The peripheral pulmonary lesions are located far from the central airway and close to the pleura, so it is a challenge for clinical diagnosis of their nature through biopsy. Therefore, the Ion robot-assisted bronchoscopy system which has started its commercialization in China is proposed to diagnose and treat peripheral pulmonary lesions. The Ion system can be used for navigation, registration, biopsy and treatment. In this paper, the structural principle of the Ion system is expounded, and its technical advantages such as shape perception, slender catheter and flexible operation are summarized. It represents the latest development direction of the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral pulmonary lesions. Then, the clinical application and development status of the Ion system are analyzed and discussed in detail. Finally, the development trend of the robot-assisted bronchoscopy system is prospected, which provides new ideas for realizing the "integrated and one-stop" diagnosis and treatment services for peripheral pulmonary lesions based on this system.
Bronchoscopy/instrumentation* ; Humans ; Robotics ; Robotic Surgical Procedures

Objective To investigate the efficacy of alanyl glutamine combined with octreotide in the treatment of acute pancreatitis(AP)associated lung injury.Methods A total of 94 patients with AP associated lung injury admitted to Jinhua Municipal Central Hospital from June 2022 to June 2024 were selected and divided into observation group and control group according to random number table method,with 47 patients in each group.Patients in control group were treated with octreotide,patients in observation group were treated with alanyl glutamine on the basis of control group.The efficacy,Balthazar CT grading,acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ(APACHE Ⅱ)score,Murray lung injury score(MLIS),Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4),matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9)and blood gas indexes[arterial partial pressure of oxygen(PaO2),arterial oxygen saturation(SaO2)and oxygenation index]were compared between two groups.Results The curative effect of observation group was significantly better than that of control group(x2=5.817,P=0.016).After treatment,the Balthazar CT grading,APACHE Ⅱ score,MLIS score,TLR4 and MMP-9 of patients in two groups were significantly lower than before treatment,while PaO2,SaO2 and oxygenation index were significantly higher than before treatment(P＜0.05).Balthazar CT grading,APACHE Ⅱ score,MLIS score,TLR4 and MMP-9 in observation group were significantly lower than those in control group,while PaO2,SaO2 and oxygenation index were significantly higher than those in control group(P＜0.05).Conclusion Alanyl glutamine combined with octreotide has a significant effect in the treatment of patients with AP associated lung injury,which can improve the clinical symptoms of patients,reduce lung injury and inflammation.

Objective To investigate correlations of dynamic changes in serum C-reactive pro-tein(CRP),procalcitonin(PCT),and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR)before and after symptomatic treatment with prognosis of neonates with neonatal respiratory distress syndrome(NRDS)of different etiologies.Methods A total of 110 premature infants were selected as study subjects and divided into neonatal infection group(group A)and fetal intrauterine distress group(group B)based on different causes of NRDS.Additionally,30 neonates with NRDS caused solely by prematurity were selected as control group.Serum CRP and PCT levels and NLR were compared among the three groups before and after treatment.Results There were statistically significant differences in oxygen therapy duration,ventilation duration,the proportion of infants requiring re-intubation,hospital stay,and the number of apnea episodes among three groups(P＜0.006).Before treatment,there was no sta-tistically significant difference in serum CRP levels between group A and group B(P＞0.05).Ser-um CRP levels in group B were higher than those in the control group.Moreover,serum PCT levels was lower than the group A,and NLR in the group B were higher than those in the group A and the control group.CRP,PCT levels,and NLR in the group A were higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05 or P＜0.006).After treatment,serum CRP levels in all three groups decreased compared to before treatment.Serum PCT levels in the group A decreased compared to before treat-ment.NLR in both group A and group B decreased compared to before treatment,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.006).There were statistically significant differences in serum CRP and PCT levels between the group A and the control group after treatment(P＜0.006).After treat-ment,there was a statistically significant difference in serum CRP levels between the group B and the control group(P＜0.006),but no statistically significant differences in PCT levels and NLR(P＞0.05).Compared with group A,there was a statistically significant difference in PCT levels in the group B(P＜0.006).Multivariate Logistic regression results showed that CRP,PCT,and NLR were independent influencing factors for the prognosis of infants in the group A.The receiver operat-ing characteristic curve analysis results showed that the areas under the curve(AUC)after treatment for serum CRP,PCT,and NLR alone in predicting prognosis in the group A were 0.789,0.738,and 0.758,respectively,and the AUC for combined prediction was 0.934.In the group B,the AUC for serum CRP,PCT,and NLR alone in predicting prognosis after treatment were 0.719,0.772,and 0.768,respectively,and the AUC for combined prediction was 0.886.The sensitivity and specificity of combined prediction in both groups were higher than those of each indicator alone,and the predictive value of their combined detection for the prognosis of premature infants in group A was higher than that in the group B.Conclusion There are differences in PCT levels and NLR before treatment among neonates with NRDS of different etiologies.After symptomatic treatment,CRP,PCT levels and NLR decrease in all three groups,indicating a good prognosis.

Objective To explore the influencing factors of physical activity behavior change in lung cancer patients and provide a basis for developing targeted intervention programs.Methods A descriptive qualitative research method was employed.Using purposive sampling,18 lung cancer pa-tients and 10 healthcare professionals were selected for semi-structured interviews from October to De-cember 2023.The health action process approach(HAPA)theory was used as the framework,and directed content analysis was applied to analyze the data.Results The barriers to physical activity behavior change in lung cancer patients were distilled into six themes:insufficient risk perception,negative outcome expectations,self-doubt and behavior avoidance tendencies,challenges in persist-ence and risk of interruption,lack of behavioral intention and demand,and absence of action and coping plans.The facilitating factors were divided into six themes:perception of the potential hazards of insufficient physical activity,perception of the health benefits of physical activity,cultivation and development of self-efficacy,stimulation of motivation for activity,formulation of differentiated activity plans,and formulation of adaptive coping plans.Conclusion Physical activity behavior in lung cancer patients is influenced by multiple factors.Targeted intervention strategies can be developed based on the HAPA theory to promote physical activity behavior change and improve physical activity levels.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of costal cartilage septal-columellar composite grafts in refining nasal tip aesthetics for secondary unilateral cleft lip nasal deformities, and to provide a reference for clinical treatment. Methods: This study has been approved by the institutional medical ethics committee and informed consent was obtained from the patients. A total of 31 patients underwent surgery with a costal cartilage strut-septum complex stent graft. The follow-up period was a minimum of 6 months. Anteroposterior, lateral, and supine photos of the patient were taken before and after the operation. The following measurements were obtained: nasal tip projection (NTP), nasofrontal angle (NFA), nasolabial angle (NLA), nasal tip alar angle (NAA), and nasal tip tangent angle (NTA). Nostril-related indices [nostril area (S), nostril height (h1), nostril width (w), and nasal sill height (h2)]) were measured before and after surgery, and cleft/non-cleft side ratios were calculated. Satisfaction with nasal tip aesthetics was investigated using the visual analogue scale (VAS). All measurements were made using preoperative photographs and the most recent follow-up photographs of the patients. Results The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 49 months, with an average of 28 months. All patients underwent healing Results: The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 49 months, with an average of 28 months. All patients underwent healing by first intention. Compared with preoperative measurements, postoperative NTP (preoperative 0.48 vs. postoperative 0.55), NLA (preoperative 83.98° vs. postoperative 100.80°), and NAA (preoperative 160.30° vs. postoperative 168.40°) were significantly increased (P < 0.05). NFA (preoperative 139.20° vs. postoperative 133.50°, P < 0.05) and NTA (preoperative 43.76° vs. postoperative 35.80°, P = 0.062) were decreased. On the cleft versus non-cleft sides, the ratios of S (preoperative 1.10 vs. postoperative 0.94, P < 0.05), w (preoperative 1.10 vs. postoperative 1.02, P = 0.194), h1 (preoperative 0.71 vs. postoperative 0.90, P < 0.05), and h2 (preoperative 0.53 vs. postoperative 0.79, P = 0.065) were all near 1. Satisfaction with postoperative results was fairly high. Conclusion The costal cartilage strut-septum complex stent can effectively correct the deflection and collapse of the nasal tip in patients with unilateral cleft lip nose deformity. The postoperative long-term effect is relatively stable.

Objective:To explore the relationship between the morphology of the carotid siphon, its related risk factors, and cerebral blood flow perfusion in patients with arteriosclerotic cerebral small vessel disease (aCSVD), and provide imaging evidence for the etiology of aCSVD.Methods:A total of 130 aCSVD patients hospitalized in the Department of Neurology of the First People′s Hospital of Hefei from March 2022 to June 2024, all of whom underwent multimodal imaging assessments, were enrolled. The baseline data were collected, and the morphology of the carotid siphon was visually evaluated using post-processing of head and neck computed tomography angiography (CTA), which was categorized into U-type ( n=63), C-type ( n=32), and V-type ( n=35). Calcification degree was semi-quantitatively assessed based on transverse CTA images. Cerebral perfusion was measured using magnetic resonance arterial spin labeling. The relationship between different siphon segment morphologies, calcification degrees, their risk factors, and cerebral blood flow perfusion was analyzed using analysis of variance and multinomial Logistic regression. Results:Univariate analysis of the 3 siphon types showed significant differences in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [U-type (2.44±0.84) mmol/L,V-type (2.21±0.57) mmol/L, C-type (2.89±1.07) mmol/L, F=5.578, P=0.005], calcification degree [Among the 63 cases in the U-type group, 19 cases (30.15%) had mild calcification, 20 cases (31.75%) had moderate calcification, and 24 cases (38.10%) had severe calcification; among the 35 cases in the V-type group, 20 cases (57.14%) had mild calcification, 10 cases (28.57%) had moderate calcification, and 5 cases (14.29%) had severe calcification; among the 32 cases in the C-type group, 12 cases (37.50%) had mild calcification, 14 cases (43.75%) had moderate calcification, and 6 cases (18.75%) had severe calcification; χ2=13.092, P=0.011], and total aCSVD load [modified aCSVD load score: U-type 4.00(1.00, 4.00),V-type 3.00(1.00, 4.00),C-type 2.00(2.00, 4.00), H=9.997, P=0.007]. Multivariate Logistic regression revealed that patients with U-shaped siphons had a significantly higher overall aCSVD load than those with C-shaped siphons, with a regression coefficient of 0.728, and a statistically significant difference ( OR=2.070 ,95% CI 1.026-4.178, P=0.042). Additionally, total brain and white matter cerebral blood flow were decreased in patients with U-type siphons compared to those with C-type and V-type, primarily involving bilateral superior frontal gyri, left orbital frontal gyrus, and left straight gyrus regions (false discovery rate correction, P<0.05). Conclusions:The imaging manifestations of aCSVD are closely related to the shape of the internal carotid artery siphon.The U type siphon is more likely to lead to hemodynamic changes, resulting in decreased global and regional cerebral blood flow, and demonstrating a higher overall burden of aCSVD, which has certain clinical reference value for assessing the etiology of aCSVD.

Objective:This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of surgical intervention for patients with stage Ⅳ esophageal cancer who demonstrated tumor regression following first-line treatment.Methods:This was a descriptive case series. The inclusion criteria for surgery were as follows: (1) an initial diagnosis of stage Ⅳ esophageal cancer, i.e. cT4b or cM1; (2) the presence of residual tumor following first-line therapy deemed potentially resectable upon reassessment; and (3) sufficient organ function to tolerate surgical procedures. Clinical data were retrospectively collected for 63 patients with stage Ⅳ esophageal cancer who underwent surgery following first-line therapy at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between January 2014 and December 2023. Of these patients, 12 were initially staged as IVA, and 51 as IVB. Post-treatment restaging revealed that 9 patients achieved a clinical complete response, while 3 were downstaged to stage Ⅰ, 14 to stage Ⅱ, 24 to stage Ⅲ, and 13 to stage ⅣB (with regression of distant metastatic lesions enabling curative resection). Surgical approaches included right thoracic esophagectomy ( n=55), left thoracic esophagectomy ( n=4), and transmediastinal esophagectomy ( n=4). Additionally, 7 patients required extended organ resection. Two-field lymph node dissection was performed in 49 patients, while 14 underwent three-field lymph node dissection. Postoperative management varied: 31 patients received no adjuvant therapy, 11 underwent immunochemotherapy, 8 received immunotherapy alone, 8 underwent chemotherapy, 4 received chemoradiotherapy, and 1 received combined radiotherapy and immunotherapy. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), with secondary endpoints including surgical outcomes and postoperative complications. Results:All 63 patients successfully underwent surgery without intraoperative mortality. R0 resection was achieved in 58 cases (92.1%), while R1 and R2 resections were performed in 1 case (1.6%) and 4 cases (6.3%), respectively. The mean operative time was 357±135 minutes. Postoperative complications were observed in 27 cases (42.9%), with 9 cases (14.3%) classified as Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅲ or Ⅴ. One patient (1.6%) died perioperatively. The median follow-up duration was 21 months (range: 4–107 months). The median OS was 64.8 months (95% CI: 50.9–78.6 months), and the median PFS was 68.0 months (95% CI: 53.9–82.3 months). Among 24 patients with supraclavicular lymph node metastases, 6 experienced recurrence and 8 died. Of 25 patients with abdominal metastases, 3 had recurrence and subsequently died. All 4 patients with lung metastases and both patients with bone metastases experienced recurrence and death.Conclusions:Surgical intervention is a feasible and safe treatment option for selected patients with stage Ⅳ esophageal cancer who demonstrate the potential for curative resection following first-line therapy.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of autophagy induced by House dust mites(HDM)on airway epithelial tight junction through β-catenin-Snail signaling pathway.Methods Human bronchial epithelial cells(16HBE)were stimulated with HDM at different time points(0,3,6,12,24,48 h)and different concen-trations(0,40,100,200 μg/mL)to screen the appropriate stimulation concentration and stimulation time.16HBE cells were treated with oxidative stress inhibitor N-acetylcysteine(NAC),autophagy inhibitor 3-methylad-enine(3-MA),HDM,and their combinations.Cells were transfected with mCherry-EGFP-LC3B,Beclin-1-siRNA,and ATG14-siRNA lentivirus and then stimulated with NAC and HDM.Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression levels of autophagy-related protein LC3B,tight junction-related proteins Occludin,and ZO-1 in airway epithelial cells.The level of reactive oxygen species(ROS)was detected by using DCFH-DA in each group.The protein expression levels of Occludin,ZO-1,LC3B,Beclin-1,ATG5,ATG14,P62,Snail,β-catenin and p-β-catenin were detected by Western blot method.Results Immunofluorescence results showed that compared with the control group,200 μg/mL HDM stimulation induced cellular autophagy,increased the expression level of LC3B protein,and promoted the level of ROS,all with statistical significances(all P<0.05).Compared with the HDM group,the HDM+3-MA,HDM+ATG14-si,and HDM+Beclin-1-si groupsall showed significantincreases in the expression levels of tight junction-related proteins Occludin and ZO-1(P<0.05).The HDM+NAC group demonstrated significant decreases both in the level of ROS andin the expression level of LC3B protein.Western blot results revealed that compared with HDM,3-MA and autophagy protein low-expression beads(Beclin-1-si,ATG14-si)attenuated HDM-induced cellular autophagy(P<0.05),inhibited HDM-induced upregulation of Snail and p-β-catenin expression,and improved HDM-induced decreases in Occludin and ZO-1(P<0.05).Moreover,compared with the HDM group,the NAC+HDM group exhibited significant decreases both in the conversion of LC3BⅠ to LC3BⅡ(P<0.001)in the protein levels of Snail,p-β-catenin,Beclin-1 and ATG14(P<0.01),but significant increases in the protein levels of Occludin and ZO-1(P<0.05).Conclusion HDM affects the tight connections between airway epithelial cells by inducing autophagy,which may be attributed to the β-catenin-Snail signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of autophagy induced by House dust mites(HDM)on airway epithelial tight junction through β-catenin-Snail signaling pathway.Methods Human bronchial epithelial cells(16HBE)were stimulated with HDM at different time points(0,3,6,12,24,48 h)and different concen-trations(0,40,100,200 μg/mL)to screen the appropriate stimulation concentration and stimulation time.16HBE cells were treated with oxidative stress inhibitor N-acetylcysteine(NAC),autophagy inhibitor 3-methylad-enine(3-MA),HDM,and their combinations.Cells were transfected with mCherry-EGFP-LC3B,Beclin-1-siRNA,and ATG14-siRNA lentivirus and then stimulated with NAC and HDM.Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression levels of autophagy-related protein LC3B,tight junction-related proteins Occludin,and ZO-1 in airway epithelial cells.The level of reactive oxygen species(ROS)was detected by using DCFH-DA in each group.The protein expression levels of Occludin,ZO-1,LC3B,Beclin-1,ATG5,ATG14,P62,Snail,β-catenin and p-β-catenin were detected by Western blot method.Results Immunofluorescence results showed that compared with the control group,200 μg/mL HDM stimulation induced cellular autophagy,increased the expression level of LC3B protein,and promoted the level of ROS,all with statistical significances(all P<0.05).Compared with the HDM group,the HDM+3-MA,HDM+ATG14-si,and HDM+Beclin-1-si groupsall showed significantincreases in the expression levels of tight junction-related proteins Occludin and ZO-1(P<0.05).The HDM+NAC group demonstrated significant decreases both in the level of ROS andin the expression level of LC3B protein.Western blot results revealed that compared with HDM,3-MA and autophagy protein low-expression beads(Beclin-1-si,ATG14-si)attenuated HDM-induced cellular autophagy(P<0.05),inhibited HDM-induced upregulation of Snail and p-β-catenin expression,and improved HDM-induced decreases in Occludin and ZO-1(P<0.05).Moreover,compared with the HDM group,the NAC+HDM group exhibited significant decreases both in the conversion of LC3BⅠ to LC3BⅡ(P<0.001)in the protein levels of Snail,p-β-catenin,Beclin-1 and ATG14(P<0.01),but significant increases in the protein levels of Occludin and ZO-1(P<0.05).Conclusion HDM affects the tight connections between airway epithelial cells by inducing autophagy,which may be attributed to the β-catenin-Snail signaling pathway.

Objective:This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of surgical intervention for patients with stage Ⅳ esophageal cancer who demonstrated tumor regression following first-line treatment.Methods:This was a descriptive case series. The inclusion criteria for surgery were as follows: (1) an initial diagnosis of stage Ⅳ esophageal cancer, i.e. cT4b or cM1; (2) the presence of residual tumor following first-line therapy deemed potentially resectable upon reassessment; and (3) sufficient organ function to tolerate surgical procedures. Clinical data were retrospectively collected for 63 patients with stage Ⅳ esophageal cancer who underwent surgery following first-line therapy at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between January 2014 and December 2023. Of these patients, 12 were initially staged as IVA, and 51 as IVB. Post-treatment restaging revealed that 9 patients achieved a clinical complete response, while 3 were downstaged to stage Ⅰ, 14 to stage Ⅱ, 24 to stage Ⅲ, and 13 to stage ⅣB (with regression of distant metastatic lesions enabling curative resection). Surgical approaches included right thoracic esophagectomy ( n=55), left thoracic esophagectomy ( n=4), and transmediastinal esophagectomy ( n=4). Additionally, 7 patients required extended organ resection. Two-field lymph node dissection was performed in 49 patients, while 14 underwent three-field lymph node dissection. Postoperative management varied: 31 patients received no adjuvant therapy, 11 underwent immunochemotherapy, 8 received immunotherapy alone, 8 underwent chemotherapy, 4 received chemoradiotherapy, and 1 received combined radiotherapy and immunotherapy. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), with secondary endpoints including surgical outcomes and postoperative complications. Results:All 63 patients successfully underwent surgery without intraoperative mortality. R0 resection was achieved in 58 cases (92.1%), while R1 and R2 resections were performed in 1 case (1.6%) and 4 cases (6.3%), respectively. The mean operative time was 357±135 minutes. Postoperative complications were observed in 27 cases (42.9%), with 9 cases (14.3%) classified as Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅲ or Ⅴ. One patient (1.6%) died perioperatively. The median follow-up duration was 21 months (range: 4–107 months). The median OS was 64.8 months (95% CI: 50.9–78.6 months), and the median PFS was 68.0 months (95% CI: 53.9–82.3 months). Among 24 patients with supraclavicular lymph node metastases, 6 experienced recurrence and 8 died. Of 25 patients with abdominal metastases, 3 had recurrence and subsequently died. All 4 patients with lung metastases and both patients with bone metastases experienced recurrence and death.Conclusions:Surgical intervention is a feasible and safe treatment option for selected patients with stage Ⅳ esophageal cancer who demonstrate the potential for curative resection following first-line therapy.