AIM:To explore the roles and associations of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha(HNF4A)and mu-protocadherin(MUCDHL)in the kidney of diabetic mice.METHODS:(1)A cohort of six 12-week-old db/m mice and six db/db mice were selected and maintained on a standard diet until 16 weeks.The protein levels of fibronectin(FN),collagen type III(Col-III),E-cadherin,α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA),HNF4A,Snail and MUCDHL in renal tissues were scrutinized using Western blot.Immunohistochemical staining was conducted to observe the distribution and expres-sion of FN,HNF4A and MUCDHL.(2)Mouse renal tubular epithelial cells(mRTEC)were cultured in vitro and catego-rized into groups:normal glucose(NG)group,high glucose(HG)group,overexpression control groups(NG+vector and HG+vector),overexpression groups(NG+OE-MUCDHL,HG+OE-MUCDHL,NG+OE-HNF4A and HG+OE-HNF4A),knockdown control groups(NG+control and HG+control),and knockdown groups(NG+si-MUCDHL,HG+si-MUCDHL,NG+si-HNF4A and HG+si-HNF4A).The relevant protein levels were also detected by Western blot.RESULTS:(1)In db/db group,elevated body weight,blood glucose and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio(UACR)indicated significant re-nal injury.Compared with db/m group,the mice in db/db group exhibited increased expression of FN,Col-III,α-SMA and Snail,and decreased expression of E-cadherin,HNF4A and MUCDHL.MUCDHL was predominantly expressed in the apical membrane of renal tubular epithelial cells,FN in the tubular mesenchyme,and HNF4A in the plasma and nu-cleus of renal tubular cells.(2)In HG group,there was an up-regulation in the expression of fibrosis-related proteins and a down-regulation in the expression of E-cadherin,HNF4A and MUCDHL compared with NG group.Overexpression of MUCDHL led to a decrease in the expression of FN,Col-III,α-SMA and Snail proteins,an increase in the expression of E-cadherin and MUCDHL proteins,and unaltered expression of HNF4A.Knockdown of MUCDHL resulted in a reversal of the aforementioned effects,with HNF4A expression remaining unaltered.Overexpression of HNF4A led to an increased ex-pression of MUCDHL,and the expression changes of the remaining indicators were consistent with the overexpression of MUCDHL.Knockdown of HNF4A reversed the aforementioned effects.MUCDHL may represent a downstream target gene of HNF4A.CONCLUSION:The diminished expression of HNF4A and MUCDHL in the renal tubules of diabetic mice implies their involvement in the progression of renal fibrosis in diabetic kidney disease(DKD).HNF4A may potentially impede the progression of renal fibrosis in DKD by up-regulating the expression of MUCDHL.

Objective: Metastases in the supragastric lesser sac (SGLS) are not only occult but are also barriers to complete resection of ovarian cancer. We describe a cohort of patients with SGLS disease undergoing debulking surgery. Methods: We identified all patients who underwent evaluation and eventual resection of SGLS disease as part of cytoreductive surgery for stage IIIC–IVB high-grade epithelial ovarian cancer at our institution from January 2018 to August 2022. Results: Thirty-three of 286 patients (11.5%) underwent resection of SGLS disease.Metastases in the SGLS were identified by preoperative imaging in 4 of 33 patients (12.1%). The median peritoneal cancer index score was 22 (range, 9–33). Through surgical exploration, metastases were frequently seen in the right diaphragm (100%), hepatorenal recess (97%), lesser omentum (81.8%), left diaphragm (78.8%), supracolic omentum (75.8%), anterior transverse mesocolon (72.7%), splenic hilum (63.6%), ligamentum teres hepatis (60.6%), and gallbladder fossa (51.5%). The lesser omentum was normal in 6 of 33 (18.2%) patients, despite metastases within the SGLS. A total of 54.5% of patients underwent complex surgery (surgical complexity scores; median, 8; range, 3–14). Complete resections were achieved in 19 (57.6%) patients. No complications were related to the resection of SGLS disease. The median length of progression-free survival was 24.8 months (95% confidence interval=16.6–32.9). Conclusion Metastases to the SGLS are not uncommon in advanced ovarian cancer, particularly those with widely disseminated disease. Disease in this recess is rarely identified by preoperative imaging and deserves systematic surgical exploration to attain complete cytoreduction.

Objective: Metastases in the supragastric lesser sac (SGLS) are not only occult but are also barriers to complete resection of ovarian cancer. We describe a cohort of patients with SGLS disease undergoing debulking surgery. Methods: We identified all patients who underwent evaluation and eventual resection of SGLS disease as part of cytoreductive surgery for stage IIIC–IVB high-grade epithelial ovarian cancer at our institution from January 2018 to August 2022. Results: Thirty-three of 286 patients (11.5%) underwent resection of SGLS disease.Metastases in the SGLS were identified by preoperative imaging in 4 of 33 patients (12.1%). The median peritoneal cancer index score was 22 (range, 9–33). Through surgical exploration, metastases were frequently seen in the right diaphragm (100%), hepatorenal recess (97%), lesser omentum (81.8%), left diaphragm (78.8%), supracolic omentum (75.8%), anterior transverse mesocolon (72.7%), splenic hilum (63.6%), ligamentum teres hepatis (60.6%), and gallbladder fossa (51.5%). The lesser omentum was normal in 6 of 33 (18.2%) patients, despite metastases within the SGLS. A total of 54.5% of patients underwent complex surgery (surgical complexity scores; median, 8; range, 3–14). Complete resections were achieved in 19 (57.6%) patients. No complications were related to the resection of SGLS disease. The median length of progression-free survival was 24.8 months (95% confidence interval=16.6–32.9). Conclusion Metastases to the SGLS are not uncommon in advanced ovarian cancer, particularly those with widely disseminated disease. Disease in this recess is rarely identified by preoperative imaging and deserves systematic surgical exploration to attain complete cytoreduction.

Objective: Metastases in the supragastric lesser sac (SGLS) are not only occult but are also barriers to complete resection of ovarian cancer. We describe a cohort of patients with SGLS disease undergoing debulking surgery. Methods: We identified all patients who underwent evaluation and eventual resection of SGLS disease as part of cytoreductive surgery for stage IIIC–IVB high-grade epithelial ovarian cancer at our institution from January 2018 to August 2022. Results: Thirty-three of 286 patients (11.5%) underwent resection of SGLS disease.Metastases in the SGLS were identified by preoperative imaging in 4 of 33 patients (12.1%). The median peritoneal cancer index score was 22 (range, 9–33). Through surgical exploration, metastases were frequently seen in the right diaphragm (100%), hepatorenal recess (97%), lesser omentum (81.8%), left diaphragm (78.8%), supracolic omentum (75.8%), anterior transverse mesocolon (72.7%), splenic hilum (63.6%), ligamentum teres hepatis (60.6%), and gallbladder fossa (51.5%). The lesser omentum was normal in 6 of 33 (18.2%) patients, despite metastases within the SGLS. A total of 54.5% of patients underwent complex surgery (surgical complexity scores; median, 8; range, 3–14). Complete resections were achieved in 19 (57.6%) patients. No complications were related to the resection of SGLS disease. The median length of progression-free survival was 24.8 months (95% confidence interval=16.6–32.9). Conclusion Metastases to the SGLS are not uncommon in advanced ovarian cancer, particularly those with widely disseminated disease. Disease in this recess is rarely identified by preoperative imaging and deserves systematic surgical exploration to attain complete cytoreduction.

Objective:To explore the practical value of general anesthesia with non-intubated spontaneous breathing in uniportal thoracoscopic surgery in elderly patients.Methods:Clinical data of 86 elderly patients undergone uniportal thoracoscopy surgery during hospitalization at our hospital between March 2020 and December 2021 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed.Based on the anesthesia intubation method, they were divided into a non-intubated spontaneous breathing video-assisted thoracic surgery group(NI-VATS group)and a one-lung ventilation video-assisted thoracic surgery group(OLV-VATS group), with 43 cases in each group.Data were compared on the inflammatory indexes, preparation time for anesthesia, time to awakening after anesthesia, intraoperative lung collapse score, mediastinal flutter score, time to postoperative feeding, digestive tract complications, sore throat, postoperative pulmonary atelectasis, and hospitalization time.Results:Compared with the OLV-VATS group, the NI-VATS group had a shorter anesthesia preparation time [(19.8±2.6)min vs.(32.3±4.5)min, t=-15.77, P<0.001]and a shorter time to awakening [(6.8±2.1)min vs.(11.9±2.9)min, t=-9.485, P<0.001], slightly poorer operating field during surgery, an unfavorable lung collapse score [(2.5±0.7) vs.(1.8±0.7) t=4.704, P<0.001], worse mediastinal flutter [(2.1±0.6) vs.(1.3±0.5), t=6.514, P<0.001]. Lower procalcitonin(PCT)[(0.189±0.130)μg/L vs.(0.264±0.123)μg/L, t=-2.744, P=0.007), a shorter time to postoperative feeding [(3.4±1.0)h vs.(5.5±1.0)h, t=-9.55, P<0.001], and lower rates of digestive tract reactions(4.7% vs.20.9%, χ2=5.108, P=0.024)and throat pain(4.7% vs.23.3%, χ2=6.198, P=0.013), and a shorter length of hospital stay [(3.8±0.3)d vs.(4.9±0.8)d, t=-7.266, P<0.001]. Conclusions:For the elderly patients undergoing uniportal thoracoscopic surgery, non-intubated spontaneous breathing may somewhat obstruct the operating field, but it can shorten the time of anesthesia and the time to awakening, does not increase complications from anesthesia and surgery, favors rapid postoperative recovery for patients and therefore should be promoted.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of serological indicators and evaluate the diagnostic value of a new established combined serological model on identifying the minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) in patients with compensated cirrhosis.Methods:This prospective multicenter study enrolled 263 compensated cirrhotic patients from 23 hospitals in 15 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of China between October 2021 and August 2022. Clinical data and laboratory test results were collected, and the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was calculated. Ammonia level was corrected to the upper limit of normal (AMM-ULN) by the baseline blood ammonia measurements/upper limit of the normal reference value. MHE was diagnosed by combined abnormal number connection test-A and abnormal digit symbol test as suggested by Guidelines on the management of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhosis. The patients were randomly divided (7∶3) into training set ( n=185) and validation set ( n=78) based on caret package of R language. Logistic regression was used to establish a combined model of MHE diagnosis. The diagnostic performance was evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curve, Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve. The internal verification was carried out by the Bootstrap method ( n=200). AUC comparisons were achieved using the Delong test. Results:In the training set, prevalence of MHE was 37.8% (70/185). There were statistically significant differences in AMM-ULN, albumin, platelet, alkaline phosphatase, international normalized ratio, MELD score and education between non-MHE group and MHE group (all P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that AMM-ULN [odds ratio ( OR)=1.78, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.05-3.14, P=0.038] and MELD score ( OR=1.11, 95% CI 1.04-1.20, P=0.002) were independent risk factors for MHE, and the AUC for predicting MHE were 0.663, 0.625, respectively. Compared with the use of blood AMM-ULN and MELD score alone, the AUC of the combined model of AMM-ULN, MELD score and education exhibited better predictive performance in determining the presence of MHE was 0.755, the specificity and sensitivity was 85.2% and 55.7%, respectively. Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve showed that the model had good calibration ( P=0.733). The AUC for internal validation of the combined model for diagnosing MHE was 0.752. In the validation set, the AUC of the combined model for diagnosing MHE was 0.794, and Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed good calibration ( P=0.841). Conclusion:Use of the combined model including AMM-ULN, MELD score and education could improve the predictive efficiency of MHE among patients with compensated cirrhosis.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic stricturotomy (EST) under balloon-assisted enteroscopy (BAE) in treatment of benign jejuno-ileal stenosis.Methods:From December 2015 to August 2021, at the Air Force Medical Center, 41 patients who were diagnosed with benign jejuno-ileal stenosis underwent BAE deep small bowel EST and/or surgery due to ineffective or ineffective drug treatment were retrospectively analyzed. Twenty-one patients were treated with EST (EST group) and 20 patients were treated with surgery (surgery group). The etiology and follow-up time were analyzed, the general conditions (male proportion and age), the immediate technical success rate (the percentage of the stenosis that the enteroscope could pass through after EST in the total number of treated stenoses), the incidence of complications (including perforation, bleeding, etc.), the symptom remission rates at 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year after treatment (the percentage of patients with complete or partial remission in the total number of patients), cumulative symptom-free survival rate (no obstruction-related symptoms after EST or surgery till the last follow-up) and cumulative surgery-free survival rate of two groups were compared. Chi-square test, independent t-test, Fisher′s exact probability method and Kaplan-Meier analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results:The main etiology of stricture of EST group and surgery group was Crohn′s disease (71.4%, 15/21 and 60.0%, 12/20, respectively), and the median follow-up time was 12 months (6 to 46 months) and 45 months (14 to 73 months), respectively. There were no significant differences in male proportion, age, immediate technical success rate and incidence of complication between EST group and surgery group (57.1%, 12/21 vs. 65.0%, 13/20; (45.2±17.4) years old vs. (43.1±20.3) years old; 95.3%, 41/43 vs. 100.0%, 30/30; 26.9%, 7/26 vs. 10.0%, 2/20, all P>0.05). In the EST group, 9.5% (2/21) of the patients received surgery because of perforation during EST, 76.2% (16/21) of the patients did not need surgery after EST, and the median symptom-free survival time of patients without symptoms in EST group was 13.3 months. There was no significant difference in the symptom remission rate at 3-month after treatment between EST group and the surgery group (17/19 vs. 100.0%, 20/20, P>0.05). The symptom remission rate at 6-month and 1-year of EST group were lower than those of the surgery group (15/19 vs. 100.0%, 20/20; 8/11 vs. 100.0%, 20/20), and the differences were statistically significant (both were Fisher′s exact probability method, P=0.047 and 0.037). The cumulative symptom-free survival rates at 3-month, 6-month and 1-year of EST group and surgery group were 66.0% vs. 90.0%, 61.0% vs. 85.0% and 54.0% vs. 80.0%, respectively.The results of Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that there was no significant difference in the symptom-free survival curve between two groups ( P>0.05). The 3-month, 6-month and 1-year cumulative surgery-free survival rates after treatment in EST group were 90.0%, 81.0% and 73.0%, respectively. The 3-month, 6-month and 1-year cumulative surgery-free survival rates after treatment in surgery group were all 100.0%. Conclusion:EST under BAE is technically feasible, and safe in the treatment of benign jejuno-ileal stenosis, and can effectively relieve clinical obstruction symptoms and avoid or delay surgery in the short term.

Objective:To construct a risk assessment scale for flap necrosis after flap transplantation in patients with head and neck tumors, so as to provide an effective reference for clinical implementation of flap necrosis risk screening.Methods:The overall study period was from December 2020 to June 2021. Based on evidence, the item pool of the risk assessment scale for flap necrosis after flap transplantation in patients with head and neck tumors was preliminarily established. Using the Delphi method, 16 experts engaged in flap transplantation were selected for three rounds of consultation, and the risk assessment scale for flap necrosis after flap transplantation in patients with head and neck tumors was initially established. The weights were given to all indicators through the paired comparison.Results:In the first round, 16 questionnaires were distributed, and 15 valid questionnaires were recovered. In the second and third rounds, 15 questionnaires were distributed, and 15 valid questionnaires were recovered. Expert authority coefficients of the three rounds of expert consultation were 0.851, 0.853 and 0.853, respectively. The Kendall coordination coefficients of the three rounds of expert consultation were 0.377, 0.302 and 0.302 ( P<0.05) . The final constructed risk assessment scale for flap necrosis after flap transplantation in patients with head and neck tumors included 3 first-level indicators, 8 second-level indicators, and 32 third-level indicators. The weights were assigned to each indicator by paired comparison, and the weights of the first-level indicator patient factor, treatment factor, and nursing factor were 0.36, 0.38, and 0.26, respectively. Conclusions:The risk assessment scale for flap necrosis after flap transplantation in patients with head and neck tumors constructed by combining evidence-based and Delphi method is highly scientific and reliable. Its clinical applicability and effectiveness can be further verified in the future clinical flap evaluation process.

In this study, sonography video urodynamic studies (SVUDS), which combined synchronically urodynamic studies with trans-perineal and trans-abdominal sonography, were used to detect female bladder outlet obstruction (FBOO). The dynamic changes of urethra and surrounding pelvic floor structure during storage and voiding phase were observed by SVUDS and the causes of FBOO were analyzed. And the findings were as follows: 13 patients showed organ prolapse, there was an urethral angulation deformity during urination; 5 cases had abnormal urination as the urethral opening was not good in the middle of urination period; 4 cases had urethral stricture, as the proximal end of the obstruction dilated during urination, and the obstruction site showed no relaxation; 1 case had primary bladder neck obstruction with an incomplete opening of the bladder neck during urination; 3 cases had idiopathic bladder outlet obstruction and the sphincter of bladder neck and urethra opened well during urination.

PURPOSE: Details of patients hospitalized for asthma exacerbation in mainland China are lacking. To improve disease control and reduce economic burden, a large sample survey among this patient population is indispensable. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of such patients.METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on patients hospitalized for asthma exacerbation in 29 hospitals of 29 regions in mainland China during the period 2013 to 2014. Demographic features, pre-admission conditions, exacerbation details, and outcomes were summarized. Risk factors for exacerbation severity were analyzed.RESULTS: There were 3,240 asthmatic patients included in this study (57.7% females, 42.3% males). Only 28.0% used daily controller medications; 1,287 (39.7%) patients were not currently on inhaled corticosteroids. Acute upper airway infection was the most common trigger of exacerbation (42.3%). Patients with severe to life-threatening exacerbation tended to have a longer disease course, a smoking history, and had comorbidities such as hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and food allergy. The multivariate analysis showed that smoking history, comorbidities of hypertension, COPD, and food allergy were independent risk factors for more severe exacerbation. The number of patients hospitalized for asthma exacerbation varied with seasons, peaking in March and September. Eight patients died during the study period (mortality 0.25%).CONCLUSIONS: Despite enhanced education on asthma self-management in China during recent years, few patients were using daily controller medications before the onset of their exacerbation, indicating that more educational efforts and considerations are needed. The findings of this study may improve our understanding of hospital admission for asthma exacerbation in mainland China and provide evidence for decision-making.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Asthma ; China ; Comorbidity ; Disease Progression ; Education ; Female ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Inpatients ; Medication Adherence ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Seasons ; Self Care ; Smoke ; Smoking