Objective:To understand the current status and trends of domestic research on esophageal cancer in the elderly.Methods:In the three major databases of CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP, studies related to elderly esophageal cancer were retrieved using the keywords "elderly" and "esophageal cancer" from the inception of the databases until December 7, 2024.Following the manual screening of the extracted studies, CiteSpace and VOSviewer software were employed to perform a visual analysis of publication trends, authors, institutions, and keywords.Results:A total of 1, 165 articles were included in the study.The first article appeared in 1989, and the number of publications has been increasing year by year, reaching a peak in 2014.The author with the highest number of publications is Zhu Shuchai, and the institution is The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University.Keyword clustering formed ten clusters including "esophageal cancer, elderly, nedaplatin, nursing, thoracoscopic, prognosis, risk factors, enteral nutrition, treatment, and esophageal stenosis." Emerging keywords include surgical treatment, thoracoabdominal laparoscopy, prognosis, and apatinib.Conclusions:Currently, targeted therapy is a research hot spot and frontier.It is anticipated that ongoing advancements in treatment methods will contribute to improved outcomes and quality of life for elderly patients with esophageal cancer.

Objective:To investigate the characteristics of the population of skeletal fluorosis patients in drinking-tea-borne endemic fluorosis (referred to as drinking-tea-borne fluorosis) areas in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (referred to as Inner Mongolia) and the influencing factors of treatment willingness, and to provide a basis for improving the prevention and control measures of drinking-tea-borne fluorosis and the treatment plan of skeletal fluorosis.Methods:From August to October 2022, a face-to-face questionnaire survey was conducted in key areas of drinking-tea-borne fluorosis in Inner Mongolia (administrative villages with an average daily intake of tea fluoride > 3.5 mg and skeletal fluorosis patients identified by the general survey of drinking-tea-borne fluorosis in Inner Mongolia in 2019), and to investigate the demographic, severity, and treatment status of patients with skeletal fluorosis, analyze the demographic characteristics of patients with skeletal fluorosis and the influencing factors of treatment willingness.Results:A total of 734 patients with skeletal fluorosis were investigated, including 543 mild cases, 125 moderate cases and 66 severe cases. The gender ratio of patients with skeletal fluorosis was 0.71 ∶ 1.00 (305/429), the age was concentrated in > 50 - 70 years old (70.57%, 518/734), the proportion of Mongolians was 94.28% (692/734), the proportion of herders was 97.68% (717/734), the educational level was mainly primary school (54.63%, 401/734), and the proportion of poor households and immigrants who had moved to their current residence was 7.08% (52/734) and 8.04% (59/734), respectively. The distribution of the severity of skeletal fluorosis in patients of different ages, genders, and educational levels was compared, and the differences were statistically significant ( P < 0.05). Fifty-three point two seven percent (391/734) of the patients had a willingness to undergo non-pharmacological treatment, of which 69.82% (273/391) had already started non-pharmacological treatment, with a treatment effectiveness rate of 73.99% (202/273). Sixty-five point two six percent (479/734) of the patients had a willingness to receive medication treatment, of which 7.31% (35/479) had already started medication treatment, with a treatment effectiveness rate of 54.29% (19/35). Zero point two seven percent (2/734) of the patients expressed a willingness to undergo surgical treatment, while no patients underwent surgical treatment. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the age, ethnicity, occupation, educational level, poverty status, immigrants status, and the severity of skeletal fluorosis were all influencing factors of non-pharmacological treatment willingness ( P < 0.05). Occupation, educational level, poverty status, immigrants status, and the severity of skeletal fluorosis were all influencing factors of medication treatment willingness ( P < 0.05). Conclusions:Patients with skeletal fluorosis caused by tea drinking in Inner Mongolia are mainly from Mongolian ethnic groups, herders, middle-aged and elderly people, and those with a lower educational levels. The willingness of patients to receive treatment is influenced by various factors, and corresponding intervention measures can be formulated and taken based on these influencing factors to effectively improve the disease prevention awareness and treatment willingness of patients and the public.

Objective:To study the relationship between urinary arsenic methylation metabolism patterns and skin keratinization and pigmentation abnormalities in population exposed to arsenic through drinking water.Methods:Using a cross-sectional study method, a survey on endemic arsenic poisoning was conducted among permanent residents of drinking water endemic arsenic poisoning areas in Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in 2004 (before water improvement). In 2017 (after water improvement), 71 arsenic exposed individuals were followed up as survey subjects. According to the "Diagnosis of Endemic Arsenism" (WS/T 211-2015), the clinical grading of skin injuries (skin keratinization, pigmentation abnormalities) in the survey subjects was evaluated. Urine samples were collected for detection of arsenic methylation metabolite levels by high-performance liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and calibrated with urinary creatinine. The changes and amplitudes of urinary arsenic methylation indicators before and after water improvement were calculated and analyzed according to the outcome of skin keratinization and pigmentation abnormalities which were divided into reduced, unchanged, and added groups.Results:(1) The changes in urinary total arsenic (TAs), inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethyl arsenic (MMA), and dimethyl arsenic (DMA) levels in different outcome groups of skin keratinization were compared, and the differences were statistically significant ( H = 9.08, 8.77, 9.28, 8.57, P < 0.05). The changes in urinary TAs, iAs, MMA, DMA levels, iAs percentage (iAs%), DMA percentage (DMA%), and primary methylation index (PMI) in different outcome groups of skin pigmentation abnormalities were compared, and the differences were statistically significant ( H = 8.04, 10.67, 8.29, 9.14, 6.30, 9.10, 7.20, P < 0.05). (2) The comparison of amplitudes in urinary TAs, iAs, MMA, and DMA levels in different outcome groups of skin keratinization showed statistically significant differences ( H = 6.92, 7.34, 6.66, 6.16, P < 0.05). The amplitudes in urinary iAs level, iAs%, DMA%, and PMI in different outcome groups of skin pigmentation abnormalities were compared, and the differences were statistically significant ( H = 7.94, 7.61, 9.95, 7.22, P < 0.05). Conclusion:The changes pattern of urinary TAs, iAs, MMA, DMA, iAs%, DMA%, and PMI in population exposed to arsenic through drinking water is related to the transformation of skin keratinization and pigmentation abnormalities.

Objective:To investigate the characteristics of the population of skeletal fluorosis patients in drinking-tea-borne endemic fluorosis (referred to as drinking-tea-borne fluorosis) areas in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (referred to as Inner Mongolia) and the influencing factors of treatment willingness, and to provide a basis for improving the prevention and control measures of drinking-tea-borne fluorosis and the treatment plan of skeletal fluorosis.Methods:From August to October 2022, a face-to-face questionnaire survey was conducted in key areas of drinking-tea-borne fluorosis in Inner Mongolia (administrative villages with an average daily intake of tea fluoride > 3.5 mg and skeletal fluorosis patients identified by the general survey of drinking-tea-borne fluorosis in Inner Mongolia in 2019), and to investigate the demographic, severity, and treatment status of patients with skeletal fluorosis, analyze the demographic characteristics of patients with skeletal fluorosis and the influencing factors of treatment willingness.Results:A total of 734 patients with skeletal fluorosis were investigated, including 543 mild cases, 125 moderate cases and 66 severe cases. The gender ratio of patients with skeletal fluorosis was 0.71 ∶ 1.00 (305/429), the age was concentrated in > 50 - 70 years old (70.57%, 518/734), the proportion of Mongolians was 94.28% (692/734), the proportion of herders was 97.68% (717/734), the educational level was mainly primary school (54.63%, 401/734), and the proportion of poor households and immigrants who had moved to their current residence was 7.08% (52/734) and 8.04% (59/734), respectively. The distribution of the severity of skeletal fluorosis in patients of different ages, genders, and educational levels was compared, and the differences were statistically significant ( P < 0.05). Fifty-three point two seven percent (391/734) of the patients had a willingness to undergo non-pharmacological treatment, of which 69.82% (273/391) had already started non-pharmacological treatment, with a treatment effectiveness rate of 73.99% (202/273). Sixty-five point two six percent (479/734) of the patients had a willingness to receive medication treatment, of which 7.31% (35/479) had already started medication treatment, with a treatment effectiveness rate of 54.29% (19/35). Zero point two seven percent (2/734) of the patients expressed a willingness to undergo surgical treatment, while no patients underwent surgical treatment. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the age, ethnicity, occupation, educational level, poverty status, immigrants status, and the severity of skeletal fluorosis were all influencing factors of non-pharmacological treatment willingness ( P < 0.05). Occupation, educational level, poverty status, immigrants status, and the severity of skeletal fluorosis were all influencing factors of medication treatment willingness ( P < 0.05). Conclusions:Patients with skeletal fluorosis caused by tea drinking in Inner Mongolia are mainly from Mongolian ethnic groups, herders, middle-aged and elderly people, and those with a lower educational levels. The willingness of patients to receive treatment is influenced by various factors, and corresponding intervention measures can be formulated and taken based on these influencing factors to effectively improve the disease prevention awareness and treatment willingness of patients and the public.

Objective:To study the relationship between urinary arsenic methylation metabolism patterns and skin keratinization and pigmentation abnormalities in population exposed to arsenic through drinking water.Methods:Using a cross-sectional study method, a survey on endemic arsenic poisoning was conducted among permanent residents of drinking water endemic arsenic poisoning areas in Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in 2004 (before water improvement). In 2017 (after water improvement), 71 arsenic exposed individuals were followed up as survey subjects. According to the "Diagnosis of Endemic Arsenism" (WS/T 211-2015), the clinical grading of skin injuries (skin keratinization, pigmentation abnormalities) in the survey subjects was evaluated. Urine samples were collected for detection of arsenic methylation metabolite levels by high-performance liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and calibrated with urinary creatinine. The changes and amplitudes of urinary arsenic methylation indicators before and after water improvement were calculated and analyzed according to the outcome of skin keratinization and pigmentation abnormalities which were divided into reduced, unchanged, and added groups.Results:(1) The changes in urinary total arsenic (TAs), inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethyl arsenic (MMA), and dimethyl arsenic (DMA) levels in different outcome groups of skin keratinization were compared, and the differences were statistically significant ( H = 9.08, 8.77, 9.28, 8.57, P < 0.05). The changes in urinary TAs, iAs, MMA, DMA levels, iAs percentage (iAs%), DMA percentage (DMA%), and primary methylation index (PMI) in different outcome groups of skin pigmentation abnormalities were compared, and the differences were statistically significant ( H = 8.04, 10.67, 8.29, 9.14, 6.30, 9.10, 7.20, P < 0.05). (2) The comparison of amplitudes in urinary TAs, iAs, MMA, and DMA levels in different outcome groups of skin keratinization showed statistically significant differences ( H = 6.92, 7.34, 6.66, 6.16, P < 0.05). The amplitudes in urinary iAs level, iAs%, DMA%, and PMI in different outcome groups of skin pigmentation abnormalities were compared, and the differences were statistically significant ( H = 7.94, 7.61, 9.95, 7.22, P < 0.05). Conclusion:The changes pattern of urinary TAs, iAs, MMA, DMA, iAs%, DMA%, and PMI in population exposed to arsenic through drinking water is related to the transformation of skin keratinization and pigmentation abnormalities.

Objective:To understand the current status and trends of domestic research on esophageal cancer in the elderly.Methods:In the three major databases of CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP, studies related to elderly esophageal cancer were retrieved using the keywords "elderly" and "esophageal cancer" from the inception of the databases until December 7, 2024.Following the manual screening of the extracted studies, CiteSpace and VOSviewer software were employed to perform a visual analysis of publication trends, authors, institutions, and keywords.Results:A total of 1, 165 articles were included in the study.The first article appeared in 1989, and the number of publications has been increasing year by year, reaching a peak in 2014.The author with the highest number of publications is Zhu Shuchai, and the institution is The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University.Keyword clustering formed ten clusters including "esophageal cancer, elderly, nedaplatin, nursing, thoracoscopic, prognosis, risk factors, enteral nutrition, treatment, and esophageal stenosis." Emerging keywords include surgical treatment, thoracoabdominal laparoscopy, prognosis, and apatinib.Conclusions:Currently, targeted therapy is a research hot spot and frontier.It is anticipated that ongoing advancements in treatment methods will contribute to improved outcomes and quality of life for elderly patients with esophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND:In recent years,with the development of biological scaffold materials and bioprinting technology,tissue-engineered bone has become a research hotspot in bone defect repair. OBJECTIVE:To summarize the current treatment methods for bone defects,summarize the biomaterials and bioprinting technology for preparing tissue-engineered bone scaffolds,and explore the application of biomaterials and printing technology in tissue engineering and the current challenges. METHODS:Search terms were"bone defect,tissue engineering,biomaterials,3D printing technology,4D printing technology,bioprinting,biological scaffold,bone repair"in Chinese and English.Relevant documents published from January 1,2009 to December 1,2022 were retrieved on CNKI,PubMed and Web of Science databases.After being screened by the first author,high-quality references were added.A total of 93 articles were included for review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The main treatment methods for bone defects include bone transplantation,membrane-guided regeneration,gene therapy,bone tissue engineering,etc.The best treatment method is still uncertain.Bone tissue engineering technology is a new technology for the treatment of bone defects.It has become the focus of current research by constructing three-dimensional structures that can promote the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts and enhance the ability of bone formation.Biological scaffold materials are diverse,with their characteristics,advantages and disadvantages.A single biological material cannot meet the demand for tissue-engineered bone for the scaffold.Usually,multiple materials are combined to complement each other,which is to meet the demand for mechanical properties while taking into account the biological properties of the scaffold.Bioprinting technology can adjust the pore of the scaffold,build a complex spatial structure,and is more conducive to cell adhesion,proliferation and differentiation.The emerging 4D printing technology introduces"time"as the fourth dimension to make the prepared scaffold dynamic.With the synchronous development of smart materials,4D printing technology provides the possibility of efficient repair of bone defects in the future.

Objective:To investigate the distribution of physical and chemical water improvement areas of drinking water-borne endemic fluorosis in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, as well as the use of household water purifiers.Methods:From April to October 2021, a survey was conducted in a drinking water-borne endemic fluorosis areas in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region where physical and chemical water improvement was carried out. The survey included the basic situation of the affected villages (number of permanent households, number of permanent residents, historical water fluoride content) and the use of residential water purifiers. Household peripheral water samples were collected to test the water fluoride content. Water purifier installation rate, normal usage rate, qualified water fluoride rate in normal usage, and the proportion of households covered by filter replacement departments were calculated.Results:In Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the physical and chemical water improvement areas of drinking water-borne endemic fluorosis were distributed in 2 735 villages in 11 leagues (cities) throughout the region, with 192 950 permanent households and 540 216 permanent residents. The average historical water fluoride content in all leagues (cities) was 2.18 mg/L, and the current average water fluoride content was 0.40 mg/L. A total of 134 763 water purifiers were installed, with an installation rate of 69.84% (134 763/192 950). A total of 10 773 households were surveyed, with 10 396 households using water purifiers normally and a normal usage rate of 96.50% (10 396/10 773). Among them, 10 158 households had qualified water fluoride of normal usage, with a qualified water fluoride rate of 97.71% (10 158/10 396). Of the 10 396 households using water purifiers normally, 3 974 households (38.23%) had filter cartridges used within one year, and 3 961 households had qualified water fluoride, with a qualified rate of water fluoride of 99.67% (3 961/3 974). Six thousand four hundred and twenty-two households (61.77%) had filter cartridges used for more than one year, with 6 197 households had qualified water fluoride and a qualified rate of water fluoride of 96.50% (6 197/6 422). There was a statistically significant difference in the qualified rate of water fluoride between purifiers with different filter cartridge usage times (χ 2 = 110.73, P < 0.001). Among the 10 773 surveyed households, the filter cartridges replacement department covered 10 470 households, accounting for 97.19% (10 470/10 773). Conclusions:In Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the physical and chemical water improvement areas of drinking water-borne endemic fluorosis are widely distributed, and the normal usage rate of household water purifiers is relatively high. The qualified rate of water fluoride in household water purifiers with filter cartridges used for more than one year is low.

Objective:To investigate the arsenic metabolism pattern and possible influencing factors in the population in drinking-water-borne endemic arsenic poisoning (drinking-water-borne arsenic poisoning for short) areas.Methods:In December 2004, a cluster sampling method was used to select arsenic poisoning population (arsenic poisoning group) and healthy population (control group) in drinking-water-borne arsenic poisoning area of Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as the survey subjects. A questionnaire survey was conducted. Arsenic content in drinking water at home of survey subjects, the levels of urinary arsenic and its metabolites, including [trivalent arsenic (As Ⅲ), inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsenic acid (pentavalent, MMA V), dimethylarsenic acid (pentavalent, DMA V), total arsenic (tAs), percentage of inorganic arsenic (iAs%), percentage of monomethylarsenic acid (MMA%), percentage of dimethylarsenic acid (DMA%), primary methylation index (PMI), secondary methylation index (SMI)] were tested using high performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry; nail arsenic and nail selenium levels were tested using atomic fluorescence spectrometer. The influencing factors of arsenic metabolism pattern were analyzed by multiple linear regression. Results:A total of 536 survey subjects were included, including 155 individuals in the arsenic poisoning group and 381 in the control group. The water arsenic level ranged from 0.0 to 825.7 μg/L. Compared with the control group, there was no significant difference in the distribution of gender, education level and dental fluorosis in the arsenic poisoning group ( P > 0.05), but there were significant differences in the distribution of age, marital status, smoking, drinking and water arsenic ( P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the levels of urinary As Ⅲ, iAs, MMA V, DMA V, tAs, MMA%, MMA/DMA and nail arsenic in the arsenic poisoning group were higher ( P < 0.05), while the levels of urinary DMA%, SMI and nail selenium were lower ( P < 0.05); but there was no statistically significant difference in the levels of urinary iAs% and PMI ( P > 0.05). Gender, education level, depth of wells, water arsenic, total number of wells and nail arsenic were the influencing factors of urinary As Ⅲ (β = - 19.82, - 23.83, 0.61, 0.21, 7.26, 2.98, P < 0.05). Age, depth of wells, water arsenic and nail arsenic were the influencing factors of urinary tAs (β = 3.18, 3.25, 1.31, 15.59, P < 0.05). Gender, education level, depth of wells, water arsenic, total number of wells and nail arsenic were the influencing factors of urinary iAs (β = - 20.47, - 25.90, 0.64, 0.25, 7.87, 3.11, P < 0.05). Age, gender, education level, water arsenic and nail arsenic were the influencing factors of urinary MMA V (β = 0.52, - 17.07, - 21.84, 0.22, 2.77, P < 0.05). Age, depth of wells, water arsenic and nail arsenic were the influencing factors of urinary DMA V (β = 2.35, 2.47, 0.85, 9.22, P < 0.05). Conclusions:Compared with healthy individuals, there are differences in arsenic metabolism pattern among individuals with drinking-water-borne arsenic poisoning. Age, gender, education level, depth of wells, water arsenic, total number of wells and nail arsenic may be influencing factors of different arsenic metabolism patterns.

TCM, as a traditional medical science in China, has received strong support from the country in recent years. Although TCM services are on the rise under the promotion of the government, there is still the problem of unreasonable resource allocation. In this article, the entropy weight TOPSIS method, Theil Index and Moran Index were used to analyze the TCM resources from 2016 to 2021. It is believed that the comprehensive score of China's current TCM resource allocation is not high, and Sichuan, Beijing, Chongqing, Zhejiang, and Inner Mongolia rank relatively high; the TCM resources of were distributed spatially; the imbalance in resource allocation mainly comes from the differences between provinces (cities); it is suggested to intensify the scientific planning of TCM, comprehensively develop the TCM cause according to local conditions, and improve the efficiency of resource utilization.