Objective To analyse the clinical efficiency of endolymphatic sac surgery (ESS) in the management of Meniere’s disease (MD). Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 274 patients with MD who were hospitalized for treatment in Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University from January 2009 to August 2023. All patients received lifestyle management and drug treatment such as diuretics. For those whose conditions were not well controlled 3 to 6 months after the initial treatment, intratympanic glucocorticoid (ITG) or ESS treatment was carried out. Six months after the treatment, the classes of vertigo relief and hearing changes in the patients were evaluated. After adjusting the confounding factors through propensity score matching (PSM), the impact of ESS on the prognosis of MD patients was evaluated. Results Among 274 patients, 194 and 80 patients underwent ITG and ESS, respectively. Eighty patients were enrolled into each group after PSM. Before and after PSM, the rate of patients reaching vertigo relief class A in ESS group was higher than that in the ITG group (P＝0.004); there was no significant difference in hearing preservation between the two groups. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis showed that vertigo relief in the ESS group was better than that in the ITG group (P=0.029); there was no statistically significant difference in hearing preservation between the two groups. Conclusion When the initial treatment for patients with MD is ineffective, choosing ESS is more beneficial than ITG for controlling vertigo.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of the left spermatic vein transposition to the great saphenous vein in treating left varicocele (VC) secondary to nutcracker syndrome (NCS). Methods: Clinical data of 8 patients treated during Feb.2020 and Feb.2023 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed.A meticulous preoperative evaluation of the vascular status of the spermatic vein and the great saphenous vein was performed using color Doppler ultrasound.A spermatic vein-great saphenous vein shunt surgery was performed in patients who were strictly selected.The clinical symptoms and hemodynamics of renal vein were compared before and after operation. Results: The median age of patients was 23.5(18-33) years.There was a notable reduction in post-exercise scrotal and lower back pain in all patients，and the score of scrotal pain decreased to 0 in 7 patients. The median quantification of urinary protein was 352.8(54.4-687.3) mg prior to surgical intervention，which significantly diminished to 125.5(25.9-255.1) mg 6 months after operation.Notably，3 cases of preoperative positive urine occult blood tests were undetectable in the subsequent postoperative assessments.The median peak blood flow velocity at the site of stenosis in the left renal vein measured at 74.4(48.7-117.6) cm/s preoperatively，subsequently reduced to 45.1(25.5-61.2) cm/s postoperatively.During the 6-month follow-up，no recurrence of varicocele，vascular anastomotic stenosis or thrombosis were observed. Conclusion: Our research indicates that spermatic vein to great saphenous vein bypass is safe and feasible in the treatment of left varicocele secondary to nutcracker syndrome for strictly selected patients，which can effectively alleviate renal vein congestion without significant complications.

BACKGROUND: Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is indicated as a broad-spectrum medicine for a variety of diseases, including cancer and cardiac disease. While the role of ATO in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (HIRI) has not been reported. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify the effects of ATO on HIRI. METHODS: In the present study, we established a 70% hepatic warm I/R injury and partial hepatectomy (30% resection) animal models in vivo and hepatocytes anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) models in vitro with ATO pretreatment and further assessed liver function by histopathologic changes, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, cell counting kit-8, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) for extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 was transfected to evaluate the role of ERK1/2 pathway during HIRI, followed by ATO pretreatment. The dynamic process of autophagic flux and numbers of autophagosomes were detected by green fluorescent protein-monomeric red fluorescent protein-LC3 (GFP-mRFP-LC3) staining and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: A low dose of ATO (0.75 μmol/L in vitro and 1 mg/kg in vivo ) significantly reduced tissue necrosis, inflammatory infiltration, and hepatocyte apoptosis during the process of hepatic I/R. Meanwhile, ATO obviously promoted the ability of cell proliferation and liver regeneration. Mechanistically, in vitro  studies have shown that nontoxic concentrations of ATO can activate both ERK and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-serine/threonine kinase (PI3K-AKT) pathways and further induce autophagy. The hepatoprotective mechanism of ATO, at least in part, relies on the effects of ATO on the activation of autophagy, which is ERK-dependent. CONCLUSION Low, non-toxic doses of ATO can activate ERK/PI3K-AKT pathways and induce ERK-dependent autophagy in hepatocytes, protecting liver against I/R injury and accelerating hepatocyte regeneration after partial hepatectomy.
Animals ; Arsenic Trioxide ; Autophagy/physiology* ; Reperfusion Injury/prevention & control* ; Mice ; Male ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/physiology* ; Arsenicals/therapeutic use* ; Oxides/therapeutic use* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Azvudine and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) are recommended for COVID-19 treatment in China, but their safety and efficacy in the elderly population are not fully known. In this multicenter, retrospective, cohort study, we identified 5131 elderly hospitalized COVID-19 patients from 32,864 COVID-19 patients admitted to nine hospitals in Henan Province, China, from December 5, 2022, to January 31, 2023. The primary outcome was all-cause death, and the secondary outcome was composite disease progression. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to control for confounding factors, including demographics, vaccination status, comorbidities, and laboratory tests. After 2:1 PSM, 1786 elderly patients receiving azvudine and 893 elderly patients receiving Paxlovid were included. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses revealed that compared with Paxlovid group, azvudine could significantly reduce the risk of all-cause death (log-rank P = 0.002; HR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.573-0.883, P = 0.002), but there was no difference in composite disease progression (log-rank P = 0.52; HR: 1.05, 95% CI: 0.877-1.260, P = 0.588). Four sensitivity analyses verified the robustness of above results. Subgroup analysis suggested that a greater benefit of azvudine over Paxlovid was observed in elderly patients with primary malignant tumors (P for interaction = 0.005, HR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.18-0.57) compared to patients without primary malignant tumors. Safety analysis revealed that azvudine treatment had a lower incidence of adverse events and higher lymphocyte levels than Paxlovid treatment. In conclusion, azvudine treatment is not inferior to Paxlovid treatment in terms of all-cause death, composite disease progression and adverse events in elderly hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

ObjectiveTo explore the possible mechanism of Tuina at Weizhong （BL 40） for relieving sciatica from the perspective of hippocampal synaptic plasticity. MethodsSixty SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group， model group， Tuina group， MK-801 group， MK-801 plus Tuina group， 12 rats in each group. After lateral ventricular cannulation， rats model with chronic compression injury of the right sciatic nerve were prepared in all groups except the sham operation group. On day 4 after modelling， rats in the Tuina group start Tuina at Weizhong （BL 40） for 10 mins once a day for a total of 14 days； rats in the MK-801 group started injecting with 0.25 μg/μl of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 2B （NR2B） blocker， dizocycline （MK-801）， 0.5 μl of which was administered daily in the lateral ventricle for 14 days. Rats in the MK-801 plus Tuina group underwent Tuina after 30 mins when completing MK-801 injection in the lateral ventricle， in the same way as above； rats in the model group and the sham operation group did not undergo any intervention. Spontaneous pain behaviour scores and paw withdraw thresholds （PWTs） were examined on day 1 （base value） before modelling and on day 4， 10， 14 and 18 after modelling； and on day 19， the brain tissues of the rats in each group were sampled and the number and morphology of the Nysted-positive cells in the hippocampal CA3 region were observed using Nysted staining； and the number of synapses， the thickness of postsynaptic dense material， the length of active band and the curvature of synaptic interface in hippocampal CA3 region were observed by transmission electron microscopy； and the expression of synapse-associated proteins NR2B and postsynaptic density protein-95 （PSD95） in hippocampal CA3 was detected by immunofluorescence staining and immunoblotting. ResultsCompared with the same time in the sham operation group， spontaneous pain scores significantly increased and PWTs decreased on day 4， 10， 14， and 18 after modelling in the model group （P＜0.05）； compared with the model group， spontaneous pain scores in Tuina group of rats significantly decreased on day 10， 14， and 18 after modelling， and PWTs significantly increased on day 14 and 18 after modelling （P＜0.05）. Compared with Tuina group， spontaneous pain scores increased on day 10， 14， and 18 of modelling， and PWTs decreased at days 14 and 18 of modelling in the MK-801 plus Tuina group had higher spontaneous pain scores on days 10， 14， and 18 after modelling and lower PWTs on days 14 and 18 after modelling （P＜0.05）. Compared with the sham operation group， the neuronal arrangement in the hippocampal CA3 region of the rats in the model group was disordered， with decreased number of Nysted-positive cells and synapses， reduced thickness of postsynaptic densities， length of active bands， and curvature of synaptic interfaces， wider synaptic gaps， and decreased immunofluorescent positive expression of NR2B and PSD95 as well as the expression of immunoblotting proteins in hippocampal CA3 region （P＜0.05）. Compared with the model group， more dense arranged nerve cells， the number of Nysted-positive cells， the number of synapses， the thickness of postsynaptic dense material， the length of active bands increased， the synaptic gap became significantly narrower， and the positive expression of immunofluorescence and immunoblotting protein expression of NR2B， PSD95 increased in the rat hippocampal CA3 region of Tuina group （P＜0.05）. Compared with Tuina group， the neuronal morphology of the hippocampal CA3 region in MK-801 plus Tuina group was severely damaged， and the number of Nystrom's-positive cells， the number of synapses， the thickness of post-synaptic densities， the length of active bands， and the curvature of synaptic interfaces reduced， the synaptic gaps became wider， and the immunofluorescent positive expression of NR2B， PSD95， and the expression of immunostained proteins decreased （P＜0.05）. ConclusionTuina at "Weizhong" （BL 40） showed significant analgesic effect， and one of the possible mechanisms concluded as significantly increasing the levels of NR2B and PSD95 protein expression in hippocampal CA3 region and thus modulating the synaptic plasticity of the hippocampus.

Objective: To investigate the awareness of hepatitis C prevention and control knowledge and its influencing factors among female sex workers (FSWs) in Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province. Methods: According to the HIV/AIDS Sentinel Surveillance Plan, FSWs at ages of 15 to 65 years monitored by the national AIDS surveillance sentinel in Jiaxing City were recruited, and demographic information, awareness of hepatitis C prevention and control knowledge and related behaviors were collected by questionnaire surveys. Factors affecting the awareness of hepatitis C prevention and control knowledge were identified by a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: A total of 430 questionnaires were allocated, and 412 were valid, with an effective rate of 95.81%. The respondents had a mean age of (28.58±4.93) years, and included 258 unmarried FSWs (62.62%), 344 with registered residence outside Zhejiang Province (83.50%), 212 with junior high school education or below (51.46%) and 243 from high-end entertainment places (58.98%). The overall awareness of hepatitis C prevention and control knowledge among FSWs was 20.39%, and the awareness of "Transfusion of blood containing hepatitis C virus may acquire hepatitis C" (38.83%) and the awareness of "tattooing, eyebrow tattooing and ear piercing in streets or small shops may infect hepatitis C" (38.11%) were relatively low. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified marital status (divorced or widowed, OR=0.161, 95%CI: 0.054-0.482), educational level (high school or technical secondary school, OR=2.568, 95%CI: 1.446-4.560; junior college or above, OR=6.110, 95%CI: 2.658 -14.045) and grade of entertainment places (high-end entertainment places, OR=2.756, 95%CI: 1.525-4.982) as factors affecting the awareness of hepatitis C prevention and control knowledge among FSWs. Conclusion FSWs in Jiaxing City have a low awareness of hepatitis C prevention and control knowledge, especially lacking of knowledge about the transmission routes and prognosis of hepatitis C.

Objective To investigate the effects of abdominal tuina on the expression of PI3K and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor(NMDAR)subunit NR1 in spinal dorsal horn and the morphology of spinal dorsal horn neurons in ulcerative colitis(UC)rats;To explore its mechanism of action in treating UC.Methods Totally 36 SD rats were randomly divided into normal group,model group,abdominal tuina group,mesalazine group,PI3K stimulation group and PI3K stimulation + abdominal tuina group,with 6 rats in each group.The UC model in rats was simulated by drinking dextran sulfate solution freely.The abdominal tuina group and the PI3K stimulation + abdominal tuina group were given abdominal tuina intervention,the mesalazine group was given mesalazine solution for gavage,and the PI3K stimulation group and PI3K stimulation + abdominal tuina group were given intrathecal injection of PI3K agonist,once a day,for consecutive 15 days.Abdominal withdrawal reflex(AWR)score and acetic acid twist were used to observe the abdominal pain symptoms in rats.The expression of PI3K and NR1 in spinal dorsal horn were detected by immunofluorescence staining and Western blot,and the morphological changes of spinal dorsal horn neurons were observed by Nissl staining.Results Compared with the normal group,AWR score and twisting times of rats in model group significantly increased(P<0.01),the expression of PI3K and NR1 protein in spinal dorsal horn significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),the morphology of spinal dorsal horn neurons was disordered,forming a large number of vacuolar like structures,and the Nissl body structure was fuzzy and incomplete.Compared with the model group,AWR scores and twisting times of abdominal tuina group and mesalazine group significantly decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01),and the expression of PI3K and NR1 protein significantly decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01),the edema of spinal dorsal horn neurons was milder,with fewer vacuolar changes and an increase in the number of Nissl bodies;AWR scores and twisting times of PI3K stimulation group and PI3K stimulation + abdominal tuina group significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),and the expressions of PI3K and NR1 protein increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),a large number of neurons underwent pyknosis and necrosis,and the number of Nissl bodies decreased,even dissolving and disappearing.Conclusion Abdominal tuina can effectively improve the symptoms of abdominal pain in UC model rats,and its mechanism may be related to inhibiting the expression of PI3K and NR1 in spinal dorsal horn and improving the morphology of spinal dorsal horn neurons.

Objective:To evaluated the safety and feasibility of dissection of lymph nodes posterior to right recurrent laryngeal nerve (ⅥB compartment) in endoscopic thyroidectomy through gasless axillary posterior approach.Methods:A total of 350 cases with right lobe papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) who underwent endoscopic lobectomy, isthmusectomy and central compartment neck dissection via gasless axillary posterior approach based at the Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University from June 2020 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Summarize the clinical, pathological characteristics, and postoperative complications of the patients. SPSS 25.0 was used for statistical analysis of the data.Results:All 350 patients underwent endoscopic surgery successfully, with no conversion to open surgery. There were 303 females and 47 males, with an average age of (36.3±9.2) years. Of those, 287 patients were in pT1a stage, 62 in pT1b stage, and one patient in pT2 stage. There was no T3 or T4 stage patient. The mean numbers of yielded lymph nodes in right central compartment and ⅥB compartment were 8.11±4.65 (range, 1-31) and 2.62±1.86 (range, 1-12), respectively. ⅥB compartment metastasis was detected in 52 (14.86%) of 350 patients. The incidence of transient recurrent laryngeal nerve injury was 0.86%(3/350). Postoperative hematoma occurred in three patients (0.86%).Conclusion:The dissection of ⅥB compartment in endoscopic thyroidectomy through gasless axillary posterior approach is safe and feasible in selected PTC patients

Objective To observe the effect of tuina on glutamate uptake and synaptic cleft in the spinal dorsal horn of rats with neuropathic pain through astrocyte NDRG2/GLT-1 pathway,and to explore the potential analgesic mechanism of tuina on neuropathic pain.Methods A total of 54 SD rats were randomly divided into naive group,model group and tuina group(n=18).The CCI model was established in the model group,and the tuina group was treated with acupressure at"Weizhong"(BL 40)from the 4th day after CCI model was successfully established for 14 days.The changes of paw withdrawal threshold at different time points were observed to evaluate the analgesic effect of tuina.Immunofluorescence was used to observe the co-expression of NDRG2?GLT-1 and astrocytes in the spinal dorsal horn.The mRNA levels of NDRG2 and GLT-1 in astrocytes were detected by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction.The concentrations of glutamate in synaptic cleft were measured by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry.The width of the synaptic cleft was observed by transmission electron microscopy.Results Compared with the naive group,the paw withdrawal threshold in the CCI group decreased continuously(P<0.01).The number of NDRG2 and GFAP co-labeling positive cells in the spinal dorsal horn increased significantly(P<0.01),and the number of GLT-1 and GFAP co-labeled positive cells was significantly reduced(P<0.01).NDRG2 mRNA expression was up-regulated and GLT-1 mRNA expression decreased in astrocytes(P<0.01).The concentrations of glutamate increased significantly(P<0.01);The synaptic cleft was significantly narrowed(P<0.05).After tuina intervention,the above trend was significantly reversed.Compared with the model group,the paw withdrawal threshold of the tuina group increased from 11 days after CCI(P<0.01),the number of NDRG2 and GFAP co-labeling positive cells in the spinal dorsal horn was significantly reduced(P<0.01),and the number of GLT-1 and GFAP co-labeled positive cells increased significantly(P<0.01);down-regulated the expression of NDRG2 mRNA and restored GLT-1 mRNA expression in astrocytes(P<0.01);decreased glutamate concentration in synaptic cleft(P<0.05),the synaptic cleft was relatively widened(P<0.05).Conclusion Tuina alleviates pain in CCI rats at the spinal cord level possibly by promoting the uptake of glutamate by NDRG2/GLT-1 pathway in astrocytes,restoring the width of synaptic cleft and reversing synaptic plasticity.