ObjectiveTo evaluate the immediate effectiveness and safety of four intranasal acupuncture methods based on different intranasal localizations of Neiyingxiang （EX-HN 9） for improving nasal ventilation in patients with allergic rhinitis （AR）. MethodsA total of 120 patients with AR were randomly divided into four groups with 30 cases in each group， the agger nasi group， the inferior turbinate-alar junction group， the inferior turbinate top group， and the nasal septum group. All patients received one 20-minute session of intranasal acupuncture. The agger nasi group received acupuncture at the agger nasi site， the inferior turbinate-alar junction group at the junction of the inferior turbinate and alar cartilage， the inferior turbinate top group at the top of the inferior turbinate directly facing the nostril， and the nasal septum group at Little's area of the nasal septum. Before acupuncture and within 5 min after treatment， the assessments and measurements were performed including nasal obstruction symptom evaluation （NOSE） scale used to evaluate the severity of nasal obstruction before and after acupuncture， a nasal resistance/nasal flow analyzer applied to detect nasal airway resistance （NAR） and nasal respiration volume （NS）， the visual analogue scale （VAS） adopted to assess pain intensity. The incidence of nasal bleeding and other adverse events were recorded， and patients' willingness to receive repeat treatment was statistically analyzed. ResultsCompared with baseline within group， all four groups showed decreased NOSE scores and NAR as well as elevated NS after treatment （all P＜0.05）. Compared with the agger nasi group and the inferior turbinate-alar junction group， the inferior turbinate top group had higher NOSE scores and lower NS； the nasal septum group presented higher NOSE scores and NAR alongside lower NS （P＜0.05）. The nasal septum group yielded significantly higher VAS scores than the other three groups （P＜0.05）， with 11 cases （36.67%） of massive nasal bleeding observed， while no severe nasal hemorrhage occurred in the remaining groups. The proportions of patients willing to receive repeated intranasal acupuncture treatment were 70.00% （21/30） in the agger nasi group， 76.67% （23/30） in the inferior turbinate-alar junction group， 43.33% （13/30） in the inferior turbinate top group， and 3.33% （1/30） in the nasal septum group， respectively， with statistical significant difference among groups （χ² = 39.91， P＜0.001）. ConclusionAll four intranasal acupuncture methods can immediately improve nasal ventilation in patients with AR. The agger nasi group and inferior turbinate-alar cartilage junction group achieved superior therapeutic improvement compared with the inferior turbinate top group and nasal septum group， accompanied by better safety and higher patient acceptability.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the immediate effectiveness and safety of four intranasal acupuncture methods based on different intranasal localizations of Neiyingxiang （EX-HN 9） for improving nasal ventilation in patients with allergic rhinitis （AR）. MethodsA total of 120 patients with AR were randomly divided into four groups with 30 cases in each group， the agger nasi group， the inferior turbinate-alar junction group， the inferior turbinate top group， and the nasal septum group. All patients received one 20-minute session of intranasal acupuncture. The agger nasi group received acupuncture at the agger nasi site， the inferior turbinate-alar junction group at the junction of the inferior turbinate and alar cartilage， the inferior turbinate top group at the top of the inferior turbinate directly facing the nostril， and the nasal septum group at Little's area of the nasal septum. Before acupuncture and within 5 min after treatment， the assessments and measurements were performed including nasal obstruction symptom evaluation （NOSE） scale used to evaluate the severity of nasal obstruction before and after acupuncture， a nasal resistance/nasal flow analyzer applied to detect nasal airway resistance （NAR） and nasal respiration volume （NS）， the visual analogue scale （VAS） adopted to assess pain intensity. The incidence of nasal bleeding and other adverse events were recorded， and patients' willingness to receive repeat treatment was statistically analyzed. ResultsCompared with baseline within group， all four groups showed decreased NOSE scores and NAR as well as elevated NS after treatment （all P＜0.05）. Compared with the agger nasi group and the inferior turbinate-alar junction group， the inferior turbinate top group had higher NOSE scores and lower NS； the nasal septum group presented higher NOSE scores and NAR alongside lower NS （P＜0.05）. The nasal septum group yielded significantly higher VAS scores than the other three groups （P＜0.05）， with 11 cases （36.67%） of massive nasal bleeding observed， while no severe nasal hemorrhage occurred in the remaining groups. The proportions of patients willing to receive repeated intranasal acupuncture treatment were 70.00% （21/30） in the agger nasi group， 76.67% （23/30） in the inferior turbinate-alar junction group， 43.33% （13/30） in the inferior turbinate top group， and 3.33% （1/30） in the nasal septum group， respectively， with statistical significant difference among groups （χ² = 39.91， P＜0.001）. ConclusionAll four intranasal acupuncture methods can immediately improve nasal ventilation in patients with AR. The agger nasi group and inferior turbinate-alar cartilage junction group achieved superior therapeutic improvement compared with the inferior turbinate top group and nasal septum group， accompanied by better safety and higher patient acceptability.

Objective To study the distribution characteristics of blood uric acid level and blood glucose status and their potential interaction in elderly hypertensive patients. Methods The randomized study enrolled elderly patients with essential hypertension who were treated in our hospital from January 2020 to January 2022 and received antihypertensive therapy. Collected patients’ sociodemographic information, medical history, treatment history, etc., and detected their blood uric acid and blood glucose levels. Analyzed and described the subjects’ basic characteristics and the distribution of blood uric acid and blood glucose, and the potential interaction between them. Results A total of 205 subjects were included in this study, including 108 males and 97 females, with an average age of 70.94 years and an average BMI of 23.19kg/m². During the study period, the average blood pressure level was controlled at SBP 151.34±10.96mmHg and DBP 96.24±9.87mmHg, and the proportion of excellent blood pressure control reached 89.27%. The blood uric acid level of the subjects was elevated by increasing of subjects' age and BMI (P < 0.05), and blood glucose only elevated by the increasing of BMI (P < 0.001). High BMI, high DBP, family history of hypertension, high blood uric acid level, and current history of diabetes were risk factors for elevated hypertension grade. Conclusions High DBP, high BMI, high blood uric acid level, current history of diabetes and family history of hypertension are risk factors in elderly hypertensive patients, we could make clinical treatment strategies for these patients accordingly.

Objective To explore the efficacy of modified three-line tension reduction and precise delayed tamponade in nasal septum correction.Methods From January 2021 to January 2023,a total of 94 patients who underwent nasal septum deviation surgery in Department of Otolaryngology,Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were randomly divided into group A and group B,with 47 cases in each group.Patients in group A were treated with traditional nasal septum three-line tension reduction;Patients in group B were treated with modified three-line tension reduction of nasal septum,and iodoform gauze was accurately filled in the deviated part after bilateral nasal tamponade was removed for 2 weeks.The operation time,intraoperative nasal septum mucosal injury and intraoperative blood loss were compared between the two groups.Subjective symptoms were scored by nasal obstruction symptom evaluation(NOSE).Nasal septum deviation was evaluated by nasal endoscopy.Results The number of cases of mucosal injury in group A was more than that in group B;The operation time of group A was longer than that of group B,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The amount of bleeding in group A was more than that in group B,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The nasal obstruction symptoms of two groups were improved after operation,and the improvement effect of nasal obstruction symptoms in group B was better,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The deviation of nasal septum in both groups was improved,and the improvement of nasal septum shaping in group B was better than that in group A,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion The modified three-line tension reduction under nasal endoscopy can achieve the same effect as the traditional three-line tension reduction nasal septum correction.At the same time,it can shorten the operation time,reduce the amount of bleeding,reduce the risk of nasal septum perforation,and accurately delay the micro-filling for about 2 weeks.It can avoid the elastic retraction of nasal septum cartilage and improve the surgical effect.

Objective:To compare the clinical effects robot navigation assisted and conventional proximal femoral nail antirotation (PFNA) implantation and fixation in the treatment of elderly femoral trochanteric fractures.Methods:A total of 86 elderly patients with tuberosity fracture of the femur were admitted as research samples from January to March in 2022 in the Department of Trauma Orthopaedic, Xi′an Honghui Hospital Affiliated to Xi′an Jiaotong University, including 37 males and 49 females, who aged from 63 to 92 years, with an average age of (79.6 ± 6.9) years. All patients were treated with intramedullary nails (PFNA), 32 with dimensity robotic-assisted therapy (robot group) and 54 with traditional methods (conventional group). The length of incision, the number of intraoperative fluoroscopy, the amount of intraoperative blood loss, and the operation time were recorded. The occurrence of postoperative complications in the two groups was observed. The rate of excellent hip Harris score at 3 month after surgery was compared between the two groups. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as mean ± standard deviation( ± s), and the comparison between groups was conducted using the t-test; the comparison of count data were represented as [ n(%)], and was conducted by Chi-square test or Fisher exact probability between groups. Results:All patients were followed up for 9 to 12 months, with an average of (10.6 ± 0.9) months. The incision length and tip apex distance (TAD) of the robot group were (3.40±0.82) cm and (21.85±1.44) mm, which were smaller than (4.82±0.75) cm and (26.83±1.75) mm in the conventional group ( P<0.05 for all). The number of intraoperative fluoroscopy and guide needle adjustment [(14.53±3.26) and 0 times] in the robot group were less than those in the conventional group [(20.67±4.84) and (2.83±1.42)] ( P<0.05). The intraoperative blood loss and drainage rate of the robot group were (87.03±9.41) and (46.40±8.91) mL, which were smaller than that of the conventional group [(110.00±12.52) and (69.62±10.22) mL] ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the number of days of hospitalization and operation time between the two groups ( P>0.05). The postoperative complication rate in the robot group was 9.4%, which was lower than that in conventional group (42.6%), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=11.88, P=0.036). The excellent rate of postoperative hip joint function in the robot group was 75.0%, and the conventional group was 66.7%, and there was no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=0.66, P=0.416). Conclusion:Robot-assisted navigation downward PFNA surgery can have good clinical effect in the treatment of femoral tuberosity fracture in the elderly, which can reduce the number of surgical incisions and intraoperative fluoroscopy, and reduce the incidence of postoperative complications, which is helpful to achieve minimally invasive surgery and rapid recovery of elderly patients with femoral tuberosity fracture.

Objective:To evaluate the clinic efficacy of channel bone grafting [preservation of the sclerotic bone at the broken nonunion ends and fixation with limited contact dynamic compression plate (LC-DCP)] in the treatment of postoperative atrophic nonunion of middle clavicular fracture.Methods:The 41 patients were retrospectively analyzed who had been treated at Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Xi'an Hong-Hui Hospital for atrophic nonunion after internal fixation of middle clavicular fracture from June 2015 to December 2019. They were 23 males and 18 females, with a mean age of 47.6 years (from 28 to 63 years). The left side was affected in 25 cases and the right side in 16 cases. The time interval between initial fracture surgery and nonunion surgery averaged 18.5 months (from 9 to 40 months). Thirty-six cases had undergone one operation and 5 cases 2 operations before admission. The length of bone defect was measured during operation. All nonunions were treated with construction of a graft channel, iliac bone graft and LC-DCP internal fixation above the clavicle. The upper limb function of the affected side was evaluated by the Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) 12 months after operation.Results:The 41 patients were followed up for an average of 13.6 months (from 12 to 15 months). A bone defect ≤2.0 cm was found in 25 cases and that >2.0 cm in 16 ones. Nonunion healed in all patients after an average time of 14 weeks (from 12 to 16 weeks). One patient reported continuous pain in the donor area after operation and the other developed deep venous thrombosis at the right lower limb. The DASH upper limb scores at 12 months after operation averaged 14.7.Conclusion:Channel bone grafting is a feasible clinical treatment of postoperative atrophic nonunion of middle clavicular fracture, because it preserves the sclerotic bone at the broken nonunion ends, reduces the amount of iliac bone graft and leads to fine clinic efficacy.

Objective:To characterize the biomechanical performance of our self-designed novel blocking screws in the treatment of distal tibial fractures.Methods:Thirty artificial composite tibial bones were used to create models of unstable distal tibial fracture (AO type 43-A3) which were randomized into 3 even groups ( n=10) according to modes of fixation. Group A was subjected to fixation with intramedullary nails only with merely preset holes reserved for the blocking screws, group B to fixation with intramedullary nails plus conventional anteroposterior blocking screws, and group C to fixation with intramedullary nails plus novel lateral blocking screws. In all the 3 groups, a lateral bending stress test was conducted to record the maximum transversal displacement of the intramedullary nail, a fatigue test to observe the structural abnormality in the model and an axial stress test to record the maximum axial displacement of the intramedullary nail-bone structure. The 3 groups were compared in structural abnormality, the maximum transversal displacement of the intramedullary nail and the maximum axial displacement of the intramedullary nail-bone structure. Results:The lateral bending stress tests showed the maximum transversal displacements were (5.02±1.03) mm; (4.19±0.64) mm and (4.18±0.65) mm in groups A, B and C; compared with group A, the maximum transversal displacement decreased by 16.6%( P=0.027) in group B and decreased by 16.8%( P=0.025) in group C, showing significant differences but there was no significant difference in the maximum transversal displacement between groups B and C ( P=0.978). In the fatigue test, all models showed no structural abnormality under cyclic loading. In the axial stress test, the maximum axial displacements of the intramedullary nail-bone structure were, respectively, (5.69±0.75) mm, (5.31±0.61) mm and (5.51±0.65) mm in groups A, B and C, showing no statistically significant difference among the 3 groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Our self-designed novel blocking screws can be a new means in clinical application, because they are similar to conventional blocking screws in increasing the stability of nail-bone construct and other biomechanical performance.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of percutaneous transhepatic drainage combined with sequential percutaneous nephroscopy for necrosectomy and drainage in the treatment of refractory liver abscess after transcatheter arterial embolization (TACE). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for three patients with refractory liver abscess after TACE in The Affiliated 3201 Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University School of Medicine from January 2018 to December 2020, and among the three patients, one had the formation of liver abscess after TACE for hepatic metastases after pancreaticoduodenectomy, one had liver abscess after repeated TACE for massive hepatocellular carcinoma, and one had secondary liver abscess after TACE for traumatic hepatic rupture. All three patients received percutaneous transhepatic drainage and sequential percutaneous nephroscopy for the treatment of refractory liver abscess, and their specific treatment process was summarized. Results All three patients were diagnosed with refractory liver abscess based on CT, routine blood test, procalcitonin, blood culture, and clinical manifestation. Percutaneous transhepatic catheterization under the guidance of conventional ultrasonography or CT and effective antibiotics had an unsatisfactory therapeutic effect, and after sequential percutaneous nephroscopy was performed for necrosectomy and drainage, liver abscess was cured and the patients had good prognosis. Conclusion For refractory liver abscess after TACE, when routine puncture treatment has an unsatisfactory therapeutic effect or a patient cannot tolerate surgical operation, percutaneous transhepatic drainage combined with sequential percutaneous nephroscopy is safe and effective in the treatment of refractory liver abscess.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of two-step percutaneous transhepatic choledochoscopic lithotomy (PTCSL) in the treatment of complex hepatolithiasis. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 118 patients with complex hepatolithiasis who were admitted to 3201 Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center from January 2018 to June 2020, and according to the surgical procedure, they were divided into PTCSL group with 60 patients and surgery group with 58 patients. All patients were followed up for half a year to 3 years via telephone and outpatient service. The two groups were compared in terms of general information, perioperative indicators (including time of operation, intraoperative blood loss, incision length, time to first flatus and time to first defecation after surgery, time to extraction of abdominal drainage tube, and length of hospital stay), changes in liver function and inflammatory indicators, postoperative complications (bile leakage, acute cholangitis, wound infection, and venous thrombosis of lower extremities), stone clearance rate and recurrence rate, and quality of life. The two-independent-samples t -test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups; the paired t -test was used for comparison between different periods of time within group; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Results Compared with the surgery group, the PTCSL group had significantly shorter time of operation, time to first flatus and time to first defecation after surgery, and time to extraction of abdominal drainage tube, a significantly lower intraoperative blood loss, and a significantly shorter incision length (all P < 0.05). On day 1 after surgery, both groups had significant reductions in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ( P < 0.05) and a significant increase in white blood cell count (WBC) ( P < 0.05), and the PTCSL group had significantly lower levels of ALT, AST, and WBC than the surgery group (all P < 0.05). Compared with the surgery group, the PTCSL group had significantly lower incidence rates of postoperative bile leakage (5.0% vs 17.2%, P < 0.05), acute cholangitis (3.3% vs 13.8%, P < 0.05), wound infection (1.7% vs 10.3%, P < 0.05), and venous thrombosis of lower extremities (1.7% vs 12.1%, P < 0.05). Compared with the surgery group, the PTCSL group had a significantly higher stone clearance rate (58.3% vs 37.9%, P < 0.05) and a significantly lower long-term stone recurrence rate (10.0% vs 20.7%, P < 0.05). The PTCSL group had significantly higher quality of life scores than the surgery group (all P < 0.05). Conclusion For the treatment of complex hepatolithiasis, two-step PTCSL can effectively remove stones, with the advantages of fast postoperative recovery, low recurrence rate and incidence rate of complications, and high quality of life, and therefore, it is an effective alternative surgical procedure.

Objective:To evaluate arthrography-assisted reduction in minimally invasive treatment of tibial plateau fractures.Methods:From January to May 2019, 9 patients with tibial plateau fracture were treated by arthrography-assisted minimally invasive surgery at Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Hong-Hui Hospital. They were 6 males and 3 females with an average age of 45.5 years (from 27 to 63 years). According to the Schatzker classification, there were 6 cases of type Ⅱ, one of type Ⅲ and 2 cases of type Ⅳ. Arthrography was used to determine the lowest filling point of contrast medium after intra-articular injection and to ensure satisfactory reduction of articular surface after fracture reduction and bone grafting, followed by minimally invasive percutaneous plate implantation. Comparisons were made between preoperation and 6 months postoperation in the range of knee motion and knee scores of The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). Knee X-ray films were evaluated by the Rasmussen imaging system at 6 months postoperation. Collapse of articular surface was recorded pre- and post-operation as well as postoperative complications.Results:All the 9 patients were followed up for 6 to 9 months (average, 7 months). All patients achieved bony union within 12 weeks postoperation. The preoperative knee flexion (60.7°±13.1°) and HSS (51.9±5.7) were significantly improved to 122.4°±10.8° and 84.9±5.3 at 6 months postoperation ( P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between preoperation and 6 months postoperation in knee extension (4.4°±2.5° versus 4.6°±2.9°) ( P>0.05). The collapse of articular surface was improved from preoperative 9.5 mm (from 5 to 15 mm) to postoperative 1.3 mm (from 0 to 3 mm). The Rasmussen imaging scores at 6 months postoperation showed 6 excellent and 3 good. No such postoperative complications occurred as incision infection, joint stiffness, loosening or breakage of implants. Conclusion:Arthrography helps minimally invasive treatment of tibial plateau fracture because it can better display fracture collapse during operation and accurately judge indirect reduction of articular surface.