Objective:To explore the predictive value of lactic acid for the adverse prognostic outcomes in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure combined with infection.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 208 cases of ACLF combined with infection who were hospitalized from January 2014 to March 2016. Patients were divided into a survival group ( n = 83) and a mortality group ( n = 125) according to the results of a 90-day follow-up. The clinical data were statistically analyzed between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression with two categorical variables was used to analyze the independent risk factors for 90-day disease mortality and establish a new prediction model. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was used to evaluate the predictive value of lactic acid, the MELD score, the MELD-Na score, lactic acid combined with the MELD score, lactic acid combined with the MELD-Na score, and the new model. Results:The 90-day mortality rate of 208 cases of ACLF combined with infection was 60.1%. There were statistically significant differences in white blood cell count, neutrophil count, total bilirubin (TBil), serum creatinine (Cr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), blood ammonia, the international normalized ratio (INR), lactic acid (LAC), procalcitonin, the MELD score, the MELD-Na score, hepatic encephalopathy (HE), acute kidney injury (AKI), and bleeding between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that TBil, INR, LAC, HE, and bleeding were independent risk factors for 90-day mortality in patients with ACLF combined with infection. After the establishment of MELD-LAC, MELD-Na-LAC, and a new prediction model, the ROC curve revealed that the AUC (95% confidence interval) of MELD-LAC and MELD-Na LAC were 0.819 (0.759 ~ 0.870) and 0.838 (0.780 ~ 0.886), respectively, and was superior than the MELD score [0.766 (0.702 ~ 0.823)] and MELD-Na score [0.788 (0.726 ~ 0.843)], with P < 0.05, while the new model had an AUC of 0.924, the sensitivity of 83.9%, specificity of 89.9%, and accuracy of 87.8%, which was higher than LAC, MELD score, MELD-Na score, MELD-LAC, and MELD-Na-LAC ( P < 0.01). Conclusion:Lactic acid is an independent risk factor for mortality in patients with ACLF combined with infection, and it improves the clinical predictive value of MELD and MELD-Na for the prognosis of mortality.

Objective To investigate a reasonable threshold of total bilirubin for the diagnosis of hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF), and to realize accurate early diagnosis. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 1232 patients with HBV-ACLF who were admitted to The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from September 2008 to September 2018, and according to the baseline serum level of total bilirubin (TBil), the patients were divided into group A (TBil < 205.2 μmol/L) and group B (TBil ≥205.2 μmol/L). the two groups were compared in terms of clinical features and 28-day, 90-day, 1-year, and 3-year survival. The t -test or the Mann-Whitney U rank sum test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze survival rate, and the log-rank test was used for comparison. Results There were significant differences between the two groups in age( t =3.188, P =0.001) male sex( χ 2 =33.833, P < 0.001), liver failure classification( χ 2 =39.987, P < 0.001), white blood cell count( Z =6.586, P < 0.001), hemoglobin( Z =4.272, P < 0.001), platelet count( Z =3.680, P < 0.001), creatinine( Z =4.505, P < 0.001), total cholesterol( Z =8.644, P < 0.001), Na( Z =2.335, P =0.020), albumin( Z =2.592, P =0.010), HBV DNA( Z =3.703, P < 0.001), Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score( Z =11.828, P < 0.001), and MELD-Na score( Z =8.410, P < 0.001). At baseline, there were significant differences in the incidence rates of ascites and gastrointestinal bleeding between the two groups ( χ 2 =12.036、4.342, P < 0.05). Infection was the most common new-onset complication within 28 days, followed by hepatic encephalopathy, and there was a significant difference in the incidence rate of infection between the two groups ( χ 2 =5.294, P < 0.05). The 28-day transplant-free mortality rate was 21.2% in group A and 29.5% in group B( HR =1.473[95% CI : 1.151~1.886], P =0.005), which was consistent with the clinical feature of a high short-term mortality rate (> 15%) in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). Although there was a difference in long-term mortality rate between the two groups, there was no significant increase in transplant-free mortality rate after 90 days in either group. Conclusion Under the premise of international normalized ratio ≥1.5, it is not recommended to increase the threshold of TBil to 205.2 μmol/L in the diagnostic criteria for HBV-ACLF, so as to ensure the early diagnosis of more ACLF patients and bring more opportunities for treatment and cure.

Objective:To study the relationship between gastric fundus size and postoperative gastroparesis and to find effective ways to prevent postoperative gastroparesis in high-risk patients.Methods:We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of 276 gastric cancer patients undergoing radical gastrectomy from 2015 to 2016. The gastric fundus volume/total gastric volume (FV/TV) ratio was measured by computed tomography (CT) and comparative study between the gastroparesis group and the non-gastroparesis group was carried out in terms of postoperative gastroparesis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the predictive performance. Single-factor and multiple-factor analyses were performed to filter clinically significant predictive factors of gastroparesis. Then, we increased the sample size to 304 patients whose FV/TV ratio was >19.4%. The different surgical methods and perioperative management of these patients were analysed. The chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were performed to identify effective independent factors for preventing gastroparesis.Results:The FV/TV ratio in the gastroparesis group was significantly higher than that in the non-gastroparesis group ( P<0.05). A cut-off value of 19.4% was selected by ROC curve analysis, at which the FV/TV ratio had a sensitivity of 76.2% and a specificity of 53.7%. In 304 patients in the second retrospective study, the incidence of gastroparesis was 9.2%. Gastroparesis was significantly reduced in patients with residual gastric size <1/3 ( P<0.05) and early postoperative gastrointestinal decompression ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The FV/TV ratio can effectively predict the risk of postoperative gastroparesis preoperatively. Small residual stomach and early postoperative gastrointestinal decompression are effective measures to prevent gastroparesis in high-risk patients.

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical features of infection in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and bacterial infection and the influencing factors for 90-day survival rate. MethodsThe patients with ACLF who were admitted to The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2014 to December 2015 were enrolled, and related clinical data were collected and analyzed, including infection time and site, microbial culture, biochemical parameters and inflammatory markers, and 28- and 90-day prognosis after infection. The t-test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The life-table method was used to plot survival curves. The indices affecting prognosis in the univariate analysis were further included in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. ResultsA total of 1074 patients with ACLF were admitted, among whom 609 had bacterial infection, and the incidence rate of bacterial infection was 567%. Among these 609 patients, 16 underwent liver transplantation within 90 days and related data statistics were obtained for the remaining 593 patients. As for infection site, among the patients with infection, 70.15% had abdominal infection, 41.15% had pulmonary infection, 11.97% had sepsis, 5.40% had urinary system infection, 4.89% had thoracic infection, and 8.6% had infection at other sites. Among the patients with infection, 64.76% had infection at a single site. The positive rates of microbial culture of ascites, phlegm, urine, and pleural effusion were 22.70%, 52.82%, 40.63%, and 35.71%, respectively. Escherichia coli was the most common bacterium in ascites and accounted for 43.82%; Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii accounted for 22.67%, 2400%, and 22.67%, respectively, in phlegm; Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcaceae accounted for 33.80%, 29.58%, and 15.49%, respectively, in blood culture. The 90-day survival rate after infection was 38.11% (226/593) in the patients with ACLF, and the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (P=0.006), stage of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) (P＜0001), stage of liver failure (P＜0.001), and acute kidney injury (AKI) (P＜0.001) were independent risk factors for 90-day survival in patients with ACLF and infection. ConclusionThere is a high incidence rate of infection in patients with ACLF. The 90-day survival rate is relatively low, and the presence of AKI, HE stage III or above, and advanced liver failure may indicate poor prognosis.

As lactate is elevated due to lactate metabolic disorder in liver failure, recent studies have shown that blood lactate has a high value in predicting the prognosis of liver failure. With reference to the research findings in recent years, this article introduces the prediction model of LiFe score and reviews the advances in the clinical application of blood lactate level in patients with liver failure in China and foreign countries. It is believed that a high lactate level is an independent risk factor for poor prognosis of liver failure patients, and it is proposed that lactate can be used as an important indicator to evaluate the severity and prognosis of liver failure and further optimize the scoring system for the prognosis of related liver diseases.

Organ shortage is one of the important factors restricting the development of human organ transplantation. The identification and referral of potential donors determine the total scale of organ donation. Whether potential donors can be identified and referred is the most important reason for the difference of organ donation rates in different regions. This paper interprets the chapter of the identification and referral of potential donors in the Guide to the Quality and Safety of Organs for Transplantation (6th edition) issued by European Union in order to provide reference for the staff of organ procurement organization and related medical personnel in China and improve the organ donation rate in China.

Objective:To investigate the application of 3D printing technique in percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) of patients with complicated kidney stones.Methods:From January 2015 to December 2017, 60 patients with complicated kidney stones were enrolled in the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University for prospective study, and PCNL was proposed.All the patients were randomly divided into 3D print group (30 cases) and conventional image inspection group (30 cases, control group). Before operation, CT urography (CTU) was used in both groups.In 3D printing group, digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) files of CT were extracted for 3D image postprocessing, and thermoplastic materials were used to print 3D model.In the 3D printing group, the digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) files of CT were extracted for 3D image post-processing, and the 3D model was printed with thermoplastic materials.According to the comprehensive planning of 3D kidney model, a virtual safe and reliable percutaneous renal access was established for each patient, and PCNL was executed.The patients in the two groups were compared before, during and after operation.Preoperative: age, sex, body mass index, blood creatinine, stone size and CT value.During the operation: (1) the target renal calices location time; (2) the conformity between the preoperative planning and the actual operation; (3) the operation completion time.After operation: (1) stone removal rate; (2) hemoglobin reduction level; (3) postoperative recovery.Results:All the 60 patients successfully completed the operation, 30 patients successfully printed out the 3D model, which can accurately express the relationship between the stone and the adjacent anatomical structure, the internal renal artery and the collecting system.Positioning time of 3D printing group in target renal calices((2.9 ± 1.5) min vs.(5.8 ± 1.7) min, P=0.023), coincidence between simulated and actual puncture calices((89.5 ± 3.5)% vs.(60.2 ± 5.7)%, P=0.005), postoperative stone removal rate ((89.9 ± 4.5)% vs.(75.9 ± 5.2)%, P=0.009), and hemoglobin levels((1.4 ± 0.5) g/L vs.(2.9 ± 1.4) g/L, P=0.032) were superior to the control group, and the difference was statistically significant.But there was no significant difference between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion:The 3D printed kidney model truly restores the anatomical details around the kidneys and stones, providing a stereoscopic and intuitive way to perform surgery, so it maybe has a significance guidance for percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

Objective:To investigate the incidence rate, influencing factors and prognosis of infection-induced acute renal injury (AKI) in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF).Methods:516 cases with acute-on-chronic liver failure complicated with infection that were hospitalized in our hospital during 2014 to 2016 were retrospectively studied. General conditions and clinical characteristics of the patients were collected, and grouped according to the presence or absence of incidence and severity of AKI. General conditions, laboratory results, occurrence of complications and survival were compared and analyzed.Results:The main causes were HBV infection (67.8%) and alcoholic liver disease (20.0%). The most common sites of infection were abdominal cavity, lung and blood. Multivariate analysis showed that neutrophil count, TBIL, lactate and septic shock were independent risk factors for infection-induced AKI in ACLF patients. The cumulative mortality in patients with AKI after infection at 28, 90 and 360 days was significantly higher than those without AKI (51.6% and 20.5%, 70.2% and 40.3%, 73.4% and 45.9%; P < 0.01). In both groups, deaths had occurred mainly in the early (0 ~ 28 d) and middle (29 ~ 90 d) stage of follow-up period. In the late follow-up period (91-360 d), there was no statistically significant difference in mortality rate between the two groups. Conclusion:Infection is an important inducing cause of AKI in ACLF patients. The underlying liver disease and the severity of infection are significantly related to the infection-induced AKI in ACLF patients, and once AKI occurs after infection, the mortality rate of the patients is significantly increased.

Objective To evaluate the value of quantitative analysis of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) for differentiating malignant from benign orbital lymphoproliferative disorder(OLPD). Methods Forty-three patients with OLPDs(20 patients with benign OLPDs and 23 patients with orbital lymphoma) confirmed by histopathology or clinical follow-up were enrolled in this retrospective study.Quantitative parameters of DCE-MRI including volume transfer constant (Ktrans), flux rate constant (Kep), and extravascular extracellular volume fraction (Ve) and mean apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)values were obtained. χ2test and t test were used to compare the differences of qualitative and quantitative parameters between two groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used to evaluate the diagnostic ability of each parameter and its combination. Results Malignant group showed significantly lower mean ADC values and higher Kepvalues than benign group [ADC:(0.674±0.126)×10-3mm2/s vs(1.030±0.304)×10-3mm2/s,P<0.001;Kep:(1.299±0.566)/min vs(0.787± 0.311)/min, P= 0.001], while no significant differences was found on Ktrans(P= 0.637) and Ve(P= 0.023). ROC analyses results indicated that,a sensitivity of 95.7%,specificity of 80.0% and area under curve(AUC) of 0.896 could be obtained,when using ADC=0.809×10-3mm2/s as the cut-off value.Setting the Kepvalue of 0.863/min as the cut-off value, a sensitivity of 91.3%, specificity of 75.0% and AUC of 0.848 could be obtained. When combination of mean ADC and Kepwas used, optimal diagnostic performance could be obtained (AUC, 0.926;sensitivity, 91.3%;specificity, 90.0%). Conclusion Mean ADC values and Kepare significant variables in predicting malignant OLPDs. Combination of DWI and DCE-MRI can further improve the diagnostic capability in differentiating malignant from benign OLPDs.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical effect of periodontal microscopic surgery on the augmentation of attached gingiva and determined the clinical principle on how to use minimally invasive surgery to improve the surgery success rate. METHODS: Twenty patients with insufficient attached gingiva around implants were selected. Periodontal microscopic surgery for free gingival graft was performed to increase the width of the attached gingiva around the implants. The survival state of the free gingiva was observed after surgery, and the width of the attached gingiva around the implants was recorded before and after surgery and 1 year after surgery. The shrinkage rate of the free gingival flap 1 year after surgery was analyzed to evaluate the stability of the flap. RESULTS: The flaps of the 20 cases all survived. One year after the operation, the width of the attached gingiva was (3.05±0.44) mm, which increased compared with that of preoperation (2.56±0.31) mm
and decreased compared with that of postoperative day (2.13±0.28) mm. The shrinkage rate of the attached gingiva was 41.22%±5.04%. CONCLUSIONS The application of microscopic surgery on the augmentation surgery of attached gingiva can increase the success rate and improve the quality and quantity of attached gingiva around implants.
Dental Implants ; Gingiva ; surgery ; Humans ; Microsurgery ; Oral Surgical Procedures ; Surgical Flaps