OBJECTIVE: To explore the effectiveness of limb shortening/re-lengthening technique combined with in situ tissue regeneration technique in limb salvage for patients with complex lower limb fractures and soft tissue defects. METHODS: Between January 2021 and December 2024, 12 patients with complex lower limb fractures and soft tissue defects caused by trauma were admitted. There were 10 males and 2 females; the age ranged from 18 to 46 years, with an average of 36 years. Among them, 1 case of open comminuted tibiofibular fracture caused bone necrosis and soft tissue infection; 4 cases of open tibiofibular fractures developed bone and soft tissue infections after being fixed with a combined external fixator, resulting in defects; 7 cases of closed tibial fractures that underwent internal fixation developed soft tissue infections, leading to bone and soft tissue necrosis. The time from injury to the formation of bone and soft tissue defects was 2-9 weeks, with an average of 6 weeks. The length of bone defects was 5.0-10.2 cm, with an average of 6.8 cm; the area of soft tissue defects was 32-54 cm ², with an average of 43.9 cm ². After admission, all patients underwent thorough debridement. The limb shortening treatment was performed after the wound had filled with fresh granulation tissue, and an Ilizarov ring-shaped external fixator was placed or replaced. The limb was shortened at a rate of 1 mm/day to reduce bone defects. At the same time, the soft tissue defects were repaired using the in situ tissue regeneration technique. After the wound healed, osteotomy was performed, and limb lengthening was carried out at a rate of 1 mm/day. The lower limb full-length X-ray films were taken, and the lengthening was stopped when the lower limb alignment was restored. The healing condition of the wound was observed and the healing time was recorded. RESULTS: One patient died due to a traffic accident during limb lengthening. The remaining 11 patients completed limb shortening and re-lengthening treatment and were followed up 18-36 months, with an average of 20 months. All 11 patients successfully preserved their limbs. The wound healing time was 4-12 weeks, with an average of 8 weeks; the limb shortening time was 4-8 weeks, with an average of 6 weeks; and the limb lengthening time was 4-12 weeks, with an average of 8 weeks. One patient experienced delayed bone mineralization during bone lengthening, and one had pin tract infection. Both were treated symptomatically. The lower limb mechanical axis of all 11 patients was restored, and they were able to walk independently. CONCLUSION The application of limb shortening/re-lengthening technique combined with in situ tissue regeneration technique in the treatment of large bone and soft tissue defects not only effectively avoids the occurrence of nonunion at the apposition ends and increases the stability of the lower limb, but also significantly shortens the wound healing time, avoids the risk of soft tissue infection and increases the limb salvage rate. It can be used as a treatment technique for patients with complex lower limb fractures combined with soft tissue defects.
Humans ; Adult ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Soft Tissue Injuries/surgery* ; Limb Salvage/methods* ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Bone Lengthening/methods* ; External Fixators ; Lower Extremity/surgery* ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/methods* ; Fractures, Bone/surgery* ; Tibial Fractures/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome ; Regeneration

As a common malignant tumor of the digestive tract, esophageal cancer exhibits a high incidence rate globally. Due to its high mortality rate in advanced stages, early prevention of esophageal cancer is particularly important and urgent. Currently, the treatment for early esophageal cancer primarily involves surgical intervention, with Endoscopic mucosal Dissection (ESD) gaining attention for its minimally invasive nature and favorable prognostic outcomes. However, post-ESD esophageal stricture, as a common complication, severely impacts the quality of life of patients after surgery. The current methods for preventing and treating post-ESD stricture are diverse, including but not limited to pharmacological treatments and Endoscopic Balloon Dilation (EBD). Although these methods alleviate symptoms to some extent, they have not achieved ideal efficacy, and thus, there are no unified or clear standards for the prevention of post-ESD esophageal stricture. This review provides a brief overview of the mechanisms of occurrence, risk factors, and prevention and treatment research related to post-ESD esophageal stricture, with the aim of offering guidance and reference for clinical treatment.

Fistula-in-ano is a common anorectal disease that significantly affects patients' physical health due to pain and itching, and may lead to psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression. Complex fistula-in-ano, a more severe and challenging type of this disease, has attracted widespread attention in the medical field. Transanal opening of intersphincteric space(TROPIS), as an innovative surgical treatment, involves the excision of the fistula tract through the intersphincteric approach and the repair of the internal anal sphincter defect, showing a high success rate. Moreover, TROPIS has demonstrated good curative effects and a low incidence of postoperative complications in both short-term and long-term outcomes. Despite this, TROPIS has certain limitations and controversies, including the uncertain wound healing time after surgery. This article reviews the development, technical points, indications, contraindications, and efficacy and safety of TROPIS for the treatment of fistula-in-ano, and compares it with other surgical techniques, hoping to provide a reference for clinical physicians in the treatment of complex fistula-in-ano.

Following the principles of evidence-based medicine,in accordance with the structure and drafting rules of standardized documents,based on literature research,according to the characteristics of chronic cough in children and issues that need to form a consensus,the TCM Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Cough in Children was formulated based on the Delphi method,expert discussion meetings,and public solicitation of opinions.The guideline includes scope of application,terms and definitions,eti-ology and diagnosis,auxiliary examination,treatment,prevention and care.The aim is to clarify the optimal treatment plan of Chinese medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease,and to provide guidance for improving the clinical diagnosis and treatment of chronic cough in children with Chinese medicine.

‍Traditionally， the progression from compensated liver cirrhosis to decompensated liver cirrhosis has been considered an irreversible point in the natural history of the disease； however， with the suppression of underlying etiology， cure， and disease regression， this view is challenged by an increasing number of new evidence， and the idea of “recompensation of liver cirrhosis” is gradually being accepted. In recent years， scholars in China and globally have been exploring the specific definition of recompensation of liver cirrhosis and the clinical features of patients. By summarizing the recent studies on recompensation of liver cirrhosis in China and globally， integrating existing views， and analyzing related research evidence， this article points out the main challenges in the field of recompensation at this stage， including the lack of in－depth clinical and basic research， the need to define recompensation in the context of NAFLD， and related ethical issues， in order to provide new directions for future research in this field.

‍Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） is a group of highly heterogeneous diseases closely associated with metabolic dysfunction. Sarcopenia is a syndrome caused by a continuous decline in muscle mass， strength， and function， and it is often accompanied by NAFLD. Insulin resistance is the main pathological mechanism for sarcopenia and NAFLD， and in addition， factors such as changes in proteins and branched‍-‍chain amino acid， hyperammonemia， intestinal flora， and endocrine dysfunction can also lead to sarcopenia and NAFLD. With the deepening of clinical research， many published prospective studies have confirmed the existence of a bidirectional and complex pathophysiological relationship between sarcopenia and NAFLD. This article reviews the bidirectional relationship between sarcopenia and NAFLD， discusses the common pathogenesis of sarcopenia and NAFLD， summarizes the challenges faced in this field， and proposes new directions for the research on the bidirectional relationship between NAFLD and sarcopenia.

Objective:To investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of pulse oximetry among pediatric healthcare providers in China and analyze the factor influencing the KAP.Methods:A self-developed questionnaire was used for an online research on the KAP of 11 849 pediatric healthcare providers from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities of China from March 11 to 14, 2022.The factors influencing the KAP of pulse oximetry among pediatric healthcare providers were examined by Logistic regression. Results:The scores of KAP, of pulse oximetry were 5.57±0.96, 11.24±1.25 and 11.19±4.54, respectively.The corresponding scoring rates were 69.61%, 74.95%, and 55.99%, respectively. Logistic regression results showed that the gender and working years of pediatric healthcare providers, the region they were located, and whether their medical institution was equipped with pulse oximeters were the main factors affecting the knowledge score (all P<0.05). Main factors influencing the attitude score of pediatric healthcare providers included their knowledge score, gender, educational background, working years, region, medical institution level, and whether the medical institution was equipped with pulse oximeters (all P<0.05). For the practice score, the main influencing factors were the knowledge score, gender, age, and whether the medi-cal institution was equipped with pulse oximeters (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Chinese pediatric healthcare providers need to further improve their knowledge about and attitudes towards pulse oximetry.Pulse oximeters are evidently under-used.It is urgent to formulate policies or guidelines, strengthen education and training, improve knowledge and attitudes, equip more institutions with pulse oximeters, and popularize their application in medical institutions.

Objective:To explore the application effect of the caregiver self-management support project in main caregivers of adolescents with epilepsy.Methods:Using the convenient sampling method, the main caregivers of adolescents with epilepsy who were enrolled before implementation of the caregiver self-management support project of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January to August 2019 were included in the control group ( n=101) , and they were given routine follow-up. The main caregivers of adolescents with epilepsy who were enrolled after the implementation of the project from September 2019 to June 2020 were included in the study group ( n=101) . Before and after the intervention, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) , Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ) , Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) , Life Satisfaction Index A (LSIA) and Medical Outcome Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS) were used to compare the psychological resilience, coping style, quality of life and social support of caregivers between the two groups. Finally, a total of 98 caregivers in the study group and 97 caregivers in the control group completed the study. Results:After the intervention, the scores of dimensions of CD-RISC, positive coping score of SCSQ, LSIA score and dimensions scores of MOS-SSS of main caregivers in the study group were higher than those in the control group, while the scores of negative coping of SCSQ and ZBI were lower than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:The caregiver self-management support project helps to strengthen the psychological resilience of the main caregivers of adolescents with epilepsy, enhance their active coping style and social support and improve their quality of life.

Objective    To determine the effectiveness of continuous intercostal nerve block for pain relief after thoracotomy. Methods    From November 2017 to October 2018, 120 patients who received thoracotomy procedure in our hospital were collected, including 60 males and 60 females aged 40-77 (58.10±7.00) years. The patients were randomly allocated into three groups by digital table including a continuous intercostal nerve block group (group A, n=40), a single intercostal nerve block group (group B, n=40), and an epidural analgesia group (group C, n=40). All the groups received the same basic analgesia. The pain scores and rescue analgesic doses were compared. Results    On postoperative day (POD) 0, all groups achieved effective pain control, and the visual analogue score was 2.02±0.39 points in the group A, 2.13±0.75 points in the group B and 2.03±0.69 points in the group C (P>0.05). On POD 0-2 and POD 3-4 (without basement analgesia), there was no significant difference between the group A and group C in the pain scores (2.08±0.28 points vs. 1.93±0.53 points, 3.20±0.53 points vs. 3.46±0.47 points, P>0.05), however, the difference between POD 0-2 and POD 3-4 in each group was stastically different (group A, 2.08±0.28 points vs. 3.20±0.53 points; group B, 2.42±0.73 points vs. 5.45±0.99 points; group C 1.93±0.53 points vs. 3.46±0.47 points, P<0.05). In terms of the rescue analgesic doses, there was no significant difference between the group A and group C (220.00±64.08 mg vs. 225.38±78.85 mg, P>0.05); it was larger in the group B than that in the group A and group C (343.33±119.56 mg vs. 220.00±64.08 mg; 343.33±119.56 mg vs. 225.38±78.85 mg, P<0.05). Conclusion    Multimodal analgesia is an optimal choice in the initial stage after thoracotomy surgery. Continuous intercostal nerve block is an effective way to pain management in patients with thoracotomy.

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of mongolian medicine Cymbaria dahurica extract. METHODS:96 KM mice(or SD rats)were randomly divided into model group(water),positive control group(aspirin, 0.5 g/kg),C. dahurica ethanol extract (70% ethanol) low-dose,medium-dose and high-dose groups (0.325,0.650,1.300 g/kg, calculated by crude drug) and C. dahurica aqueous extract of the residue of alcohol extraction low-dose, medium-dose and high-dose groups(0.325,0.650,1.300 g/kg,calculated by crude drug). They were given relevant medicine intragastrically,once a day,for consecutive 7 d. The xylene-induced ear edema method was used to determine the degree of ear edema,and egg white-in-duced paw edema method was used to determine paw edema after inducing inflammation 1,2,4,6 h;anti-inflammatory activity of C. dahurica extract was investigated. 96 KM mice were grouped and given medicine with same method;the number of writhing within 20 min was determined by acetic acid writhing method. Another 64 KM mice were grouped with same method,with 8 mice in each group;except positive control group was given tramadol hydrochloride(0.5 g/kg)intragastrically,other groups were given relevant medicine with same method. Pain thresholds of mice were determined by hot-plate test before and after medication 30,45, 60,90 min,and analgesic effects of C. dahurica extract were investigated. RESULTS:Compared with model group,C. dahurica extract could obviously restrain the ear edema of mice and paw edema of rats 6 h after egg white-induced inflammation. Except paw edema of rats in C. dahurica aqueous extract of the residue of alcohol extraction high-dose group was decreased slightly,there was statistical significance among other groups (P<0.05 or P<0.01). C. dahurica extract decreased the number of writhing in mice within 20 min,and extended pain thresholds of mice 30,60,90 min after medication (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS:Both C. dahurica ethanol extract and aqueous extract of the residue of alcohol extraction posses certain anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.