BACKGROUND:At present,there are few reports on the postoperative efficacy of arthroscopic coracoid tunnel-free suspension fixation and coracoid single tunnel fixation in the treatment of acromioclavicular joint dislocation at home and abroad.The specific clinical efficacy of the two procedures and whether there are other risks need to be explored. OBJECTIVE:To compare the short-term postoperative clinical efficacy of arthroscopic TightRope band plate fixation with single tunnel fixation of the coracoid process and tunnel-free suspension fixation of the coracoid process in the treatment of acute type Ⅲ-Ⅴ acromioclavicular joint dislocation. METHODS:A retrospective analysis was performed in 45 patients with acromioclavicular joint dislocation who met the inclusion criteria admitted to the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from June 2019 to September 2022,and were divided into coracoid single tunnel fixation group(20 cases)and coracoid tunnel-free suspension fixation group(25 cases)according to the surgical treatment plan.Operation time,incision length,blood loss,Constant-Murley score,visual analogue scale score,the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons(ASES)score and intraoperative and postoperative complications of the shoulder joint before operation,3 months after surgery and the last follow-up were compared between the two groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:All patients successfully completed the operation,and there was no important nerve or blood vessel damage during the operation.The operation time of the coracoid tunnel-free suspension fixation group was significantly shorter than that of the coracoid tunnel-free suspension fixation group(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in intraoperative blood loss and incision length between the two groups(P>0.05).All patients were followed up for 12 to 24 months,with an average of(15.29±2.73)months.In the coracoid single tunnel fixation group,at 3 months after operation and the final follow-up,the visual analogue scale score was significantly lower than the preoperative score(P<0.05);Constant-Murley score and ASES score were significantly increased compared with the preoperative values(P<0.05).In the coracoid tunnel-free suspension fixation group,at 3 months after operation and the final follow-up,the visual analogue scale score was significantly lower than the preoperative score(P<0.05);the Constant-Murley score and the ASES score were both significantly higher than the preoperative scores(P<0.05).At 3 months after operation,the Constant-Murley score of the coracoid tunnel-free suspension fixation group was higher than that of the coracoid single tunnel fixation group(P<0.05),while there was no significant difference in visual analogue scale and ASES scores between the two groups(P>0.05).There was also no significant difference in the visual analogue scale,Constant-Murley,and ASES scores between the two groups at the corresponding time points before surgery and at the final follow-up(P>0.05).Intraoperative and postoperative complications:In the coracoid single tunnel fixation group,there was one case of coracoid cortical rupture and fracture during the tunnel drilling during the operation,and one case of a loss of reduction at 3 months after operation,which was repositioned and fixed with hook plate transposition of the coracoacromial ligament.All patients had good acromioclavicular joint function recovery and no re-dislocation at the final follow-up.All patients in the coracoid tunnel-free suspension fixation group did not suffer from coracoid fractures,loss of reduction and other complications during surgery,postoperatively and at the last follow-up.To conclude,these two arthroscopic treatments for acute type Ⅲ-Ⅴ acromioclavicular joint dislocation have the advantages of less trauma,reliable reduction and fixation,and good recovery of shoulder joint function after operation.However,compared with the coracoid single tunnel technique,the coracoid tunnel-free suspension fixation requires shorter time,faster recovery of shoulder joint function in the short term,and avoids the establishment of bone tunnels on the coracoid process,which reduces the probability of iatrogenic fracture of the coracoid process during operation and provides a higher degree of safety.

Objective To compare the long-term survival of elderly patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with surgical versus non-surgical treatment. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of elderly patients aged ≥70 years with ESCC who underwent esophagectomy or radiotherapy/chemotherapy at Sichuan Cancer Hospital from January 2009 to September 2017. Patients were divided into a surgical group (S group) and a non-surgical group (NS group) according to the treatment method. The propensity score matching method was used to match the two groups of patients at a ratio of 1∶1, and the survival of the two groups before and after matching was analyzed. Results A total of 726 elderly patients with ESCC were included, including 552 males and 174 females, with 651 patients aged ≥70-80 years and 75 patients aged ≥80-90 years. There were 515 patients in the S group and 211 patients in the NS group. The median follow-up time was 60.8 months, and the median overall survival of the S group was 41.9 months [95%CI (35.2, 48.5)], while that of the NS group was only 24.0 months [95%CI (19.8, 28.3)]. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates of the S group were 84%, 54%, and 40%, respectively, while those of the NS group were 72%, 40%, and 30%, respectively [HR=0.689, 95%CI (0.559, 0.849), P<0.001]. After matching, 138 patients were included in each group, and there was no statistical difference in the overall survival between the two groups [HR=0.871, 95%CI (0.649, 1.167), P=0.352]. Conclusion Compared with conservative treatment, there is no significant difference in the long-term survival of elderly patients aged ≥70 years who undergo esophagectomy for ESCC. Neoadjuvant therapy combined with surgery is still an important choice to potentially improve the survival of elderly patients with ESCC.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the influence of the dimensional stability of 3D printed resin master model on the replication accuracy of implant replicas. METHODS: Ten digital impressions of patients undergoing continuous crowns or fixed bridge restoration supported by two implants were obtained, and resin models with implant replicas were 3D printed. Scanning rods were fixed on the replicas 3, 7, and 14 days after printing. The 3D, linear, and angular deviations of the scanning rods at different times were analyzed through Geomagic Wrap 2021 software. RESULTS: The position of the replicas shifted mesiolingually, in the same direction as the shrinkage of the model. From day 7 onward, the 3D, distance linear, and angular deviations of the replicas (scanning rod) significantly increased compared with those on the 3rd day (P<0.05). On the 14th day, the changes were even more pronounced, with the above deviations showing statistical significance (P<0.05) compared with those for the 3-day and 7-day groups. No statistical difference in height linear deviation was observed among the groups. CONCLUSIONS The insufficient dimensional stability of 3D printed resin models can lead to changes in the relative position and angle of the replicas, thereby affecting the accuracy of the replicas in recreating the implant's position. Complete manufacturing of prosthesis is recommended within 7 days after the model is printed.
Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Humans ; Dental Implants ; Models, Dental ; Dental Impression Technique ; Crowns

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the accuracy of a self-developed extraoral scanning system based on four-camera stereophotogrammetric technology in the acquisition of three-dimensional positional information on dental implants and conduct a comparative study involving an intraoral scanning system. METHODS: With the use of an in vitro edentulous jaw model with implants, extraoral (experimental group) and intraoral (control group) scanning systems were employed to obtain STL (Standard Tessellation Language) datasets containing three-dimensional morphological and positional information on scan bodies. In addition, a dental model scanner was used to obtain reference data. The three-dimensional morphological, linear, and angular deviations between groups and reference data were analyzed using Geomagic Wrap 2021 software to compare trueness and precision. RESULTS: The extraoral scanning system demonstrated superior trueness in three-dimensional morphological, linear, and angular deviations compared with the intraoral scanning system, with statistically significant differences (P<0.001). The extraoral scanning system also showed a higher precision in three-dimensional morphological deviation (P<0.001). As the number of implants increased, the extraoral scanning system exhibited increased three-dimensional morphological and linear deviations (P<0.001) but maintained a stable angular deviation. The intraoral scanning system displayed significant increases in three-dimensional morphological, linear, and angular deviations with the increase in the number of implants (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The stereophotogrammetry-based extraoral scanning system outperforms intraoral scanning system in terms of the accuracy for multi-unit implant positioning and provides a novel approach for attaining a fully digital workflow for implant rehabilitation in edentulous jaws.
Jaw, Edentulous ; Humans ; Dental Impression Technique ; Dental Implants ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods* ; Photogrammetry/methods* ; Models, Dental

Objective:To study the feasibility of domestic flow diverter(TFD) for the treatment of unruptured internal carotid artery small- and medium-sized wide-neck aneurysms.Methods:This is a retrospective case series study.The study retrospectively evaluated consecutive 54 patients with unruptured intracranial small- and medium-sized wide-neck aneurysms treated with TFD in the Department of Cerebrovascular Disease,the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University between October 2019 and January 2024. There were 11 males and 43 females, and the age of patients was (54.9±9.6) years (range:36 to 74 years). There were 63 aneurysms in 54 patients,6 of which were tandem multiple small aneurysms. One case had saccular aneurysms of bilateral internal carotid artery. The maximum diameter of aneurysm was (4.1±0.8) mm (range: 1.5 to 10.0 mm).The ratio of the maximum diameter of the aneurysm to the neck width diameter was 1.3±0.4 (range:0.4 to 2.4). The surgical and follow-up data were collected. The aneurysm embolization rate at the immediate operation and follow-up,and the complications were analyzed. The degree of aneurysm embolization was evaluated using the O′Kelly-Marotta (OKM) grading system,with OKM grade D as complete occlusion and grade C and above (C1,C2,C3 and D) as successful occlusion. Clinical outcomes of all patients were evaluated by modified Rankin scale(mRS).Results:For 63 aneurysms, 48 aneurysms were treated with TFD alone,and 15 aneurysms were treated with a combination of TFD and coiling. The immediate postoperative successful occlusion rate was 14.3% (9/63) and the complete occlusion rate was 3.2% (2/63). Follow-up results were obtained for all of the patients. The follow-up time ( M(IQR)) was 124 (182) days (range: 85 to 754 days). The time to aneurysm successful occlusion was 140.5 (151.5) days (range: 85 to 308 days). At final follow-up,the successful aneurysm occlusion rate was 68.3% (43/63) and the complete occlusion rate was 58.7% (37/63). The complete occlusion rate of the TFD group was 50.0% (24/48) and the TFD+coiling group was 13/15. All patients had no aneurysm rupture,ischemic complications and no recurrence of the aneurysm needed to retreatment during the intraoperative and follow-up period. A total of 3 mild haemorrhagic complications which were related to dual-antiplatelet agents. Twelve patients had asymptomatic mild-moderate stent stenosis. TFD covered 66 branch vessels totally. Only 6 branches were affected by the time of the last follow-up and none of the patients had relevant ischaemic symptoms. All of 54 patients were evaluated as mRS score<2 points at the last follow-up. Conclusion:Using TFD to treat internal carotid artery unruptured small and medium-sized wide-neck aneurysms can simplify the surgical procedure with low complication rate, which is a clinically optional treatment approach.

Objective:To construct a scientific and systematic indicator system for the ideological and political construction of medical professional courses in military medical universities, and to provide a reference for the teaching management department of military medical universities to guide and manage the ideological and political construction of courses, as well as for medical professional course instructors to carry out the ideological and political teaching of courses.Methods:On the basis of literature research and case studies, a framework of the indicator system was established for the ideological and political construction of medical professional courses in military medical universities, and six experts in the field of military medical education were invited for pre-consultation. A preliminary draft of the indicator system was formed after discussion within the research group. A total of 25 experts, who had intermediate or above professional titles and long-term experience in military medical education, teaching and management, military academy education management, and military ideological and political education in military academies, were invited to conduct two rounds of Delphi expert consultation, and a statistical analysis was performed for the consultation results to determine the indicator system for the ideological and political construction of medical professional courses in military medical universities. The percentage weight method and the product method were used to calculate the weight coefficient of each indicator and combined weight coefficient.Results:In the two rounds of expert consultation, the expert positivity coefficient was 100%, the expert authority coefficient was 0.883, and the Kendall harmony coefficients were 0.254 and 0.268, respectively ( P<0.05). Finally, an indicator system was established for the ideological and political construction of medical professional courses in military medical universities, which consisted of 5 primary indicators, 12 secondary indicators, and 31 tertiary indicators. The 5 primary indicators were the teaching objectives, teaching team, teaching resources, teaching implementation, and teaching effect of curriculum ideology and politics, with a weight coefficient of 0.210, 0.202, 0.197, 0.202, and 0.189, respectively. Conclusions:The indicator system constructed in this study is scientific, reliable, systematic, and comprehensive and has a certain guiding significance for the ideological and political construction of medical professional courses in military medical universities.

This paper mainly discusses the practical significance of the internal quality assurance system of graduate students in a military medical university based on training process management. The integrated internal quality assurance system follows the direction of three core steps—course learning, scientific research practice training, and dissertation writing, and highlights nine key points—learning foundation in admission education and training, knowledge acquisition in course learning, application ability in teaching and scientific research practice, innovation ability in academic activities and innovation competitions, topic selection quality in thesis proposal, training quality in mid-term assessment, paper quality in dissertation writing, output quality in thesis defense, and comprehensive quality in diploma awarding. Our exploration and practical experience is shared in this article.

Objective To develop and evaluate the equivalence of the Mandarin test material for tracking of noise tolerance(TNT)test.Methods Six different speech materials were developed(themes including daily life,entertainment,family,festivals,outdoors,and school).Four-minute TNT tests were measured in 21 normal hear-ing subjects using six different test materials.For each session,the tolerable noise level(TNL)and TNT scores were acquired and calculated for 3 time windows(31～240 s,31～120 s,151～240 s).Results Statistic analysis showed significant differences in the TNL(F=43.611,P＜0.05)among the normal hearing listeners.There were statistically significant differences in standardize z-scored TNT scores of the six different materials in the three time windows(P＜0.05).Post-hoc comparisons revealed that all significant differences involved the family and daily life themes.Conclusion Entertainment,festival,outdoors and school themed test materials can serve as the materials of Mandarin tracking of noise tolerance test and can be appied in research and clinical testing.

Objective To study the characteristics of spontaneous speech pauses in individuals with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease(AD).Methods A total of 20 patients with AD,exhibiting a Minimum Mental State Examination(MMSE)score ranging from 10 to 20 and a disease duration of 6 months to 5 years,were selected for the AD group.Twenty five cognitively normal and mentally healthy participants were chosen as the control group.Spontaneous speech was elicited from each participant,and 1-minute continuous audio recordings were used to tally pause counts categorized by duration into short pauses(0.25 s≤t＜0.50 s),medium pauses(0.50 s≤t＜0.90 s),long pauses(0.90 s≤t＜2.00 s),and silences(＞2.00 s).Mean values of each pause type were computed for in-ter-group and intra-group comparisons.Correlation and regression analyses between MMSE scores and pause counts were conducted within the AD group.Results Significant statistical differences were observed between the AD and control groups concerning the counts of short pauses,long pauses,and silences(P＜0.05).Within the AD group,significant differences were found in the counts of short pauses versus medium pauses and short pauses versus long pauses(P＜0.05).In the AD group,the count of medium pauses positively predicted MMSE scores(β=0.515,P＜0.05),whereas the count of silences negatively predicted MMSE scores(β=-0.626,P＜0.01).Conclusion Individuals with AD exhibit a higher frequency of longer duration pauses in spontaneous speech and a lower frequen-cy of shorter duration pauses.Higher cognitive functioning in AD patients is associated with increased occurrences of shorter pauses,whereas lower cognitive functioning is linked to more extended pauses.

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of inflammatory and nutritional indices for postoperative survival of elderly patients with esophageal squamous carcinoma.Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 130 elderly patients with esophageal squamous carcinoma who were admitted to Sichuan Cancer Hospital from January 2019 to April 2020 were collected. There were 102 males and 28 females, aged (70±4)years. Mea-surement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3) or M(range). Count data were expressed as absolute numbers, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test. Receiver opera-ting characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted. The area under the curve (AUC) and optimal cut-off values were calculated. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves, and the Log-rank test was used for survival analysis. The COX proportional hazard regression model was used for univariate and multivariate analyses. Results:(1) Postoperative survival of elderly patients with esophageal squamous carcinoma predicted by inflammatory and multitional indices. Results of ROC curves analysis showed that the best cut-off values of preoperative systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and prognostic nutrition index (PNI) for predicting postoperative survival of elderly patients with esophageal squamous carcinoma were 470.71×10 9/L, 1.11, 2.07, 136.24, and 46.28, respectively. (2) Risk factors analysis of postoperative survival of elderly patients with esophageal squamous carcinoma. Results of multivariate analysis showed that preoperative SII ≥470.71×10 9/L, preoperative SIRI ≥1.11, preoperative PNI<46.28, score of preoperative patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) ≥4, postoperative pathological stage Ⅳ and post-operative complications were independent risk factors for the overall survival time of elderly patients with esophageal squamous carcinoma ( hazard ratio=3.30, 2.50, 0.36, 4.86, 1.57, 1.97, 95% confidence interval as 1.10?9.88, 1.07?5.88, 0.16?0.81, 1.13?20.87, 1.20?2.06, 1.02?3.82, P<0.05). (3) Follow-up. All the 130 patients were followed up for 39(range, 1?60)months. Of the 130 patients, 81 cases survived, 49 cases died, and the median overall survival time was not reached. The 1- and 3-year survival rates of the 130 patients were 83.85% and 54.62%, respectively. ① The median overall survival time was 25(0,43)months for patients with SII ≥470.71×10 9/L, and unreached for patients with SII <470.71×10 9/L, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=60.59, P<0.05). ② The median overall survival time was 26(0,44)months for patients with SIRI ≥1.11, and unreached for patients with SIRI <1.11, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=45.57, P<0.05). ③ The median overall survival time was unreached for patients with PNI ≥46.28, and 38(0,47)months for patients with PNI <46.28, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=12.53, P<0.05). ④ The median overall survival time was unreached for patients with PG-SGA <4 and ≥4, showing a signifi-cant difference between them ( χ2=14.41, P<0.05). ⑤ The median overall survival time was 25(1,47)months for patients in pathological stage Ⅲ, 12(1,32)months for patients in stage Ⅳ, and unreached for patients in stage 0, Ⅰ, Ⅱ, respectively, showing a significant difference among them ( χ2=58.75, P<0.05). ⑥ The median overall survival time was 33(1,47)months for patients with postoperative complication, and unreached for patients without postoperative complication, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=14.27, P<0.05). Conclusions:Preoperative SII, SIRI and PNI have good predictive value for postoperative survival in elderly patients with esophageal squamous carcinoma. Preoperative SII ≥470.71×10 9/L, preoperative SIRI ≥1.11, preoperative PNI <46.28, score of preoperative PG-SGA ≥4, postoperative pathological stage Ⅳ, and postoperative complications are independent risk factors for the overall survival time of elderly patients with esophageal squamous carcinoma. Patients with preoperative SII <470.71×10 9/L, preoperative SIRI <1.11, preoperative PNI >46.28, score of preoperative PG-SGA <4, postoperative pathological stage 0, Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and non post-operative complications have better survival.