Objective To explore the impact of number of positive regional lymph nodes (nPRLN) in N1 stage on the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Methods Patients with TxN1M0 stage NSCLC who underwent lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection from 2010 to 2015 were screened from SEER database (17 Regs, 2022nov sub). The optimal cutoff value of nPRLN was determined using X-tile software, and patients were divided into 2 groups according to the cutoff value: a nPRLN≤optimal cutoff group and a nPRLN>optimal cutoff group. The influence of confounding factors was minimized by propensity score matching (PSM) at a ratio of 1 : 1. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate overall survival (OS) and lung cancer-specific survival (LCSS) of patients. Results A total of 1316 patients with TxN1M0 stage NSCLC were included, including 662 males and 654 females, with a median age of 67 (60, 73) years. The optimal cutoff value of nPRLN was 3, with 1165 patients in the nPRLN≤3 group and 151 patients in the nPRLN>3 group. After PSM, there were 138 patients in each group. Regardless of before or after PSM, OS and LCSS of patients in the nPRLN≤3 group were superior to those in the nPRLN>3 group (P<0.001). N1 stage nPRLN>3 was an independent prognostic risk factor for OS [HR=1.52, 95%CI (1.22, 1.89), P<0.001] and LCSS [HR=1.72, 95%CI (1.36, 2.18), P<0.001]. Conclusion N1 stage nPRLN>3 is an independent prognostic risk factor for NSCLC patients in TxN1M0 stage, which may provide new evidence for future revision of TNM staging N1 stage subclassification.

Objective To retrospectively study the characteristics and short-term outcomes of patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis accompanied by diastolic cardiac dysfunction,and to inform the clinical diagnosis and treatment of decompensated liver cirrhosis.Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients with liver cirrhosis and diastolic heart dysfunction admitted to Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University from April 1,2019 to July 31,2023.The patients were divided into compensated cirrhosis group(n=37)and decompensated cirrhosis group(n=226),and those with decompensated cirrhosis were further divided into subgroups of patients with heart dysfunction(n=84)and patients without heart dysfunction(n=142).We compared two groups using the independent samples t-test and Mann-Whitney U test for continuous data in normal distribution and data in skewed distribution,respectively;compared multiple groups using the Kruskal-Wallis H test,with subsequent paired comparisons using the Wilcoxon test;compared categorical data between two groups using the chi-square test or corrected chi-square test;identified the factors affecting patient survival using a Logistic regression model;and plotted Kaplan-Meier survival curves,with inter-group comparisons using the log-rank test.Results A total of 263 eligible patients were ultimately included,among whom 226 patients were diagnosed with decompensated liver cirrhosis(84 patients with diastolic dysfunction).Between the diastolic dysfunction group and non-diastolic dysfunction group,significant differences were detected in age(t=-4.566,P<0.05),activated partial thromboplastin time(Z=-3.026,P<0.05),prothrombin time(Z=-2.450,P<0.05),international normalized ratio(Z=2.779,P<0.05),and the proportion of moderate esophageal varices(χ2=4.273,P<0.05).During hospitalization,35 patients experienced new or aggravated ascites(18 with cardiac dysfunction and 17 without cardiac dysfunction),6 patients experienced new gastroesophageal variceal bleeding,and 9 patients experienced new or aggravated hepatic encephalopathy(3 with cardiac dysfunction and 6 without cardiac dysfunction).Jaundice was the most common decompensation event upon admission,and electrophysiological abnormalities were the most common electrocardiogram findings upon admission.During the 90-day follow-up period,30 individuals(12 with cardiac dysfunction and 18 without cardia dysfunction)died.The logistic regression analysis showed that age(odds ratio[OR]=1.075,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.033-1.119,P<0.001),N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP,OR=0.996,95%CI:0.992-0.999,P=0.016),and mild/moderate ascites(OR=0.270,95%CI:0.092-0.789,P=0.017)were independent predictive factors for cirrhotic cardiomyopathy.Conclusion Timely attention should be paid to elderly patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis and diastolic heart dysfunction who have a decline in NT-proBNP and mild to moderate ascites.Symptomatic treatment such as diuretics may improve diastolic heart dysfunction.

Objective To establish an individualized nomogram model and evaluate its efficacy to provide a possible evaluation basis for the prognosis of lower third and abdominal part of oesophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Methods Lower third and abdominal part of EAC patients from 2010 to 2015 were chosen from the SEER Research Plus Database (17 Regs, 2022nov sub). The patients were randomly allocated to the training cohort and the internal validation cohort with a ratio of 7∶3 using bootstrap resampling. The Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to determine significant contributors to overall survival (OS) in EAC patients, which would be elected to construct the nomogram prediction model. C-index, calibration curve and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were performed to evaluate its efficacy. Finally, the efficacy to evaluate the OS of EAC patients was compared between the nomogram prediction model and TNM staging system. Results In total, 3945 patients with lower third and abdominal part of EAC were enrolled, including 3475 males and 470 females with a median age of 65 (57-72) years. The 2761 patients were allocated to the training cohort and the remaining 1184 patients to the internal validation cohort. In the training and the internal validation cohorts, the C-index of the nomogram model was 0.705 and 0.713, respectively. Meanwhile, the calibration curve also suggested that the nomogram model had a strong capability of predicting 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates of EAC patients. The nomogram also had a higher efficacy than the TNM staging system in predicting 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates of EAC patients. Conclusion This nomogram prediction model has a high efficiency for predicting OS in the patients with lower third and abdominal part of EAC, which is higher than that of the current TNM staging system.

Objective To retrospectively study the characteristics and short-term outcomes of patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis accompanied by diastolic cardiac dysfunction,and to inform the clinical diagnosis and treatment of decompensated liver cirrhosis.Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients with liver cirrhosis and diastolic heart dysfunction admitted to Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University from April 1,2019 to July 31,2023.The patients were divided into compensated cirrhosis group(n=37)and decompensated cirrhosis group(n=226),and those with decompensated cirrhosis were further divided into subgroups of patients with heart dysfunction(n=84)and patients without heart dysfunction(n=142).We compared two groups using the independent samples t-test and Mann-Whitney U test for continuous data in normal distribution and data in skewed distribution,respectively;compared multiple groups using the Kruskal-Wallis H test,with subsequent paired comparisons using the Wilcoxon test;compared categorical data between two groups using the chi-square test or corrected chi-square test;identified the factors affecting patient survival using a Logistic regression model;and plotted Kaplan-Meier survival curves,with inter-group comparisons using the log-rank test.Results A total of 263 eligible patients were ultimately included,among whom 226 patients were diagnosed with decompensated liver cirrhosis(84 patients with diastolic dysfunction).Between the diastolic dysfunction group and non-diastolic dysfunction group,significant differences were detected in age(t=-4.566,P<0.05),activated partial thromboplastin time(Z=-3.026,P<0.05),prothrombin time(Z=-2.450,P<0.05),international normalized ratio(Z=2.779,P<0.05),and the proportion of moderate esophageal varices(χ2=4.273,P<0.05).During hospitalization,35 patients experienced new or aggravated ascites(18 with cardiac dysfunction and 17 without cardiac dysfunction),6 patients experienced new gastroesophageal variceal bleeding,and 9 patients experienced new or aggravated hepatic encephalopathy(3 with cardiac dysfunction and 6 without cardiac dysfunction).Jaundice was the most common decompensation event upon admission,and electrophysiological abnormalities were the most common electrocardiogram findings upon admission.During the 90-day follow-up period,30 individuals(12 with cardiac dysfunction and 18 without cardia dysfunction)died.The logistic regression analysis showed that age(odds ratio[OR]=1.075,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.033-1.119,P<0.001),N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP,OR=0.996,95%CI:0.992-0.999,P=0.016),and mild/moderate ascites(OR=0.270,95%CI:0.092-0.789,P=0.017)were independent predictive factors for cirrhotic cardiomyopathy.Conclusion Timely attention should be paid to elderly patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis and diastolic heart dysfunction who have a decline in NT-proBNP and mild to moderate ascites.Symptomatic treatment such as diuretics may improve diastolic heart dysfunction.

Objective:To retrieve, extract, evaluate and integrate relevant evidence on the prevention and management of exposure corneal injury in critically ill patients, so as to provide a reference for clinical practice.Methods:Based on the "6S" pyramid model of evidence resources, the database and relevant society websites were systematically searched from top to bottom for evidence on the prevention and management of exposure corneal injury in critically ill patients, including guidelines, expert consensus, evidence summaries, and systematic reviews. The retrieval time limit was from the establishment of the database to October 31, 2021. Two researchers independently assessed the quality of the article, extracted evidence from the article that met the quality standards, and adopted the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) evidence pre-grading and evidence recommendation system (2014 edition) to grade the evidence.Results:A total of 15 articles were included, including 2 guidelines, 2 evidence summaries, 6 systematic reviews, and 5 randomized controlled trials. A total of 42 pieces of the best evidence on the prevention and management of exposure corneal injury in critically ill patients were summarized, including five aspects, namely, assessment, daily management, risk management, drug management and procedure management.Conclusions:This study summarizes the best evidence for the prevention and management of exposure corneal injury in critically ill patients. When medical and nursing staff carry out clinical transformation, they should fully consider the actual situation of patients and select evidence in a targeted manner to reduce the incidence of ocular complications in critically ill patients.