Due to traditional professional divisions, the practice of endoscopy by gastro-intestinal surgeons in China remains controversial. However, with the evolution of treatment philo-sophies, medical technology, and equipment advancements, a trend of integration between tradi-tional surgery and endoscopy is emerging. Gastrointestinal surgeons performing endoscopy can maxi-mize patient benefits, and they naturally possess advantages in conducting endoscopic procedures. It is recommended to further establish entry thresholds for surgeons to perform endoscopy, provide standardized endoscopic training for surgeons, and coordinate efforts at the administrative depart-ment. With the support of artificial intelligence, more patients can receive minimally invasive, indivi-dualized, and precise treatments.

Decellularized matrix transplantation has emerged as a promising therapeutic approach for repairing tissue defects, with numerous studies assessing its safety and efficacy in both animal models and clinical settings. The host immune response elicited by decellularized matrix grafts of natural biological origin plays a crucial role in determining the success of tissue repair, influenced by matrix heterogeneity and the inflammatory microenvironment of the wound. However, the specific immunologic mechanisms underlying the interaction between decellularized matrix grafts and the host immune system remain elusive. This article reviews the sources of decellularized matrices, available decellularization techniques, and residual immunogenic components. It focuses on the host immune response following decellularized matrix transplantation, with emphasis on the key mechanisms of Toll-like receptor, T-cell receptor, and TGF-β/SMAD signaling in the stages of post-transplantation immunorecognition, immunomodulation, and tissue repair, respectively. Furthermore, it highlights the innovative roles of TLR10 and miR-29a-3p in improving transplantation outcomes. An in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the host immune response after decellularized matrix transplantation provides new directions for the repair of tissue defects.

Objective:To analyze epidemiological characteristics of leprosy in China from 2016 to 2020, and to provide a scientific basis for further elimination of leprosy.Methods:Data collation and statistical analysis were conducted on annual reports on leprosy epidemic surveillance in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions) from 2016 to 2020.Results:From 2016 to 2020, a total of 2 697 new cases of leprosy were reported in China, including 46 (1.71%) children, 894 (33.15%) females, 374 (13.87%) floating people, 2 443 (90.58%) multibacillary cases, and 546 (20.24%) cases of grade 2 disabilities. A total of 203 relapsed cases were reported in the meantime. By the end of 2020, there had been 1 893 registered leprosy cases in China, and the number of cases was 68.62% fewer than that in 2010 (6 032 cases) ; there were 36 (1.2%) counties or cities with a prevalence rate above 1 per 100 000, and 72 (17.73%) new cases suffered from grade 2 disabilities.Conclusion:From 2016 to 2020, the reported incidence and prevalence of leprosy in China steadily decreased year by year, and overall, leprosy was still lowly prevalent.

Objective:To optimize indirect immunofluorescence on salt-split skin (IIF-SSS), and to evaluate its performance in detection of bullous pemphigoid (BP) antibodies.Methods:Normal human foreskin and non-foreskin skin tissues were used to prepare salt-split substrates under 3 different experimental conditions: traditional group rotated at 4 ℃ for 48 - 72 hours, low-temperature immersion group soaked at 4 ℃ for 48 - 72 hours, room-temperature immersion group soaked at 25 ℃ (range: 23 - 27 ℃) for 24 hours. Serum samples were obtained from 20 patients with bullous pemphigoid (BP) in Hospital of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between August 2019 and August 2020, and subjected to IIF on the intact skin or salt-split substrates by using a multiple dilution method. Paired-sample t test was used for comparisons of means between two paired samples. Results:No dermal-epidermal separation was observed in the substrates prepared in the low-temperature immersion group at 48 - 72 hours, while dermal-epidermal separation occurred in the lower lamina lucida of the foreskin and non-foreskin substrates in the room-temperature immersion group and the traditional group. For the 20 patients with BP, the reciprocal end-point titers ( M[ Q1, Q3]) detected with the salt-split non-foreskin skin and salt-split foreskin in the room-temperature immersion group, and with the salt-split non-foreskin skin in the traditional group were 5 120 (2 560, 17 920), 1 280 (640, 2 560), 1 280 (640, 2 560), respectively. Moreover, 19 (95%) patients with BP showed that the reciprocal end-point titers detected with the substrates in the room-temperature immersion group were 1 - 5 times those in the traditional group ( t = 8.04, P<0.001), suggesting that the performance of salt-split skin in the room-temperature immersion group was superior to that in the traditional group in the detection of BP antibodies; however, there was no significant difference in the reciprocal end-point titers of BP antibodies between the salt-split foreskin in the room-temperature immersion group and salt-split non-foreskin skin in the traditional group ( t<0.001, P>0.05). The reciprocal end-point titers in 20 BP sera detected by conventional IIF on the intact non-foreskin skin and foreskin were 320 (160, 640) and 480 (160, 1 120), respectively; the reciprocal end-point titers detected by IIF on the salt-split foreskin and non-foreskin skin in the room-temperature immersion group, as well as on the salt-split non-foreskin skin in the traditional group, were all consistent with or 1 - 7 times higher than those detected by conventional IIF ( t = 6.47, 14.83, 5.26, respectively, all P<0.001) . Conclusion:The soaking method at room temperature 25 ℃ (23 - 27 ℃) for preparing salt-split substrates has advantages of short duration and simple procedure, and the sensitivity of IIF-SSS using the substrates prepared by this method is equal or superior to the traditional salt-split method for detecting BP antibodies.

Objective:To analyze the interim clinical efficacy of laparoscopic and open distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer in elderly patients.Methods:The prospective randomized controlled study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 102 patients aged ≥65 years who underwent distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer in the Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University from September 2014 to May 2018 were collected. After excluding 6 patients, 96 patients were finally included. Based on random number table, patients were allocated into two groups. Patients undergoing laparoscopic distal gastrectomy were allocated into laparoscopic group, and patients undergoing open distal gastrectomy were allocated into open group, respectively. Obser-vation indicators: (1) grouping situations of the enrolled patients; (2) intraoperative situations; (3) postoperative situations; (4) follow-up. Follow-up using outpatient examination and telephone interview was conducted to detect complications in the postoperative 30 days up to July 2018. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( P25, P75) or M(range), and comparison between groups was analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the chi-square test. Comparison of ordinal data was analyzed using the non-parameter Mann-Whitney U test. Results:(1) Grouping situations of the enrolled patients: a total of 96 patients were selected for eligibility. There were 66 males and 30 females, aged from 65 to 85 years, with a median age of 69 years. There were 49 of 96 patients in the laparoscopic group and 47 patients in the open group. (2) Intraoperative situations: patients in the two groups underwent distal gastrectomy successfully with D 2 lymphadenectomy, without intra-operative conversion to laparotomy. The volume of intraoperative blood loss and surgical incision length were 50 mL(50 mL,100 mL) and (7.1±1.7)cm for the laparoscopic group, respectively, versus 100 mL(100 mL,200 mL) and (19.1±1.7)cm for the open group, showing significant differences between the two groups ( Z=?3.779, t=?34.880, P<0.05) . (3) Postoperative situations: the number of lymph node dissected, time to postoperative initial out-of-bed activities, time to postoperative first flatus, time to postoperative first liquid food intake, time to postoperative first semi-liquid food intake, time to drainage tube removal, duration of postoperative hospital stay were 49(35,62), 1.9 days(1.3 days,2.9 days), 2.6 days(2.2 days,2.9 days), 3.4 days(2.7days,4.0 days), 5.9 days(4.7 days,7.7 days), 4.9 days(3.5 days,6.8 days), 7.7 days(6.7 days,8.9 days) for the laparoscopic group, respectively, versus 40(27,51), 2.5 days (1.8 days,3.3 days), 2.6 days(2.2 days,2.9 days), 3.9 days(2.9 days,5.7 days), 4.9 days(3.9 days, 5.9 days), 6.3 days(4.7 days,8.9 days), 8.7 days(6.9 days,11.7 days), showing significant differences between the two groups ( Z=?2.354, ?2.210, ?2.743, ?2.474, ?2.906, ?2.503, ?2.359, P<0.05). (4) Follow-up: patients in the two groups received 30 days of follow-up. During the follow-up, 8 patients in the laparoscopic group had postoperative complications, including 1 case with Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅰ complications, 7 cases with Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅱ complications, and no patient with Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅲ complications. Thirteen patients in the open group had postoperative complications, including 2 cases with Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅰ complications, 10 cases with Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅱ complications, and 1 case with Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅲ complications. There was no significant difference in the above indicators between the two groups ( χ2=1.135, 1.973, 1.054, P>0.05). The overall complication rate was 16.3%(8/49) and 27.7%(13/47) for the laparoscopic group and open group, respectively, showing no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=1.803, 99.7% confidence interval as ?∞ to 2.4%, P>0.05). The upper limit of 99.7% confidence interval was less than non-inferiority level of 15%, interim analysis of which showed that the complication rate of the laparoscopic group was non-inferior to the open group. Conclusion:For elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic or open distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer, laparoscopic surgery does not increase intraoperative or postoperative complications, and has advantages of minimally invasiveness, fine operation, quicker recovery, and shorter hospital stay. Registry: this study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov in United States, with the registry number of NCT02246153.

Objective To evaluate the effects of group medical visits and peer education on the compliance behaviors of patients with acne vulgaris,and to explore the effective health education approaches for patients with acne vulgaris.Methods A total of 80 patients with acne vulgaris were enrolled from Hospital of Dermatology,Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences during December 2016.They were randomly and equally divided into 2 groups:intervention group receiving conventional health education combined with group medical visits and peer education,and control group receiving conventional health education alone.At week 1,2 and 4 after the intervention,the compliance behaviors were compared between the 2 groups.Results Totally,18 patients were lost to the follow-up due to refusals and non-response,and 32 patients in the intervention group and 30 patients in the control group finally completed the study.At week 1,2 and 4 after the intervention,the scores of compliance behaviors were significantly higher in the intervention group (83.6 ± 9.3,85.9 ± 9.1,91.2 ± 8.4 respectively) than in the control group (77.1 ± 7.3,77.1 ± 8.6,79.1 ± 10.2 respectively;all P ＜ 0.05).Moreover,the scores of compliance behaviors significantly increased over time (P ＜ 0.05),and there was a significant interaction effect between the intervention methods and treatment duration (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Health education approaches including group medical visits and peer education can improve the compliance behaviors of patients with acne vulgaris.

Objective To analyze the epidemiological features of leprosy in China from 2011 to 2015,and to provide scientific evidences for prevention and treatment strategies.Methods An epidemiological analysis and a trend analysis were conducted based on the national leprosy surveillance data from 2011 to 2015.Results The leprosy detection rate in China decreased from 0.085 per 100 000 in 2011 to 0.049 per 100 000 in 2015,with an average annual decline rate being 12.9％.A total of 4 775 leprosy cases were newly detected during 2011-2015,including 106 (2.2％) children,1 499 (31.4％) females,518 (10.8％) floating people,4 041 (84.6％) multibacillary cases and 1 134 (23.7％) cases with grade 2 disabilities.From 2011 to 2015,328 relapsed cases were reported,including 153 (46.6％) cases recurring after combined chemotherapy.The prevalence rate of leprosy in China decreased from 0.407 per 100 000 in 2011 to 0.235 per 100 000 in 2015,with an average annual decline rate being 12.9％.By the end of 2015,there had been 3 230 registered leprosy cases and 124 counties with a prevalence rate above 1 per 100 000.Conclusions The detection rate and prevalence rate of leprosy in China were both decreasing continuously from 2011 to 2015.The high-epidemic provinces were Yunnan,Guizhou,Sichuan and Guangdong.However,leprosy control in middle-and low-epidemic provinces can not be ignored.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of urticaria among children aged 2-6 years in Nanjing city.Methods A questionnaire survey was carried out in children aged 2-6 years in 5 main districts of Nanjing City.Results The number of valid questionnaires was 13 610,accounting for 92.8％ of total respondents.Among the 13 610 respondents,1 116 were diagnosed as urticaria,including 565 boys and 551 girls,with the total prevalence rate being 8.54％.No significant difference was observed in the prevalence rate of urticaria between boys and girls (8.49％ vs.8.60％,x2 =0.04,P =0.832) or among children of different age groups (x2 =1.84,P =0.17).The prevalence of urticaria increased with age,and positively correlated with parents' educational level (rs =0.96,P =0.000).Children born in urban areas showed higher prevalence of urticaria than those in rural areas (8.79％ vs.5.56％,x2 =13.98,P =0.000).Conclusions The prevalence of urticaria has increased among children aged 2-6 years in recent years.More studies should be carried out to investigate into the pathogenesis and relevant factors of urticaria,so as to facilitate its prevention and treatment.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) among children aged 2-6 years in Nanjing city.Methods A questionnaire survey was carried out in children aged 2-6 years in 7 main districts of Nanjing City.Results A total of 13 061 children were investigated,among which,768 were diagnosed as AD,including 410 boys and 358 girls.The prevalence rate of AD was 5.88％ (95％ CI,5.48％-6.28％) in total,6.16％ (95％ CI,5.59％-6.74％) in boys and 5.59％ (95％ CI,5.02％-6.15％) in girls.Higher prevalence rate of AD was observed in boys compared with girls,and in children whose place of birth was in urban areas compared with those in rural areas.In addition,the prevalence rate of AD increased with age and with the rise in parental educational level.Conclusions Rapid economic development has dramatically changed life habits,dietary structure and residential environment of people,which can influence the prevalence of AD.

Objective To detect gene mutations associated with dapsone-,rifampicin-and ofloxacinresistance in lesions of patients with recurring or treatment-resistant leprosy collected from 2010 to 2011.Methods Clinical data and lesional specimens were collected during 2010-2011 from patients with recurring or treatment-resistant leprosy who were diagnosed and reported by provincial centers for leprosy control.Mycobacterium leprae DNA was extracted from the specimens and subjected to PCR for the amplification of folP1,rpoB and gyrA genes.The PCR products were directly sequenced and BLAST program was used to compare the sequence of isolated strains with the reference sequence in GenBank.Results Twenty-four patients were enrolled in this study,including 13 with recurring leprosy and 11 with treatment-resistant leprosy.Twenty-one patients showed positive PCR results in all the three regions.Of these PCR-positive specimens,3 from 1 patient with recurring and 2 patients with resistant leprosy harbored a point mutation,acc (threonine)→gcc (alanine),at codon 53 in the floP1 gene,1 from a patient with recurring leprosy harbored a missense mutation,gat (aspartic acid) → aac (asparagine),at codon 441 in the rpoB gene.Conclusions Mutations are detected in the folP1 and rpoB genes,which are associated with the resistance to dapsone and rifampicin respectively,but not in the ofloxacin resistance-associated gyrA gene,in Mycobacterium leprae isolates from patients with recurring or treatment-resistant leprosy.