AIM:To compare the efficacy and safety of early combination therapy with ranibizumab and dexamethasone intravitreal implants versus ranibizumab monotherapy for the treatment of macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion(RVO-ME).METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on a total of 62 cases(64 eyes)of patients who were first diagnosed with RVO-ME at the Eye Centre of the Affiliated Hospital of Shandong Second Medical University between February 2022 and February 2023. The subjects were divided into two groups according to the different treatment regimens: 32 cases(34 eyes)in the monotherapy group received only ranibizumab [3+pro re nata(PRN)regimen], and 30 cases(30 eyes)in the combination therapy group were injected with ranibizumab once first, followed by dexamethasone intravitreal implant 3 wk later(1+DEX regimen). The best corrected visual acuity(BCVA), central retina thickness(CRT), foveal avascular zone(FAZ)area, macular vascular density(MVD)at the level of the deep vascular complex(DVC)of the retina, the incidence of ocular adverse effects, the number of drug injections, and the total cost between the two groups were compared before and after treatment.RESULTS: At 3 wk, 3 and 6 mo, and at the final follow-up of the two groups of patients, the improvement in BCVA, CRT, and MVD in the DVC layer was significantly better than that before treatment(all P<0.05); there were differences in the comparisons of BCVA and CRT between the two groups at 6 mo and the final follow-up(all P<0.05), and the increase in the number of letters of BCVA was the most pronounced in the combination therapy group at 6 mo of treatment. Statistical significant difference was observed in the comparison of MVD in the DVC layer between the two groups at 3 and 6 mo after treatment and at the final follow-up(all P<0.05). However, no significant change in FAZ area was evident before and after treatment in both groups(P>0.05). The combination therapy group exhibited a reduced number of injections and total cost in comparison to the monotherapy group. The combination therapy group exhibited a slightly higher incidence of high intraocular pressure and cataract progression compared to the monotherapy group, with no statistical significant difference(all P>0.05). Furthermore, no serious adverse events were observed in either group following treatment.CONCLUSION:Compared with ranibizumab alone, ranibizumab combined with dexamethasone intravitreal implant significantly improved vision, reduced macular edema, and lowered the frequency of injections and total treatment cost in patients with RVO-ME. CRT and MVD in the DVC layer are reliable prognostic indicators for patients with RVO-ME.

AIM: To investigate the risk factors associated with the recurrence of macular edema secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion(BRVO-ME)after anti-vascular endothelial growth factor(anti-VEGF)therapy.METHODS:A total of 32 patients(32 eyes)with BRVO-ME who were treated at the ophthalmology department of the Affiliated Hospital of Shandong Second Medical University from February 2021 to June 2022 were selected. They were treated with a 3+pro re nata (PRN)anti-VEGF regimen and followed up for 6 mo. Following 3 consecutive anti-VEGF injections, patients were categorized into a non-recurrence group and a recurrence group based on central macular thickness(CMT)measured by optical coherence tomography(OCT)at 6 mo post-treatment. Aqueous humor levels of various cytokines levels were quantified using suspension assay method. Demographic characteristics, CMT, and cytokine levels were compared between the two groups, and their correlations with the recurrence of BRVO-ME after anti-VEGF treatment were analyzed.RESULTS:At 6 months post-treatment, ME resolved in 19 eyes(no recurrence group), while 13 eyes showed persistent or recurrent ME(recurrence group). Compared to baseline, the CMT significantly improved in both groups at 1 d, 1, and 6 mo post-treatment(all P<0.05). However, the recurrence group exhibited significantly higher baseline, 1 d and 6 mo post-treatment CMT values than the non-recurrence group(all P<0.05). The aqueous humor levels of VEGF and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1(MCP-1)at baseline were significantly higher in the recurrence group than the non-recurrence group(all P<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis revealed positive associations between baseline CMT and interlukin IL-1β, IL-5, IL-12, MCP-1 and IP-10 levels(all P<0.05). Multivariable Logistic regression analysis identified baseline CMT and MCP-1 levels as independent risk factors for BRVO-ME recurrence(OR>1, P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Elevated baseline CMT and aqueous humor MCP-1 levels were identified as independent risk factors for BRVO-ME recurrence after anti-VEGF therapy. Patients exhibiting higher baseline CMT and MCP-1 levels demonstrated significantly increased susceptibility to recurrence.

Objective To identify risk factors for postoperative respiratory failure(PORF)in cardiovascular surgery patients using machine learning algorithms and to construct a specific risk prediction model.Methods A retrospective cohort was conducted on 1 623 patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery between 2011 and 2020 from the INSPIRE database.Following data quality analysis,multiple imputation was employed to handle missing data,and the Boruta algorithm was used for feature selection.Eight machine learning models were constructed based on the selected features,including Gradient Boosting Machine(GBM),Generalized Linear Model(GLM),Extreme Gradient Boosting(XGBoost),K-Nearest Neighbors(KNN),Neural Network(NNET),Naive Bayes(NB),Support Vector Machine(SVM),and Random Forest(RF).Model performance was evaluated using metrics including the area under the curve(AUC),sensitivity,and specificity.Variables significantly influencing PORF were identified using the permutation importance algorithm.Results The overall incidence of PORF was 27.05％(439/1 623).The in-hospital mortality rate was significantly higher in the PORF group than the non-PORF group(12.98％vs 1.60％,P<0.001).Among the developed models,the SVM model demonstrated the best performance,achieving an AUC of 0.705 in the testing set,with a sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value(PPV),and negative predictive value(NPV)of 0.481,0.825,0.504,and 0.812,respectively.Based on feature importance analysis,the top 10 variables most predictive of PORF were anesthesia duration,arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide(PaCO?),calcium level,lymphocyte percentage,cardiopulmonary bypass duration,intraoperative blood loss,age,creatinine level,aspartate aminotransferase(AST)level,and activated partial thromboplastin time(aPTT).Conclusion A predictieon model for PORF following cardiovascular surgery is successfully developed.This model can identify high-risk patients and estimate their probability of developing respiratory failure,thereby facilitating data-driven clinical decision-making.

Objective:To investigate the impact of early invasive arterial blood pressure (IBP) monitoring on survival and neurological outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients undergoing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR).Methods:This retrospective cohort study analyzed 44 OHCA patients receiving ECPR between January 2021 and January 2023. Patients were divided into: Early intervention group : IBP established within 3 min of ECMO initiation; Late intervention group : IBP established after ICU admission. Baseline characteristics, ECMO parameters, and clinical outcomes were compared. Multivariable logistic regression (adjusted for age, initial rhythm, etc.) and Spearman's correlation were used.Results:This study included a total of 44 patients treated with OHCA and ECPR, divided into an early intervention group of 23 cases and a late intervention group of 21 cases. The early intervention group showed significantly higher: Survival to discharge (43.5% vs. 9.5%, P<0.05), Good neurological recovery (CPC 1-2: 34.8% vs. 9.5%, P<0.05).Early intervention independently predicted survival (adjusted OR=18.84, 95% CI:1.97-179.98, P=0.01). Stratified analysis by pH (cutoff 7.0) demonstrated consistent benefits in both pH>7.0 ( aOR=0.392, 95% CI:0.106-0.678) and pH≤7.0 subgroups ( aOR=0.385, 95% CI: 0.075-0.695; interaction P=0.183). Early IBP positively correlated with CPC scores ( ρ=0.40, P=0.007). Conclusions:Early IBP monitoring significantly improves survival and neurological outcomes in OHCA-ECPR patients, supporting its integration into standardized protocols.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.07.023.].

Kidney deficiency syndrome is a common clinical syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. With the progress of science and technology， clinical and animal experiments on kidney deficiency syndrome have made remarkable progress. Research on kidney deficiency and the nature of "kidney" involves a large number of physiological and pathological bases， which are closely related to physiological and pathological links in the human body， among which the neuroendocrine-immune network shares the closest relationship. However， there are still many challenges in modern research on kidney deficiency syndrome， such as expert consensus on clinical diagnostic criteria and evaluation indexes and optimization of animal experimental models. In the past decade， a large number of clinical and animal experiments have been reported in the literature on kidney deficiency syndrome， among which the literature focusing on the combination of disease and syndrome is predominant， and most of them focus on kidney Yang deficiency and kidney Yin deficiency， involving the exploration of many pathological mechanisms. Research on the mechanisms related to kidney deficiency syndrome encompasses multiple signaling pathways and various biochemical indicators， including the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/nuclear factor-erythroid 2-relatedfactor-2（PI3K/Akt/Nrf2） signaling pathway， the Toll-like receptor 4/myeloid differentiation factor88/nuclear factor-κB（TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB） signaling pathway， the Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3（JAK2/STAT3） signaling pathway， Osteoprotectin/nuclear factor-κB receptor activator ligand/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB （OPG/RANKL/RANK） signaling pathway. The biochemical indicators cover the cyclic adenosine monophosphate/cyclic guanosine monophosphate （cAMP/cGMP） ratio， Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase activity， Ca²⁺-Mg²⁺-ATPase activity， adrenocorticotropic hormone （ACTH）， polycorticosterone （CORT）， 17-OHCS， and other sex hormone indicators， providing crucial reference values for diagnosing kidney Yang deficiency or kidney Yin deficiency. The literature related to kidney deficiency syndrome over the past decade was collated and excavated， with a view to providing a reference for research on kidney deficiency syndrome.

30 patients with chronic periodontitis and Type 2 diabetes mellituse were included.By a split-mouth design,the teeth in the left side were served as the experiment group and given Nd∶YAG and Er∶YAG laser therapy adjunctive to conventional periodontal treatment;the teeth in the right side were served as the control group and given conventional periodontal treatment alone.Before and after treatment perio-dontal and CBCT image indexes were examinde and compare between the 2 groups.Before treatment all the indexes were not statistically dif-ferent between the 2 groups(P＞0.05).3 months after treatment,the bleeding index(BI)and probing depth(PD)of the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group(P＜0.05).6 months after treatment,BI,PD and attachment loss(AL)in the experi-mental group were significantly lower than those in the control group,and the surface area and volume of the root in the alveolar bone were significantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05).Nd∶YAG and Er∶YAG laser therapy adjunctive to conventional periodontal treatment is more effective than conventional periodontal treatment alone in the treatment of chronic periodontitis with type 2 diabetes melli-tus.

Diabetic ulcers are serious complications of diabetes mellitus and are characterized by delayed healing,susceptibility to infection,and inclination to amputation or sepsis.The mechanism of refractory diabetic ulcers is complex,and changes in microorganisms in the wound and the immune response produced by interactions with different cells participate in the repair of the wound.In recent years,researchers have proposed the concept of the"skin-gut axis"due to the physiological similarities and pathological correlation between the skin and intestinal tract;thus,skin diseases are considered to be closely related to gut flora.Therefore,this article reviews the relationship between intestinal microflo-ra and diabetic ulcers from the perspective of the interaction between skin and intestinal microorganisms.

Objective:To investigate the effect of N-acetylserotonin (NAS) on the retinal microglia polarization in retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury (RIRI) rats and explore its mechanism via nucleotide-bound oligomeric domain 1 (NOD1)/receptor interacting protein 2 (Rip2) pathway.Methods:Healthy male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into Sham ( n=21), RIRI ( n=21) and NAS (injected intraperitoneally 30 min before and after modeling with NAS, 10 mg/kg, n=18) groups, using random number table. And the right eye was used experimental eye. The RIRI model of rats in RIRI group and NAS group was established by anterior chamber high intraocular pressure method. Rats in NAS group were intraperitoneally injected with 10 mg/kg NAS before and 30 min after modeling, respectively. The retinal morphology and the number of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) in each group were detected by hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemical staining. The effect of NAS on polarization of retinal microglia was detected by immunofluorescence staining. Transcriptome sequencing technology was used to screen out the differentially expressed genes between Sham and RIRI groups. Western blot and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to examine the differentially expressed genes. Immunohistochemical staining, Western blot and RT-PCR were used to investigate the effect of NAS on the expression of NOD1 and Rip2 protein and mRNA in retinal tissue and microglia of rats. General linear regression analysis was performed to determine the correlation between the number difference of NOD1 + cells and the number difference of M1 and M2 microglia in retinal tissues of rats in NAS group and RIRI group. Results:A large number of RGC were observed in the retina of rats in Sham group. 24 h after modeling, compared with Sham group, the inner retinal thickness of rats in RIRI group was significantly increased and the number of RGC was significantly decreased. The thickness of inner retina in NAS group was significantly thinner and the number of RGC was significantly increased. Compared with Sham group, the number of retinal microglia of M1 and M2 in RIRI group was significantly increased. Compared with RIRI group, the number of M1 microglia decreased significantly and the number of M2 microglia increased significantly in NAS group. There was statistical significance in the number of M1 and M2 microglia in the retina of the three groups ( P<0.05). Transcriptome sequencing results showed that retinal NOD1 and Rip2 were important differential genes 24 h after modeling. The mRNA and protein relative expressions of NOD1 and Rip2 in retina of RIRI group were significantly higher than those of Sham group, with statistical significance ( P<0.05). The number of NOD1 + and Rip2 + cells and the relative expression of mRNA and protein in retinal microglia in RIRI group were significantly higher than those in Sham group, and NAS group was also significantly higher than that in Sham group, but lower than that in RIRI group, with statistical significance ( P<0.05). The number of Iba-1 +/NOD1 + and Iba-1 +/Rip2 + cells in retinal microglia in RIRI group was significantly increased compared with that in Sham group, and the number of Iba-1 +/Rip2 + cells in NAS group was significantly decreased compared with that in RIRI group, but still significantly higher than that in Sham group, with statistical significance ( P<0.05). Correlation analysis results showed that the difference of retinal NOD1 + and Rip2 + cells in NAS group and RIRI group was positively correlated with that of M1 microglia ( r=0.851, 0.895), and negatively correlated with that of M2 microglia ( r=-0.797, -0.819). The differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusion:NAS can regulate the microglial polarization from M1 to M2 phenotype, the mechanism is correlated with the NOD1/Rip2 pathway.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of our self-made distractor in assistance of percutaneous minimally invasive treatment of Sanders Ⅱ and Ⅲ calcaneal fractures.Method:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 51 patients with calcaneal fracture who had been treated from March 2020 to August 2022 at Department of Orthopedic Trauma, Changsha Central Hospital Affiliated to University of South China. There were 42 males and 9 females with an age of (44.6±10.2) years. All the 34 Sanders type Ⅱ fractures and 17 Sanders type Ⅲ fractures were isolated unilateral ones which were treated by percutaneous reduction and fixation with percutaneous screws assissted by our self-made calcaneal distractor. All patients were evaluated both clinically and radiologically. The interval from injury to surgery, surgery duration, hospitalization period, fracture union, complications, reduction of the posterior inferior articular surface, the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score and visual analog scale (VAS) pain score were recorded. The length, width, height, B?hler angle, and Gissane angle of the calcaneus were measured and compared between pre-surgery and the last follow-up.Results:All patients in this cohort were followed up after uneventfull surgery for 21 (18, 24) months. The interval from injury to surgery was 0 (0, 1) d, the surgery duration 38 (35, 40) min, and the hospitalization period 4 (3, 4) d. All the surgical incisions healed smoothly without any wound-related complications. All fractures got united by the 12-week postoperative assessment with normal alignment of the posterior foot and no varus or valgus. One patient developed symptoms of sural nerve injury after surgery, and one patient experienced a screw rupture after surgery. Evaluation of the posterior subtalar articular surfaces revealed an anatomic reduction rate of 66.7% (34/51), a near-anatomical reduction rate of 33.3% (17/51), and no cases of approximate reduction or failure in articular surface reduction. The last follow-up found no loss of reduction. At the last follow-up, the AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score was 91.3 (87.0, 98.0) points, giving 32 excellent, 17 good, and 2 fair cases, resulting in an excellent and good rate of 96.1%, and the VAS pain score 0 (0, 1) point. At the last follow-up, the width [34.0 (32.6, 34.9) mm], height [49.6 (47.1, 50.4) mm], B?hler angle [35.8 (34.0, 37.8)°], and Gissane angle [129.0 (124.2, 135.6)°] of the calcaneus were all significantly improved compared with the preoperative values [(41.0±2.1) mm, 39.3 (37.9, 40.2) mm, -5.7 (-20.4, 4.6)°, 94.5 (80.4, 104.0)°] ( P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the length of the calcaneus between pre-surgery and post-surgery ( P > 0.05). Conclusion:In the percutaneous minimally invasive treatment of Sanders Ⅱ and Ⅲ calcaneal fractures, use of our self-made calcaneal distractor has demonstrated favorable clinical outcomes, making the surgery minimally invasive and efficient.