Objective:To evaluate the design and application of the superior thyroid artery perforator flap (STAPF) for reconstruction after head and neck oncological resection.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 24 consecutive patients (22 men, 2 women; age 40-72 years) treated at Hunan Cancer Hospital between June 2018 and December 2023. Their primary tumors included buccal carcinoma ( n=7), tongue carcinoma ( n=8), oropharyngeal carcinoma ( n=2), floor-of-mouth carcinoma ( n=3), laryngeal carcinoma ( n=3), and hypopharyngeal carcinoma ( n=1). Flap design, venous drainage strategy, and postoperative outcomes were assessed. SPSS 19.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results:Flap dimensions were length of 9.4±0.5 cm, width of 3.3±0.6 cm, thickness of 0.5±0.2 cm, and pedicle length of 7.3±0.6 cm. Fifteen flaps were based on a single perforator (diameter ≥0.5 mm), whereas, nine fascial flaps incorporated multiple perforators (capillary diameter ≤0.5 mm). Venous drainage routes were as follows: superior thyroid vein ( n=12, retrograde in 3), facial vein ( n=5, all retrograde), anterior jugular vein ( n=4, retrograde in 1), and external jugular vein ( n=3, retrograde in 2). All 24 flaps survived completely. Donor sites were closed primarily and all cervical wounds healed. No flap-related complications, inculding orocutaneous, pharyngocutaneous, laryngocutaneous fistula and wound infection, were observed. Final pathologic stages were T1N0M0 ( n=2), T2N0M0 ( n=16), T2N1M0 ( n=3), and T3N0M0 ( n=3). With follow-up of 12-46 months, aside from one patient with tongue cancer died of contralateral cervical and parapharyngeal lymph-node metastases at 6 months, others remained disease-free. Patients with laryngeal or hypopharyngeal carcinoma had their tracheostomy tubes removed within 4 weeks postoperatively. Conclusion:STAPF offers flexible design, with minimal donor-site morbidity and low functional impairment. It is particularly advantageous for reconstruction of small-to-moderate defects following head and neck tumor ablation.

Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of obstruction of the upper airway during sleep. Given the substantial number of OSA patients, it is urgently in need to address the burden on society. Current available evidence linking outdoor light at night (LAN) to OSA is scarce. Objective To explore the relationships regarding outdoor LAN and OSA among residents in Southern China. Methods A total of 3925 hospitalized patients in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital Sleep Center were recruited between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2015. The severity of OSA was determined by apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) using polysomnography or home sleep test. The annual Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (NPP-VIIRS)-like LAN data with a 500 m spatial resolution were used to evaluate outdoor LAN levels of the participants 1, 3, and 5 years before undergoing sleep monitoring. Generalized linear regression models were utilized to examine the associations of outdoor LAN with OSA. Results The ORs (95%CIs) of OSA, mild OSA, and moderate OSA were 1.175 (1.021, 1.351), 1.215 (1.038, 1.421), and 1.195 (1.003, 1.425) respectively for per interquartile range (IQR) increment in three-year average outdoor LAN. The results of stratified analyses showed a higher OR of 1.933 (95%CI: 1.424, 2.637) in female than male participants (P _interaction < 0.001). Additionally, the ORs of OSA did not substantially change using one-year/ five-year instead of three-year average outdoor LAN. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that an elevated outdoor LAN is significantly associated with higher odds of OSA (especially mild and moderate OSA) in Southern China, especially in females. An effective outdoor LAN management and policy-making framework has been suggested as potential preventive measures to reduce burden of OSA.

[Objective] To investigate the factors associated with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) abnormalities in multi-ethnic blood donors across five Zang autonomous prefectures in the plateau regions of Qinghai Province, and to provide evidence for ensuring blood safety and formulating screening strategies. [Methods] A retrospective analysis was performed on the ALT abnormal test results of blood donors in the Zang autonomous prefectures of Qinghai from 2022 to 2024. The correlations between ALT levels and factors including gender, age, altitude, and infectious markers were investigated. [Results] The overall ALT unqualified rate among blood donors in this region was 9.01%. Significant differences in ALT levels were observed across genders and age groups (P<0.05). Variations in ALT abnormality rates were also noted among different plateau regions (P<0.05). Overall, ALT values exhibited an increasing trend with rising altitude. The average ALT unqualified rates were 11.19% in Zang donors, 7.96% in Han donors, and 4.79% in donors from other ethnic groups (P<0.05). No statistically significant association was observed between ALT abnormality and the presence of HBV/HCV infectious markers (P>0.05). [Conclusion] In the plateau areas of Qinghai, multi-ethnic blood donors have a relatively high ALT levels and ALT unqualified rates, showing distinct regional characteristics. ALT elevation in voluntary blood donors is related to non-pathological factors such as gender, age, and dietary habits, but not to infectious indicators.

Akkermansia muciniphila, a probiotic is discovered years earlier, colonizes the human intestinal mucosa. In recent years, researchers have found the correlation between Akkermansia muciniphila and progression of kidney diseases based on the theory of the gut-kidney axis. The abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila in the gut changes during the onset, regression and treatment of renal diseases such as congenital nephrology, chronic kidney disease, complications after renal transplantation. The research on the correlation between Akkermansia muciniphila and renal diseases is still in the initial stage. The review introduces the research progress on the role of Akkermansia muciniphila in renal diseases from three aspects: the biological characteristics of Akkermansia muciniphila, the abundance change in the progression of renal diseases, and their biological effects to provide references for the following research on the mechanisms of Akkermansia muciniphila in renal diseases and the application of clinical renal disease treatment.

Objective:To evaluate the design and application of the superior thyroid artery perforator flap (STAPF) for reconstruction after head and neck oncological resection.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 24 consecutive patients (22 men, 2 women; age 40-72 years) treated at Hunan Cancer Hospital between June 2018 and December 2023. Their primary tumors included buccal carcinoma ( n=7), tongue carcinoma ( n=8), oropharyngeal carcinoma ( n=2), floor-of-mouth carcinoma ( n=3), laryngeal carcinoma ( n=3), and hypopharyngeal carcinoma ( n=1). Flap design, venous drainage strategy, and postoperative outcomes were assessed. SPSS 19.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results:Flap dimensions were length of 9.4±0.5 cm, width of 3.3±0.6 cm, thickness of 0.5±0.2 cm, and pedicle length of 7.3±0.6 cm. Fifteen flaps were based on a single perforator (diameter ≥0.5 mm), whereas, nine fascial flaps incorporated multiple perforators (capillary diameter ≤0.5 mm). Venous drainage routes were as follows: superior thyroid vein ( n=12, retrograde in 3), facial vein ( n=5, all retrograde), anterior jugular vein ( n=4, retrograde in 1), and external jugular vein ( n=3, retrograde in 2). All 24 flaps survived completely. Donor sites were closed primarily and all cervical wounds healed. No flap-related complications, inculding orocutaneous, pharyngocutaneous, laryngocutaneous fistula and wound infection, were observed. Final pathologic stages were T1N0M0 ( n=2), T2N0M0 ( n=16), T2N1M0 ( n=3), and T3N0M0 ( n=3). With follow-up of 12-46 months, aside from one patient with tongue cancer died of contralateral cervical and parapharyngeal lymph-node metastases at 6 months, others remained disease-free. Patients with laryngeal or hypopharyngeal carcinoma had their tracheostomy tubes removed within 4 weeks postoperatively. Conclusion:STAPF offers flexible design, with minimal donor-site morbidity and low functional impairment. It is particularly advantageous for reconstruction of small-to-moderate defects following head and neck tumor ablation.

Akkermansia muciniphila, a probiotic is discovered years earlier, colonizes the human intestinal mucosa. In recent years, researchers have found the correlation between Akkermansia muciniphila and progression of kidney diseases based on the theory of the gut-kidney axis. The abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila in the gut changes during the onset, regression and treatment of renal diseases such as congenital nephrology, chronic kidney disease, complications after renal transplantation. The research on the correlation between Akkermansia muciniphila and renal diseases is still in the initial stage. The review introduces the research progress on the role of Akkermansia muciniphila in renal diseases from three aspects: the biological characteristics of Akkermansia muciniphila, the abundance change in the progression of renal diseases, and their biological effects to provide references for the following research on the mechanisms of Akkermansia muciniphila in renal diseases and the application of clinical renal disease treatment.

Objective To investigate the effects of long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) solute carrier organic anion transporter family member 4A1 (SLCO4A1-AS1) targeting microRNA-615-5p (miR-615-5p) in esophageal cancer cells on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and expression of inflammatory factors. Methods Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to analyze the expression of LncRNA SLCO4A1-AS1 and miR-615-5p in esophageal cancer tissues and cell lines. Eca109 cells were transfected with si-NC, si-LncRNA SLCO4A1-AS1, miR-NC, miR-615-5p mimic, pcDNA, pcDNA-LncRNA SLCO4A1-AS1, si-LncRNA SLCO4A1-AS1+anti-miR-NC, and si-LncRNA SLCO4A1-AS1+anti-miR-615-5p. Cell viability and apoptosis rate were measured by CCK-8 and flow cytometry, respectively; cell proliferation was determined by plate cloning assay; and levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in the culture medium were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. A dual luciferase reporter gene assay was used to determine the relationship between LncRNA SLCO4A1-AS1 and miR-615-5p. Results Expression of LncRNA SLCO4A1-AS1 was upregulated, and miR-615-5p expression was downregulated in esophageal cancer tissues and cell lines. After inhibiting LncRNA SLCO4A1-AS1 expression, cell viability, the number of cell clones, and levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in the culture medium decreased, while miR-615-5p expression and apoptosis rate increased (P < 0.05). Compared with the miR-NC group, the miR-615-5p group showed increased miR-615-5p expression, levels of Cleaved-caspase-3 protein, and apoptosis rate, and decreased cell viability, the number of cell clones, and levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in the culture medium (P < 0.05). Compared with the si-LncRNA SLCO4A1-AS1+anti-miR-NC group, the si-LncRNA SLCO4A1-AS1+anti-miR-615-5p group showed decreased miR-615-5p expression, levels of Cleaved-caspase-3 protein, and apoptosis rate, and increased cell viability, the number of cell clones, and levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in the culture medium (P < 0.05). Conclusion LncRNA SLCO4A1-AS1 can promote the occurrence and development of esophageal cancer. Inhibiting LncRNA SLCO4A1-AS1 can reduce the proliferation of esophageal cancer cells, decrease the expression of inflammatory factors, and induce apoptosis.

Objective To investigate the current situation and existing problems regarding the diagnosis and treatment integrating traditional Chinese and western medicine in the emergency departments of various general hospitals in China to provide a reference for the development of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine emergency medicine. Methods From November 18,2022 to February 28,2023,an online questionnaire survey was conducted among 291 hospitals in 21 provinces/municipalities directly under the Central Government across the country,which was based on the members of the Emergency Medicine Professional Committee of the Chinese Association of the Integration of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine. The questionnaire covered 5 aspects:basic information of hospitals and emergency departments,personnel allocation,medical quality management,equipment allocation,and traditional Chinese medicine techniques and skills (including the application of traditional Chinese medicine and non-drug treatment of traditional Chinese medicine). A comparative study was carried out between the "hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine" and "western medicine hospitals" on the current situation of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine diagnosis and treatment in the emergency department. Results A total of 291 valid questionnaires were collected,covering 291 hospitals in 21 provinces and municipalities directly under the Central Government across the country. Among them,142 were hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine,and 149 were western medicine hospitals. The number of doctors in the emergency departments of hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine were significantly less than that of western medicine hospitals[individuals:11.00 (7.00,18.75) vs. 20.00 (13.00,31.00),P<0.01]. Specifically,the numbers of traditional Chinese medicine doctors,integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine doctors,and "western medicine doctors learning traditional Chinese medicine" in these hospitals were significantly higher than those in western medicine hospitals[individuals:4.00 (2.00,9.00) vs. 0.00 (0.00,0.00),1.00 (0.00,4.00) vs. 0.00 (0.00,0.00),2.00 (0.00,5.00) vs. 0.00 (0.00,0.00),all P<0.01],while the number of western medicine doctors was significantly less than that in western medicine hospitals[individuals:4.00 (1.00,7.50) vs. 25.50 (16.00,37.00),P<0.01]. The number of nurses in the emergency departments of hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese was significantly less than that of western medicine hospitals[individuals:23.00 (16.00,38.75) vs. 42.00 (30.00,80.00),P<0.01]. The numbers of traditional Chinese medicine nurses,"western medicine nurses learning traditional Chinese medicine" in these hospitals were also significantly higher than those in western medicine hospitals[individuals:1.50 (0.00,5.75) vs. 0.00 (0.00,0.00),1.00 (0.00,7.75) vs. 0.00 (0.00,0.00),all P<0.01],while the number of western medicine nurses was significantly less than that in western medicine hospitals[individuals:15.00 (9.00,25.00) vs. 42.00 (27.00,79.00),P<0.01]. In the situation of medical quality management,the setting rates of emergency clinics,resuscitation rooms and observation rooms in western medicine hospitals were close to those in hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine,but the setting rates of emergency department wards and emergency intensive care units (EICU) and the number of beds were significantly higher than those in hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine[setting rate of emergency department wards:70.47％ vs. 53.52％,setting rate of EICU:67.11％ vs. 47.89％,number of beds (individuals):18.00 (0.00,30.00) vs. 2.00 (0.00,12.00) and 8.00 (0.00,12.00) vs. 0.50 (0.00,7.00),all P<0.01]. In terms of the number of visits in 2022,the annual total number of emergency visits (10000 person-times) in western medicine hospitals:6.60 (3.38,12.00) vs. 4.00 (1.25,7.00),the number of visits to the resuscitation room (10000 person-times):0.40 (0.12,1.00) vs. 0.17 (0.05,0.50) and the annual discharge volume of EICU (number of case):216.00 (0.00,550.00) vs. 0.00 (0.00,187.50) were all higher than those in hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine (all P<0.01). In addition,the success rate of rescue in hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine was similar to that in western medicine hospitals,and the participation rate of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of the resuscitation room was significantly higher than that in western medicine hospitals (P<0.01). In the situation of equipment allocation,hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine had fewer numbers of equipment than western medicine hospitals (all P<0.01). The proportion of hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine equipped with non-drug treatment equipment of traditional Chinese medicine was significantly higher than that of western medicine hospitals (all P<0.01). In the application of traditional Chinese medicine techniques and skills,the proportions of hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine in using Chinese patent medicines,agreed prescriptions,syndrome differentiation and treatment prescriptions,etc. were all higher than those of western medicine hospitals (application rate of Chinese patent medicines:81.69％ vs. 61.74％,application rate of agreed prescriptions:61.97％ vs. 16.78％,application rate of syndrome differentiation and treatment prescriptions:61.27％ vs. 19.46％,all P<0.01). The application rates of decoction pieces,non-decoction agreed with prescriptions,injections,hospital preparations and other dosage forms in hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine were all significantly higher than those in western medicine hospitals (application rate of decoction pieces:29.58％ vs. 4.70％,the application rate of non-decoction agreed prescriptions:40.85％ vs. 7.38％,application rate of injections:80.28％ vs. 53.02％,application rate of hospital preparations:33.80％ vs. 12.75％,all P<0.01). The application proportions of oral administration,nasal feeding,enema,gastric lavage,external use,intravenous injection,etc. in hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine were all higher than those in western medicine hospitals (oral application rate:71.13％ vs. 42.28％,nasal feeding application rate:47.18％ vs. 26.17％,enema application rate:48.59％ vs. 19.46％,gastric lavage application rate:21.13％ vs. 6.04％,external use application rate:53.52％ vs. 16.78％,intravenous injection application rate:71.83％ vs. 54.36％,all P<0.01). The application proportions of some drugs such as Shenmai/Shengmai injection,Tianma injection in hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine were higher than those in western medicine hospitals (application rate of Shenmai/Shengmai injection:59.15％ vs. 35.57％,application rate of Tianma injection:40.85％ vs. 10.07％,application rate of Danshen Honghua injection:30.99％ vs. 14.77％,application rate of Angong Niuhuang pill:26.76％ vs. 12.08％,P<0.01). The proportions of hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine in carrying out traditional Chinese medicine non-drug treatment operations such as acupuncture,acupoint application,cupping,scraping,bone-setting,moxibustion,press needles,collateral pricking method,etc. were higher than those in western medicine hospitals (application rate of acupuncture:65.49％ vs. 11.41％,application rate of acupoint application:60.56％ vs. 10.07％,application rate of cupping:32.39％ vs. 4.70％,application rate of scraping:28.17％ vs. 2.01％,application rate of bone-setting:26.76％ vs. 10.74％,application rate of moxibustion:24.65％ vs. 5.37％,application rate of press needles:17.61％ vs. 1.34％,application rate of collateral pricking method:16.90％ vs. 0.67％,all P<0.01). Conclusion The proportion of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine personnel in the emergency departments of hospitals in China is relatively low,and the utilization rate and equipment rate of non-drug treatment of traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese medicine emergency drugs are not high. It is necessary to strengthen the cultivation of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine skills of emergency department doctors and the application of non-drug treatment of traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese medicine emergency drugs to improve the ability of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine emergency treatment.

Objective:To investigate the feasibility, safety and effectiveness of colonic interposition with vascular anastomosis in reconstructing the entire esophagus and hypopharynx after resection of hypopharyngeal cancer with esophageal cancer.Methods:We conducted a retrospective analysis of 4 male patients with simultaneous multiple primary cancers of the hypopharynx and esophagus, aged 47 to 58, treated in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at the Hunan Cancer Hospital from February to August 2019. All cases underwent total hypopharyngectomy and total esophagectomy, of whom, three cases presented with total laryngectomy and one case with larynx preservation. Colonic interposition was performed using the left colic artery as a pedicle, with an average colonic length of 48.5 cm. The colon was elevated through the esophageal bed to the neck, and the branch of the colonic mesenteric artery was anastomosed to one of the neck arteries, including the inferior thyroid artery in one case, the transverse cervical artery in two cases, and the superior thyroid artery in one case, and all venous anastomoses were performed with the internal jugular veins.Results:The postoperative neck and abdominal wounds healed well without anastomotic leakage, and all patients were able to resume a regular oral diet within 21-30 days postoperatively. During the follow-up of 48-52 months, two cases died due to tumor recurrence, while the remaining two cases were disease-free survivals.Conclusion:Colonic interposition with vascular anastomosis is a safe and reliable reconstruction method suitable for repairing long-segment upper digestive tract defects after resection of hypopharyngeal cancer with esophageal cancer.

Objective:To recheck the Histoplasma capsulatum and Coccidioides sp. strains of the past by molecular identification and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry(MALDI-TOF MS). Methods:The phylogenetic relationships among the ten Histoplasma capsulatum isolates and reference strains were analyzed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Based on the Coi region, Coccidioides posadasii was distinguished from Coccidioides immitis accurately. MALDI-TOF MS was used to set up the MALDI-TOF MS database of Histoplasma capsulatum and Coccidioides sp. for rapid identification. In addition, hierarchical clustering of spectra was compared with MLST. Results:An unrooted dendrogram constructed with MLST showed that ten individuals of Histoplasma capsulatum were divided into three clades: Eurasia clade, Australia clade and North American class 2 clade, in agreement with the establishment by MALDI-TOF MS cluster analysis. All individuals of Coccidioides sp. were identified as Coccidioides posadasii with Coi region primers. The in-house MALDI-TOF MS database of Histoplasma capsulatum and Coccidioides posadasii was expanded and reached an identified accuracy of 100%. Conclusions:We improve the recognition of Histoplasma capsulatum and Coccidioides posadasii by molecular pathways which shows the major species or clades in Chinese mainland. The in-house MALDI-TOF MS database of Histoplasma capsulatum and Coccidioides posadasii can provide a new efficient way to identify those pathogens rapidly.