid consumption， the treatment focuses on nourishing stomach and tonifying yin， promoting fluid production and calming the spirit， with modified Maimendong Decoction （麦门冬汤） combined with Yiwei Decoction （益胃汤） as prescriptions. In clinical situations of deficiency-excess complex， it is essential to distinguish the primary condition from the secondary， applying both supplementing and draining methods flexibly to achieve optimal treatment.

Objective To investigate the articles on liver diseases published by authors from China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions) in Gastroenterology & Hepatology journals indexed in Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) in 2016-2020, to analyze the bibliographic and citation data of these articles, and to understand the contribution and impact of Chinese scholars in the field of liver disease research in recent years. Methods The data for bibliometric analysis came from the SCIE database and Journal Citation Reports (JCR). The SCIE database was searched for the journal articles published in JCR Gastroenterology & Hepatology journals in 2016-2020, with a title or abstract containing "Liver", "Hepatocellular", "Hepatitis", "Cirrhosis", or "Hepatic" and a publication type of Article. Clinical guidelines were excluded, and the records with the corresponding author's affiliation containing institutions in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions) were screened out. R package bibliometrix was used to calculate the frequency of citations of included articles by liver disease studies published by Chinese and global authors in the Gastroenterology & Hepatology journals in 2016-2020, and R package DescTools was used to perform the Cochran-Armitage trend test to observe the change in composition ratio. Results In the Q1 Gastroenterology & Hepatology journals in 2016-2020, liver disease studies published by Chinese authors accounted for 9.5%. In recent years, the proportion of liver disease studies published by Chinese authors in Q1 Gastroenterology & Hepatology journals continues to increase from 6.0% to 12.2% ( P < 0.001). Among the liver disease studies published by Chinese authors in Q1 Gastroenterology & Hepatology journals, 79.7% were funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China, and there was no significant change in the proportion of studies funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China and published by Chinese authors in each partition of Gastroenterology & Hepatology journals in 2016-2020. The frequency of citations of included articles by liver disease studies published by Chinese and global authors in the Gastroenterology & Hepatology journals showed that liver disease studies published by Chinese authors had a high impact in both domestic and international academic communities. Conclusion In recent years, there has been a constant increase in the number of liver disease studies published by Chinese authors in high-impact Gastroenterology & Hepatology journals indexed in SCIE, and most of these studies have been funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China. The liver disease studies published by Chinese authors in Gastroenterology & Hepatology journals have been widely recognized by domestic and international academic communities.

Objective: To establish a simple method for isolation, purification and cultivation of primary retinal microvascular pericytes (RMPs) from mice. Methods: Retinas were isolated from mice following with mechanical morcel, enzymatic digestion and filtration.The retinal fragments were incubated with low glucose DMEM with 20% fetal bovine serum after 24 hours pre-incubation.Differential digestion was used for purification of primary RMPs.Morphological examination of cells was performed by phase contrast microscopy, and further characterization was analyzed by immunocytochemistry.Functional assay was evaluated by the pericytes-endothelial cells (ECs) co-culture system.The treatment and use of experimental animals followed the regulations on the administration of experimental animals promulgated by the state science and technology commission. Results: Cells migrated out of fragments after 24 hours of incubation, and developed into small or large colonies gradually.The cells and their subpassages presented typical pericyte morphology with large irregular triangular cell bodies and multiple long processes.No contact inhibition was observed.Most cells uniformly expressed the cellular markers α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β (PDGFR-β), a few cells expressed the cellular markers glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), but no cell expressed von Willebrand factor (vWF). The purity rate of RMPs was up to 97%.In the co-culture system, RMPs directly contacted with ECs to form the capillary-like cords in vitro. Conclusions A simple method for the isolation, purification cultivation of mouse RMPs is established, and active RMPs can be readily obtained by this method.