Objective: To assess the effectiveness of vertebral cement augmentation (VCA) at upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) and UIV+1 in preventing proximal junction complications in correction surgery for adult spinal deformity patients. Methods: A literature search was conducted on Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases for comparative studies published before December 30th, 2024. Two reviewers independently screened eligible articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, assessed study quality with Newcastle-Ottawa scale, and extracted data like study characteristics, surgical details, primary and secondary outcomes. Data analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4 and Stata software. Results: Of all 513 papers screened, a meta-analysis was conducted on 7 articles, which included 333 cases in the VCA group and 827 cases in the control group. Patients in the VCA group had significantly older age and lower T score than patients in the control group. Although there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of proximal junctional failure between the 2 groups, the results of the meta-analysis showed that the incidence of proximal junctional failure and the need for revision surgery were reduced by 36% and 71%, respectively, in the VCA group. One study reported 2 clinically silent pulmonary cement embolism and 1 patient requiring surgical decompression for cement leak into the spinal canal. Conclusion This meta-analysis supported the use of VCA in corrective surgery for spinal deformities patients, especially in patients with advanced age and osteoporosis.

Neoadjuvant therapy has become the standard treatment for locally advanced resectable esophageal cancer, significantly improving long-term survival compared to surgery alone. Neoadjuvant therapy has evolved to include various strategies, such as concurrent chemoradiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or targeted combination therapy. This enriches clinical treatment options and provides a more personalized and scientific treatment approach for patients. This article aims to comprehensively summarize current academic research hot topics, review the rationale and evaluation measures of neoadjuvant therapy, discuss challenges in restaging methods after neoadjuvant therapy, and identify the advantages and disadvantages of various neoadjuvant therapeutic strategies.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of vertebral cement augmentation (VCA) at upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) and UIV+1 in preventing proximal junction complications in correction surgery for adult spinal deformity patients. Methods: A literature search was conducted on Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases for comparative studies published before December 30th, 2024. Two reviewers independently screened eligible articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, assessed study quality with Newcastle-Ottawa scale, and extracted data like study characteristics, surgical details, primary and secondary outcomes. Data analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4 and Stata software. Results: Of all 513 papers screened, a meta-analysis was conducted on 7 articles, which included 333 cases in the VCA group and 827 cases in the control group. Patients in the VCA group had significantly older age and lower T score than patients in the control group. Although there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of proximal junctional failure between the 2 groups, the results of the meta-analysis showed that the incidence of proximal junctional failure and the need for revision surgery were reduced by 36% and 71%, respectively, in the VCA group. One study reported 2 clinically silent pulmonary cement embolism and 1 patient requiring surgical decompression for cement leak into the spinal canal. Conclusion This meta-analysis supported the use of VCA in corrective surgery for spinal deformities patients, especially in patients with advanced age and osteoporosis.

Objective To verify the efficacy of a domestic human DNA quantification kit based on real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR in detecting the total human DNA concentration,male DNA concen-tration in mixed male/female DNA samples,the degree of DNA degradation and inhibitor tolerance.Methods Samples with different concentrations,different male/female ratios,different concentrations of inhibitors,and different degradation degrees were tested using the domestic human DNA quantification kit based on real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR.This kit was compared with a similar product on the market and was applied to the detection of DNA from real cases.Results This human DNA quan-tification kit can effectively detect human DNA as low as 0.001 65 ng/μL,and 6.25 pg/μL of male DNA in mixed samples with a male-to-female ratio of 1∶15 000.Even when the sample contains as high as 400 ng/μL of humic acid or 1 000 μmol/L of hemin alone,the DNA concentration can still be accurately detected.The degradation index can effectively characterize the degradation degree of the sample.This kit has been successfully applied in forensic practice.Conclusion This human DNA quan-tification kit is accurate and reliable in detection.It can accurately reflect the degradation of DNA and inhibitor tolerance.It has good performance in quantitative accuracy,determination of the male/female ratio in mixed samples,and inhibitor tolerance.It has application potential in forensic case examination.

INTRODUCTION: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have informed guideline recommendations for the management of stable coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the real-world impact of contemporary guidelines and trials on practising physicians in the Asia-Pacific region remains uncertain. We aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices among cardiovascular physicians in the region regarding stable CAD management. METHOD: An anonymised cross-sectional electronic survey was administered to cardiovascular practitioners from the Asia Pacific, assessing 3 domains: 1) baseline knowledge on recent trials and society guideline, 2) attitudes towards stable CAD, and 3) case scenarios reflecting management preferences. Correlations among knowledge, attitudes and practice scores were assessed between physicians from developed and developing countries using Pearson correlation. RESULTS: Overall, 713 respondents from 21 countries completed the survey. The mean knowledge score was 2.90±1.18 (out of 4), with 37.3% of respondents answering all questions correctly, while 74.6% noted that guidelines have significant impact on their practice. Despite guidelines recommending optimal medical therapy, majority chose revascularisation (range 53.4- 90.6%) as the preferred strategy for the case scenarios. Practitioners from developed regions had higher knowledge scores and lower attitude scores compared to developing regions, while practice scores were similar in both groups. Weakly positive correlations were noted between knowledge, attitude and practice scores. CONCLUSION Variations exist in knowledge and attitudes towards guideline recommendations and correspondingly actual clinical practice in the Asia Pacific, with most practitioners choosing an upfront invasive strategy for the treatment of stable CAD. These differences reflect real-world disparities in guideline interpretation and clinical adoption.
Humans ; Coronary Artery Disease/therapy* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Practice Patterns, Physicians'/statistics & numerical data* ; Asia ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Male ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Female ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; Middle Aged ; Developing Countries

In this paper, near-infrared spectroscopy(NIRS) was employed to analyze 129 batches of commercial products of Reduning Injection. The batch reporting rate was estimated according to the report of Reduning Injection in the direct adverse drug reaction(ADR) reporting system of the drug marketing authorization holder of the Center for Drug Reevaluation of the National Medical Products Administration(National Center for ADR Monitoring) from August 2021 to August 2022. According to the batch reporting rate, the samples of Reduning Injection were classified into those with potential risks and those being safe. No processing, random oversampling(ROS), random undersampling(RUS), and synthetic minority over-sampling technique(SMOTE) were then employed to balance the unbalanced data. After the samples were classified according to appropriate sampling methods, competitive adaptive reweighted sampling(CARS), successive projections algorithm(SPA), uninformative variables elimination(UVE), and genetic algorithm(GA) were respectively adopted to screen the features of spectral data. Then, support vector machine(SVM), logistic regression(LR), k-nearest neighbors(KNN), naive bayes(NB), random forest(RF), and artificial neural network(ANN) were adopted to establish the risk prediction models. The effects of the four feature extraction methods on the accuracy of the models were compared. The optimal method was selected, and bayesian optimization was performned to optimize the model parameters to improve the accuracy and robustness of model prediction. To explore the correlations between potential risks of clinical use and quality test data, TreeNet was employed to identify potential quality parameters affecting the clinical safety of Reduning Injection. The results showed that the models established with the SVM, LR, KNN, NB, RF, and ANN algorithms had the F1 scores of 0.85, 0.85, 0.86, 0.80, 0.88, and 0.85 and the accuracy of 88%, 88%, 88%, 85%, 91%, and 88%, respectively, and the prediction time was less than 5 s. The results indicated that the established models were accurate and efficient. Therefore, near infrared spectroscopy combined with machine learning algorithms can quickly predict the potential risks of clinical use of Reduning Injection in batches. Three key quality parameters that may affect clinical safety were identified by TreeNet, which provided a scientific basis for improving the safety standards of Reduning Injection.
Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Machine Learning ; Algorithms ; Humans ; Quality Control

Following the release of the Technical Requirements on Quality Control and Standard Establishment of Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula Granules by the National Medical Products Administration in 2021, Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission has promulgated 296 national drug standards so far, and most provinces have started the work of establishing provincial standards as supplements. The promulgation of standards fostered high-quality development of the industry. Since the implementation of national and provincial standards for more than three years, enterprises have gained deep understanding and hands-on experiences on the characteristics, technical requirements, production process, and quality control of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) formula granules. Meanwhile, challenges have emerged restricting the high-quality development of this industry, including how to formulate quality control strategies for medicinal materials and decoction pieces, how to reduce manufacturing costs, and how to improve the pass rate and product stability under high standards. Based on the work experiences from standard management and process research, this article analyzed the distribution of sources, processing methods, dry extract rate ranges, process requirements for volatile oil-containing decoction pieces, control measures of safety indices, characteristics and trends of setting characteristic chromatograms or fingerprints, characteristics and trends of setting content ranges, and main differences between national standards and provincial standards. On the one hand, this article aims to present main characteristics for deeply understanding different indicators in standards and provide basic ideas for establishing quality and process control systems. On the other hand, from the perspective of industrial practice, suggestions are put forward on the important aspects that need to be focused on in the quality and process control of TCM formula granules.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Quality Control ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/standards* ; China ; Drug Industry/standards*

To improve the quality evaluation system of Hibisci Mutabilis Folium, this study established high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) fingerprints of Hibisci Mutabilis Folium and evaluated the quality differences of medicinal materials from different places of production by chemometrics. Furthermore, a content measurement method of differential components was established based on quantitative analysis of multi-components by single-marker(QAMS). The fingerprints of 17 batches of Hibisci Mutabilis Folium from different places of production were constructed, with a total of 19 common peaks marked and seven components confirmed. The similarity between the sample fingerprints and the reference fingerprints ranged from 0.890 to 0.974. By utilizing principal component analysis(PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis(HCA), and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA), the chemical patterns of fingerprints were identified. Five components that could be used to evaluate the quality differences of Hibisci Mutabilis Folium were screened, namely peak 6(quercetin 3-O-β-robinobioside), peak 7(rutin), peak 9(kaempferol-3-O-β-robinobioside), peak 10(kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside), and peak 14(tiliroside). The relative correction factors of isoquercitrin, kaempferol-3-O-β-robinobioside, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucoside, and tiliroside were measured with rutin as the internal reference. The QAMS method was established for the content measurement of six flavonoids, and the results showed there was no significant difference compared to the results obtained by an external standard method. In summary, the HPLC fingerprints and QAMS method established in the study, demonstrating stability and accuracy, can provide a reference for the overall quality evaluation of Hibisci Mutabilis Folium.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Quality Control ; Principal Component Analysis

OBJECTIVE: To compare the short-term clinical efficacy and safety of closed reduction with Kirschner wire fixation versus open reduction with plate fixation for treating osteoporotic Colles' fractures in middle-aged and elderly patients. METHODS: Between January 2018 and January 2023, 119 patients with Colles fractures were retrospectively analyzed, including 39 males and 80 females, aged from 48 to 74 years old with an average of(60.58±6.71) years old. The time from injury to operation ranged 1 to 13 days with an average of (5.29±2.52) days. According to the surgical method, they were divided into Kirschner wire fixation group (Kirschner wire group) and plate internal fixation group (plate group). In Kirschner wire group, there were a total of 68 patients, comprising 21 males and 47 females. The average age was (61.15±6.24) years old, ranged from 49 to 74 years old. Among them, 41 cases involved the left side while 27 cases involved the right side. In the plate group, there were a total of 51 patients, including 18 males and 33 females. The average age was (59.78±5.71) years old ranged from 48 to 72 years old. Among them, there were 31 cases on the left side and 20 cases on the right side. The following parameters were recorded before and after the operation:operation time, intraoperative blood loss, hospitalization days, hospitalization expenses, postoperative complications, and radiographic parameters of distal radius (distal radius height, ulnar deviation angle, palmar tilt angle). The clinical efficacy was evaluated at 3 and 12 months after the operation using Gartland-Werley and disabilites of the arm shoulder and hand (DASH) scores. RESULTS: The patients in both groups were followed up for a duration from 12 to 19 months with an average of(13.32±2.02) months. The Kirschner wire group exhibited significantly shorter operation time compared to the plate group 27.91(13.00, 42.00) min vs 67.52(29.72, 105.32) min, Z=-8.74, P=0.00. Intraoperative blood loss was also significantly lower in the Kirschner wire group than in the plate group 3.24(1.08, 5.40) ml vs 21.91(17.38, 26.44) ml, Z=-9.31, P=0.00. Furthermore, patients in the Kirschner wire group had a shorter length of hospital stay compared to those in the plate group (8.38±2.63) days vs (11.40±2.78) days, t=-3.12, P=0.00. Additionally, hospitalization cost was significantly lower in the Kirschner wire group than in the plate group 10 111.29(6 738.98, 13 483.60) yuan vs 15 871.11(11 690.40, 20 051.82) yuan, Z=-5.62, P=0.00. The incidence of complications was 2 cases in the Kirschner wire group and 1 case in the plate group, with no statistically significant difference(P>0.05). At 3 months postoprative, the radial height of the Kirschner wire group was found to be significantly smaller than that of the plate group, with measurements of (11.45±1.69) mm and (12.11±1.78) mm respectively (t=-2.06, P=0.04). However, there were no statistically significant differences observed in ulnar deviation angle and palmar tilt angle between the two groups (P>0.05). The DASH score and Gartland-Werley score in the Kirschner group were significantly higher than those in the plate group at 3 months post-operation (19.10±9.89) vs (13.47±3.51), t=4.34, P=0.00;(11.15±3.61) vs (6.41±2.75), t=8.13, P=0.00). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups at 12 months post-operation (P>0.05). CONCLUSION Compared to plate internal fixation, closed reduction with Kirschner wire support fixation yields a slightly inferior recovery of radial height;however, there is no significant disparity in the functional score of the affected limb at 12 months post-operation. Nonetheless, this technique offers advantages such as shorter operation time, reduced intraoperative blood loss, decreased hospitalization duration, and lower cost.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/instrumentation* ; Bone Wires ; Bone Plates ; Retrospective Studies ; Colles' Fracture/surgery* ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures/methods* ; Open Fracture Reduction/methods* ; Osteoporotic Fractures/surgery*

OBJECTIVE: To compare clinical efficacy between side-opening and front-opening bone cement injectors in percutaneous kyphoplasty(PKP) for the management of thoracolumbar osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures(OVCFs). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, comprising 62 patients with single-segment thoracolumbar OVCFs (T₁₁-L₂), who underwent bilateral PKP at our department during the period from June 2020 to October 2021. Patients were categorized into two groups based on the specific bone cement injector employed during the surgical procedure: the side-opening group (n=29) and the front-opening group (n=33). Among them, the side-opening group consisted of 6 male and 23 female patients, with a mean age of (73.32±9.11) years. The front-opening group included 7 male and 26 female patients, with a mean age of (71.29±10.39) years. The variables encompassed essential patient characteristics were recorded, such as gender, age, bone mineral density (BMD), and fracture level (T₁₁-L₂), as well as procedural aspects, including operation duration, cement injection volume, cement distribution type (lobular or diffuse), occurrence of cement leakage, pre-and post-operative visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores, and vertebral compression ratio. RESULTS: All patients underwent successful surgery, with a mean follow-up duration of (15.37±3.03) months. There were no statistically significant differences in gender, age, BMD, fracture level, preoperative vertebral compression degree, and VAS scores between the side-opening group and the front-opening group (P>0.05). The operation time, the mean cement injection volumes, the distribution of bone cement within the vertebrae has no statistically significant difference between two groups(P>0.05). Both the side-opening and front-opening groups showed significant improvements in VAS scores at 3 days and 6 months after operation (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in VAS scores between the two groups at both 3 days and 6 months after the operation (P>0.05). CONCLUSION Side-opening bone cement injectors in bilateral PKP surgery for single-segment thoracolumbar OVCF achieve similar clinical efficacy as front-opening injectors, without significant improvement in cement distribution and containment.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Kyphoplasty/instrumentation* ; Aged ; Bone Cements ; Fractures, Compression/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Fractures/surgery* ; Thoracic Vertebrae/injuries* ; Lumbar Vertebrae/injuries* ; Osteoporotic Fractures/surgery* ; Middle Aged ; Aged, 80 and over