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.

Objective: To investigate the spatio-temporal clustering characteristics of influenza in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region from 2014 to 2023, so as to provide the basis for strengthening influenza prevention and control. Methods: Data pertaining to influenza cases reported in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region from 2014 to 2023 were retrieved from the Infectious Disease Surveillance System of the Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System, including age, sex, current residence, onset date, and reporting date. The seasonal incidence of influenza was analyzed using seasonal index. The spatio-temporal clustering characteristics of influenza were identified using spatial autocorrelation analysis and spatio-temporal scan analysis. Results: A total of 20 377 influenza cases were reported in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region from 2014 to 2023, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.15∶1. The majority were children under 15 years, with 10 950 cases accounting for 53.74%. Influenza was highly prevalent in January, February, March, and December, with seasonal indices of 219.06%, 111.00%, 246.65%, and 366.24%, respectively. The average annual reported incidence was 29.55/100 000, among which Pengyang County, Jinfeng District, Dawukou District, Xiji County, and Litong District had higher average annual reported incidence, at 63.99/100 000, 55.71/100 000, 55.70/100 000, 49.49/100 000, and 49.04/100 000, respectively. Spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that in 2023, there was spatial clustering of influenza cases in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (Moran's I=0.333, P<0.05), with a high-high cluster in Jingyuan County, while in other years, the distribution of influenza cases was random (all P>0.05). Spatio-temporal scan analysis showed that from 2014 to 2023, there were four space-time clusters in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, including one type Ⅰ cluster in Hongsibao District of Wuzhong City, with the clustering period from January 20 to 26, 2014; and three type Ⅱ clusters, mainly in January, February, March and December, covering one area in Shizuishan City, five areas in Guyuan City, one area in Zhongwei City, three areas in Wuzhong City, and four areas in Yinchuan City. Conclusions From 2014 to 2023, children under 15 years were the primary population affected by influenza in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, with distinct spatio-temporal distribution characteristics. The peak incidence occurred during the winter and spring seasons, and the main clustering areas were in the southern regions.

OBJECTIVE: To explore effectiveness of TiRobot-assisted screw implantation in the treatment of coracoid process fractures of the scapula. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data from 24 patients with coracoid process fractures of the scapula admitted between September 2019 and January 2024 and met selection criteria. Among them, 12 patients underwent TiRobot-assisted screw implantation (robot group) and 12 underwent manual screw implantation (control group) during internal fixation. There was no significant difference ( P>0.05) in baseline data such as gender, age, body mass index, disease duration, cause of injury, coracoid process fracture classification, and proportion of patients with associated injuries between the two groups. The incision length, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay, accuracy of screw placement, coracoid process fracture healing time, and complications were recorded and compared, as well as pain visual analogue scale (VAS) score, and Constant-Murley score at last follow-up. RESULTS: The intraoperative blood loss and incision length in the robot group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( P<0.05); however, there was no significant difference in operation time and hospital stay between the two groups ( P>0.05). All patients were followed up 8-27 months (mean, 17.5 months), and the difference in follow-up time between the two groups was not significant ( P>0.05). At last follow-up, the VAS score for shoulder pain in the robot group was signifncatly lower compared to the control group, and the Constant-Murley score was significantly higher ( P<0.05). In the robot group, 16 screws were implanted intraoperatively, while 13 screws were implanted in the control group. Radiographic re-evaluation showed that the excellent and good rate of screw implantation was higher in the robot group (93.8%, 15/16) than in the control group (61.5%, 8/13), but the difference in the precision of screw implantation between the two groups was not significant ( P>0.05). Four patients in the robot group and 1 in the control group achieved double screws fixation; however, the difference in achieving double screws fixation between the two groups was not significant ( P>0.05). All fractures healed in both groups with 1 case of malunion in the control group. There was no significant difference in healing time between the two groups ( P>0.05). During follow-up, 1 patient in the control group experienced screw loosening and displacement. There was no significant difference in the incidence of screw loosening and fracture malunion between the two groups ( P>0.05). CONCLUSION Compared with manual screw implantation, TiRobot-assisted minimally invasive treatment of coracoid process fractures of the scapula can reduce intraoperative blood loss, shorten incision length, alleviate pain, and obtain better promote shoulder joint functional recovery.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/instrumentation* ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures/instrumentation* ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Fractures, Bone/surgery* ; Bone Screws ; Coracoid Process/surgery* ; Robotic Surgical Procedures/methods* ; Scapula/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome ; Operative Time ; Young Adult ; Length of Stay ; Blood Loss, Surgical

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of 5G remote robotic surgery in the treatment of pelvic fractures. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 160 patients with pelvic fractures admitted between July 2023 and June 2024 who met the selection criteria. Among these patients, 80 underwent internal fixation surgery with the assistance of 5G remote robotic surgery (5G group), while 80 received local robotic surgical assistance (control group). Baseline characteristics, including gender, age, body mass index, disease duration, cause of injury, and fracture classification, were compared between the two groups, and no significant difference was found ( P>0.05). The incision length, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay, accuracy of screw placement, maximum residual displacement postoperatively, quality of fracture reduction, incidence of complications, Majeed pelvic function score and classification at last follow-up were recorded and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: In the 5G group, 180 screws were implanted during surgery, while 213 screws were implanted in the control group. The 5G group demonstrated significantly reduced intraoperative blood loss and shorter incision length compared to the control group ( P<0.05). No significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of operation time or hospital stay ( P>0.05). Radiographic evaluation revealed excellent and good reduction rates of 98.8% (79/80) in the 5G group and 97.5% (78/80) in the control group, while excellent and good screw placement accuracy rates were 98.3% (177/180) in the 5G group and 95.8% (204/213) in the control group. No significant difference was found between the two groups in maximum residual displacement, reduction quality, or screw placement accuracy ( P>0.05). All patients were followed up 7-16 months (mean, 11.3 months), with no significant difference in follow-up duration between the groups ( P>0.05). No perioperative or follow-up complication, such as wound infection, iatrogenic fractures, iatrogenic neurovascular injury, screw loosening or breakage, or nonunion, were observed in either group. The control group exhibited a worse degree of gait alteration compared to the 5G group ( P<0.05), while no significant difference was found in incidences of squatting limitation or persistent pain ( P>0.05). At last follow-up, no significant difference was observed between the groups in Majeed pelvic function scores or grading ( P>0.05). CONCLUSION Compared with the local surgery group, 5G remote robotic surgery supported by remote expert technical guidance demonstrated smaller incision lengths, less intraoperative blood loss, and fewer postoperative complications, and was shown to be a precise, minimally invasive, safe, and reliable surgical method.
Humans ; Robotic Surgical Procedures/instrumentation* ; Pelvic Bones/surgery* ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/instrumentation* ; Female ; Fractures, Bone/surgery* ; Middle Aged ; Bone Screws ; Adult ; Operative Time ; Treatment Outcome ; Blood Loss, Surgical ; Length of Stay ; Postoperative Complications/epidemiology* ; Aged ; Young Adult

Sleep disorder, migraine, cognitive and behavioral disorders, anxiety and depression are common comorbidities of epilepsy. The comorbidity rate of epilepsy patients is eight times that of the general population, which affects the prognosis and quality of life of epilepsy patients. Perampanel (PER), as a third-generation antiseizure medication, has shown promising clinical research and application in the treatment of comorbidities in epilepsy. PER can improve the total sleep time, sleep latency and sleep efficiency of patients with epilepsy comorbid sleep disorder. PER also shows good efficacy in reducing seizure and migraine attacks of patients with epilepsy comorbid migraine. Meanwhile, the impact of PER on overall cognitive characteristics is neutral, with no systematic cognitive deterioration or improvement, but behavioral changes are one of the most common adverse events related to PER. For patients with comorbid anxiety and depression, PER does not exacerbate the anxiety and depression of epilepsy patients, and the severity of anxiety and depression in some patients will improve. This article will review the mechanism of action and clinical treatment research progress of PER on comorbidities of epilepsy.

BACKGROUND:Hydroxyapatite is the main inorganic component of bone tissue.The polymer has the structure and function of a biomimetic extracellular matrix.The composites of hydroxyapatite and polymer have been widely studied. OBJECTIVE:To summarize the research status of hydroxyapatite composite polymer materials for bone tissue repair. METHODS:The articles collected in PubMed,Web of Science,CNKI and WanFang databases were searched from January 2010 to April 2023.The Chinese and English search terms were"hydroxyapatite,polymer,composites,degradability,bone defect,bone repair".Finally,75 articles were included for review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Polymers often used in composite with hydroxyapatite for bone tissue repair include natural polymers(collagen,chitosan,alginate,serine protein,cellulose,hyaluronic acid,and polyhydroxybutyrate)and synthetic polymers[polylactic acid,polylactic acid-hydroxyacetic acid copolymer,poly(has-lactide),poly(amino acid)and poly(vinyl alcohol)].The mechanical properties and osteoinductivity of hydroxyapatite/polymer composites were improved compared with pure hydroxyapatite.Hydroxyapatite composite with polymers can be made into porous scaffolds,hydrogels,and coatings for bone repair.Hydroxyapatite/polymer composites can accelerate bone reconstruction with a slow release of loaded drugs and cytokines due to their bionic extracellular matrix structure and function.Based on the diversity of causes of bone defects and the fact that bone repair is a complex continuous process involving multiple biological factors and proteins,repair materials with mechanical properties matching bone tissue,degradation processes synchronized with bone repair,and efficient osteogenesis and vascularization need to be further investigated.

In recent years, the number of lung surgeries has increased year by year, and the number of patients with postoperative cough has also increased gradually. Chronic cough after lung surgery seriously affects patients' quality of life and surgical outcome, and has become one of the clinical problems that clinicians need to solve. However, there is currently no guideline or consensus for the treatment of chronic cough after lung surgery in China, and there is no standardized treatment method. Therefore, we searched databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wanfang databases ect. from 2000 to 2023 to collected relevant literatures and research data, and produced the first expert consensus on chronic cough after lung surgery in China by Delphi method. We gave 11 recommendations from five perspectives including timing of chronic cough treatment, risk factors (surgical method, lymph node dissection method, anesthesia method), prevention methods (preoperative, intraoperative, postoperative), and treatment methods (etiological treatment, cough suppressive drug treatment, traditional Chinese medicine treatment, and postoperative physical therapy). We hope that this consensus can improve the standardization and effectiveness of chronic cough treatment after lung surgery, provide reference for clinical doctors, and ultimately improve the quality of life of patients with chronic cough after lung surgery.

Objective To explore the safety of minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) with three-field lymphadenectomy (3-FL) for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) by comparing the short-term outcomes between the 3-FL and the two-field lymphadenectomy (2-FL) in MIE. Methods The clinical data of patients with ESCC who underwent minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy in our hospital from July 2015 to March 2022 were collected retrospectively. Patients were divided into a 3-FL group and a 2-FL group according to lymph node dissection method. And the clinical outcomes and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 257 patients with ESCC were included in this study. There were 211 males and 46 females with an average age of 62.2±8.1 years. There were 109 patients in the 3-FL group and 148 patients in the 2-FL group. The operation time of the 3-FL group was about 20 minutes longer than that of the 2-FL group (P<0.001). There was no statistical difference between the two groups in the intraoperatve blood loss (P=0.376). More lymph nodes (P<0.001) and also more positive lymph nodes (P=0.003) were obtained in the 3-FL group than in the 2-FL group, and there was a statistical difference in the pathological N stage between the two groups (P<0.001). But there was no statistical difference in the incidence of anastomotic leak (P=0.667), chyle leak (P=0.421), recurrent laryngeal nerve injury (P=0.081), pulmonary complications (P=0.601), pneumonia (P=0.061), cardiac complications (P=0.383), overall complications (P=0.147) or Clavien-Dindo grading (P=0.152) between the two groups. Conclusion MIE 3-FL can improve the efficiency of lymph node dissection and the accuracy of tumor lymph node staging, but it does not increase the postoperative complications, which is worthy of clinical application.

Objective To develop a novel transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement device and test its performance. Methods The transcatheter tricuspid valve stent consisted of double-layer self-expanding nitinol stent, biotissue-derived bovine pericardial leaflets, and PTFE woven. The delivery system, mainly consisting of a handle control unit and a delivery sheath, was sent to the correct position via right atrium or jugular vein. The sheath had a visualization feature, and the handle control unit could realize the functions of stable release and partial recovery of the interventional valve. In addition, this study performed animal survival experiments on the basis of in vitro experiments. A large-white pig was used as the experimental animal. Cardiopulmonary bypass was established through median thoracotomy, then the right atrium was opened, and the interventional valve was released under direct vision without cardiac arrest. Approximately 1 month after interventional valve implantation, the maneuverability and stability of the interventional tricuspid device were evaluated by autopsy. Results Through the animal experiment, the interventional valve was successfully released, and the anchoring was satisfactory. Postoperative transthoracic echocardiography showed that the interventional valve opened and closed well, the flow rate of tricuspid valve was 0.6 m/s, and there was no obvious tricuspid regurgitation. One month after the operation, we dissected the large-white pig and found the interventional valve was not deformed or displaced, the leaflets were well aligned, and there was thrombus attachment in the groove between the inner and outer layers of the interventional valve. Conclusion Animal experiment shows that the novel device can stably and firmly attach to the tricuspid annulus, with good anchoring effect, and effectively reduce paravalvular leakage.

Objective To establish a fluoroscopic percutaneous vertebral augmentation model in dogs by measuring and analyzing canine spinal anatomy.We also assessed the effectiveness and safety of this modeling method by postoperative radiological analysis.Methods Morphological measurements were taken in six dogs,aged approximately 12～24 months,and the following parameters of the lumbar vertebrae were determined:height of the L1～L7 vertebrae,width of the vertebral base,distance from the upper edge of the intervertebral disc to the narrowest part of the vertebra,distance from the vertical line of the spinous process to the upper edge of the intervertebral disc,and vertical distance from the midpoint of the transverse process to the lower edge of the intervertebral disc.These measurements were obtained to clarify the anatomical characteristics of the canine vertebrae and determine the optimal location,direction,and depth for bone-cement injection.A percutaneous vertebral augmentation model was subsequently established in the L4,L5,and L6 vertebrae of six healthy Beagle dogs,weighing 20～25 kg.The dogs were euthanized 4 weeks post-surgery and examined radiologically.Primary observations included the surgical duration,postoperative distribution of the implanted bone cement,and integrity of the vertebral canal and anterior edge of the vertebrae.Results Anatomical observation of the canine vertebrae revealed that the vertebral height increased gradually from L1～L5 and then decreased from L5～L7.The width of the vertebral base increased consistently from L1～L7.The distance from the vertical line of the spinous process to the upper edge of the intervertebral disc showed an increasing trend from L1～L7(1.9～4.0 mm).The distance between the midpoint of the base of the transverse process and the lower edge of the intervertebral disc increased gradually from L1～L5(4.7～6.9 mm).There was no significant difference in the distance between the midpoint of the base of the transverse process and the lower edge of the intervertebral disc in the L4,L5,and L6 segments among the dogs(P=0.925).The midpoint of the root of the transverse process of the spine was taken as the puncture point,and the insertion direction and horizontal plane were at an angle of 20°～30°,with a head tilt of 5°～15° and a puncture depth of 1.2～1.5 cm.If the puncture was directed towards the caudal side of the vertebra,the angle of the needle tail was 30°～35°,with a penetration depth of 1.5～1.8 cm.This technique allowed the successful construction of a canine vertebral puncture surgical model.A total of 15 canine vertebral puncture surgical models were successfully created,with an average surgery time of 22.7±4.6 min(15～30 min)per vertebral segment.During surgery,one vertebral segment experienced spinal cord injury result ing in paralysis of the hind limbs and bowel and bladder incontinence.Two vertebral cortical bones fractured,but there were no deaths due to anesthesia or infection.Four weeks post-surgery,micro-computed tomography-based three-dimensional reconstructions consistently showed bone cement distributed within the trabecular bone of the canine vertebrae,with newly formed bone tissue enveloping the implanted material.There was no leakage,and no complications such as damage to the vertebral canal or the anterior wall of the vertebrae.Conclusions A safe and reliable canine vertebral augmentation puncture model can be successfully established based on the anatomy of the canine lumbar vertebrae(L4～L6)and using the midpoint of the base of the transverse process as a bony landmark.