Objective:To investigate the effect of laparoscopic splenectomy and azygoportal disconnection (LSD) on liver synthesis and development of liver cirrhosis.Methods:This is a prospective case series study.The clinical data of liver cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension who received LSD at the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Northern Jiangsu People′s Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University from September 2014 to January 2016 were included. This study analyzed the diameter of the portal vein, the velocity of portal blood flow, the routine blood parameters, the liver function, the synthetic proteins of liver (antithrombin Ⅲ (AT-Ⅲ), protein S, protein C), and the serum content of liver fibrotic markers(collagen type Ⅳ, procollagen type Ⅲ, laminin, hyaluronidase). Repeated measures ANOVA was used for comparison between multiple groups, and least significance difference was used for post-hoc multiple comparison.Results:A total of 106 patients were included in the study, including 70 males and 36 females, aged (51.8±9.8) years(range: 28 to 75 years).Compared with the preoperative results, the diameter of portal vein and the velocity of portal vein decreased after surgery ( F=14.03, 12.15, respectively, both P<0.01). Compared with the preoperative results, the total bilirubin, albumin, prothrombin time, international normalized ratio, Child-Pugh score and classification were improved ( F=17.96, 56.01, 66.63, 35.83, 33.49, and 27.50, respectively, all P<0.01), and the AT-Ⅲ, protein S, protein C,collagen type Ⅳ, procollagen type Ⅲ, laminin and hyaluronidase levels were also improved ( F=47.87, 36.26, 18.02, 2.79, 14.58, 44.35, and 14.38, respectively, all P<0.01). Compared with the preoperative period, the diameter of portal vein was reduced from the first week to the 24 th month after surgery ( t=5.45 to 9.39, all P<0.01). Compared with the preoperative period, the velocity of portal vein blood from the first week after surgery to the 24 th month after surgery was decreased ( t=4.02 to 8.43, all P<0.01). Compared with the preoperative period, routine blood parameters (white blood count, hemoglobin, platelet count), liver function (total bilirubin, albumin, prothrombin time, international normalized ratio, Child-Pugh score), liver synthetic protein (AT-Ⅲ, protein S, protein C) and liver fibrotic markers (collagen type Ⅳ, procollagen type Ⅲ, laminin, hyaluronidase) were improved to varying degrees at the 24th month after surgery ( t=-20.46 to 11.93, all P<0.01). Conclusion:Preliminary findings show that LSD can reduce portal vein pressure, restore blood cell number, and improve liver synthesis function and the degree of liver fibrosis in patients with portal hypertension in liver cirrhosis.

Objective:To investigate the effect of laparoscopic splenectomy and azygoportal disconnection (LSD) on liver synthesis and development of liver cirrhosis.Methods:This is a prospective case series study.The clinical data of liver cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension who received LSD at the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Northern Jiangsu People′s Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University from September 2014 to January 2016 were included. This study analyzed the diameter of the portal vein, the velocity of portal blood flow, the routine blood parameters, the liver function, the synthetic proteins of liver (antithrombin Ⅲ (AT-Ⅲ), protein S, protein C), and the serum content of liver fibrotic markers(collagen type Ⅳ, procollagen type Ⅲ, laminin, hyaluronidase). Repeated measures ANOVA was used for comparison between multiple groups, and least significance difference was used for post-hoc multiple comparison.Results:A total of 106 patients were included in the study, including 70 males and 36 females, aged (51.8±9.8) years(range: 28 to 75 years).Compared with the preoperative results, the diameter of portal vein and the velocity of portal vein decreased after surgery ( F=14.03, 12.15, respectively, both P<0.01). Compared with the preoperative results, the total bilirubin, albumin, prothrombin time, international normalized ratio, Child-Pugh score and classification were improved ( F=17.96, 56.01, 66.63, 35.83, 33.49, and 27.50, respectively, all P<0.01), and the AT-Ⅲ, protein S, protein C,collagen type Ⅳ, procollagen type Ⅲ, laminin and hyaluronidase levels were also improved ( F=47.87, 36.26, 18.02, 2.79, 14.58, 44.35, and 14.38, respectively, all P<0.01). Compared with the preoperative period, the diameter of portal vein was reduced from the first week to the 24 th month after surgery ( t=5.45 to 9.39, all P<0.01). Compared with the preoperative period, the velocity of portal vein blood from the first week after surgery to the 24 th month after surgery was decreased ( t=4.02 to 8.43, all P<0.01). Compared with the preoperative period, routine blood parameters (white blood count, hemoglobin, platelet count), liver function (total bilirubin, albumin, prothrombin time, international normalized ratio, Child-Pugh score), liver synthetic protein (AT-Ⅲ, protein S, protein C) and liver fibrotic markers (collagen type Ⅳ, procollagen type Ⅲ, laminin, hyaluronidase) were improved to varying degrees at the 24th month after surgery ( t=-20.46 to 11.93, all P<0.01). Conclusion:Preliminary findings show that LSD can reduce portal vein pressure, restore blood cell number, and improve liver synthesis function and the degree of liver fibrosis in patients with portal hypertension in liver cirrhosis.

Objective: The treatment of asymmetric maxillary hypoplasia and dental crowding secondary to unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) is often challenging.This study introduced an asymmetric tooth-borne distractor in anterior maxillary segmental distraction osteogenesis and used three-dimensional finite element analysis to evaluate its potential for clinical application in cases of asymmetrical maxillary hypoplasia. Methods: A cone-beam computed tomography scan of a late adolescent with UCLP was used to construct a three-dimensional finite element model of the teeth and maxillary structures. An asymmetric distractor model was used to simulate conventional distraction osteogenesis and asymmetric distraction osteogenesis (ADO) to evaluate the resultant stress distribution and displacement. Results: Postoperatively, both distraction methods resulted in anterior maxillary segment advancement with a slight upward movement. ADO yielded a greater increase in the dental arch length on the cleft side and induced rotation of the anterior maxillary segment, potentially improving midline deviation. Both methods showed similar stress distributions, with higher stress concentrations on the cleft side. Conclusions ADO may offer clinical advantages in correcting asymmetrical maxillary hypoplasia in patients with UCLP by facilitating asymmetrical expansion and rotation of the maxilla. Further research is needed to generalize these findings to other clinical presentations.

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of transurethral 450 nm blue laser vaporization of prostate (BVP) and transurethral plasmakinetic resection of the prostate (PKRP) in the treatment of frail elderly patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 62 frail elderly BPH patients undergoing BVP (n=32) or PKRP (n=30) in our hospital during Jan.2023 and Jun.2024.The two groups were compared in terms of postoperative hemoglobin drop, operation time, hospital stay, catheter indwelling time, bladder irrigation time, preoperative and postoperative 3-month postvoid residual (PVR), maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), international prostate symptom score (IPSS), quality of life score (QoL), and postoperative complications. Results: The postoperative hemoglobin drop was lower in the BVP group than in the PKRP group [(1.62±1.04) g/L vs.(7.37±2.37) g/L, P＜0.001].The operation time [(24.53±7.52) min vs. (47.77±11.12) min], hospital stay [(2.78±1.62) d vs. (8.13±0.82) d], catheter indwelling time [(1.84±0.99) d vs. (5.40±0.81) d], and bladder irrigation time [(7.37±2.35) h vs. (51.60±19.72) h] were significantly shorter in the BVP group than in the PKRP group (all P＜0.001).At 3 months postoperatively, both groups showed significant improvements in IPSS, QoL, Qmax, and PVR compared to preoperative levels (P＜0.05), but there were no significant differences between the two groups (P>0.05).The overall incidence of early postoperative complications in the BVP group was lower than that in PKRP group (18.75% vs. 43.33%, P＜0.05).After 3 months of follow-up, there was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between the BVP group and PKRP group(3.13% vs. 13.33%, P=0.14). Conclusion: BVP for the treatment of frail elderly BPH patients is safe and reliable, associated with minimal bleeding, short operation time, catheterization time and hospital stay, and there is no need to discontinue anticoagulant drugs.

Objective To construct large medical model named by "Huaxi HongYi"and explore its application effectiveness in assisting medical record generation. Methods By the way of a full-chain medical large model construction paradigm of "data annotation - model training - scenario incubation", through strategies such as multimodal data fusion, domain adaptation training, and localization of hardware adaptation, "Huaxi HongYi" with 72 billion parameters was constructed. Combined with technologies such as speech recognition, knowledge graphs, and reinforcement learning, an application system for assisting in the generation of medical records was developed. Results Taking the assisted generation of discharge records as an example, in the pilot department, after using the application system, the average completion times of writing a medical records shortened (21 min vs. 5 min) with efficiency increased by 3.2 time, the accuracy rate of the model output reached 92.4%. Conclusion It is feasible for medical institutions to build independently controllable medical large models and incubate various applications based on these models, providing a reference pathway for artificial intelligence development in similar institutions.

Objective: The treatment of asymmetric maxillary hypoplasia and dental crowding secondary to unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) is often challenging.This study introduced an asymmetric tooth-borne distractor in anterior maxillary segmental distraction osteogenesis and used three-dimensional finite element analysis to evaluate its potential for clinical application in cases of asymmetrical maxillary hypoplasia. Methods: A cone-beam computed tomography scan of a late adolescent with UCLP was used to construct a three-dimensional finite element model of the teeth and maxillary structures. An asymmetric distractor model was used to simulate conventional distraction osteogenesis and asymmetric distraction osteogenesis (ADO) to evaluate the resultant stress distribution and displacement. Results: Postoperatively, both distraction methods resulted in anterior maxillary segment advancement with a slight upward movement. ADO yielded a greater increase in the dental arch length on the cleft side and induced rotation of the anterior maxillary segment, potentially improving midline deviation. Both methods showed similar stress distributions, with higher stress concentrations on the cleft side. Conclusions ADO may offer clinical advantages in correcting asymmetrical maxillary hypoplasia in patients with UCLP by facilitating asymmetrical expansion and rotation of the maxilla. Further research is needed to generalize these findings to other clinical presentations.

Background: Healthcare-associated infections impose a significant burden on antibiotic usage, healthcare expenditures, and morbidity. Therefore, it is crucial to revise policies to minimize such losses. This nationwide survey aimed to evaluate infection prevention and control (IPC) components in healthcare facilities and encourage improvements in acute care hospitals with inadequate infection prevention settings. This study aims to enhance the infection control capabilities of healthcare facilities. Methods: From December 27, 2021, to May 13, 2022, we conducted a survey of 1,767 acute care hospitals in the Republic of Korea. A survey was conducted to evaluate the infection control components in 1,767 acute care hospitals. Infection control officers provided direct responses to a systematically developed questionnaire. Subsequently, 10% of the respondents were randomly selected for the site investigation. Results: Overall, 1,197 (67.7%) hospitals responded to the online survey. On-site investigations were conducted at 125 hospitals. Hospitals with ≥ 150 beds are advised to have an IPC team under Article 3 of the Medical Service Act; however, only 87.0% (598/687) of hospitals with ≥ 100 beds had one. Conversely, 22.7% (116/510) of hospitals with < 100 beds had an IPC team. Regulations for hand hygiene, waste management, healthcare worker protection and safety, environmental cleaning, standard precautions, and prevention of the transmission of multidrug-resistant pathogens were present in 84.2%, 80.1%, 77.4%, 76.2%, 75.8%, and 63.5% of the hospitals, respectively. Hospitals with < 100 beds had low availability of all categories of standard operating procedures. Conclusion This study is the first national survey of acute care hospitals in the Republic of Korea. The data presented in the current study will improve the understanding of IPC status and will help establish a survey system. Our survey provides a basis for improving policies related to IPC in healthcare facilities.

Background: Tinnitus is a multifactorial condition with no universally accepted assessment guidelines. The Korean Tinnitus Study Group previously established consensus statements on the definition, classification, and diagnostic tests for tinnitus. As a continuation of this effort, this study aims to establish expert consensus on tinnitus assessment and treatment outcome evaluation, specifically tailored to the Korean clinical context. Methods: A modified Delphi method involving 26 otology experts from across Korea was used. A two-round Delphi survey was conducted to evaluate statements related to tinnitus assessment before and after treatment. Statements were rated on a scale of 1 to 9 for the level of agreement. Consensus was defined as ≥ 70% agreement (score of 7–9) and ≤ 15% disagreement (score of 1–3). Statistical measures such as content validity ratio and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance (W) were calculated to assess agreement levels. Results: Of the 46 assessment-related statements, 17 (37%) reached consensus, though overall pre-treatment assessments showed weak agreement (Kendall’s W = 0.319). Key areas of agreement included the use of the visual analogue scale, numeric rating scale, and validated questionnaires for pre-treatment evaluation. Five statements, such as the use of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and angiography for diagnosing pulsatile tinnitus, achieved over 90% agreement. For treatment outcome measurements, 8 of 12 statements (67%) reached a consensus, with moderate agreement (Kendall’s W = 0.513). Validated questionnaires and psychoacoustic tests were recommended for evaluating treatment effects within 12 weeks. While standardized imaging for pulsatile tinnitus and additional clinical tests were strongly recommended, full consensus was not achieved across all imaging modalities. Conclusion This study provides actionable recommendations for tinnitus assessment and treatment evaluation, emphasizing the use of standardized tools and individualized approaches based on patient needs. These findings offer a practical framework to enhance consistency and effectiveness in tinnitus management within Korean clinical settings.

Background: Tinnitus is a bothersome condition associated with various mechanisms of action. Although treatment methods vary according to these mechanisms, standardized guidelines would benefit both patients and clinicians. We conducted a Delphi study, a method that collects expert opinions through multiple rounds of questionnaires, to reach a consensus on tinnitus treatment with professional experts. Methods: A two-round modified Delphi survey was conducted to develop a clinical consensus on tinnitus treatment. The experts scored each statement on a scale of 1 (highest disagreement) to 9 (highest agreement) for their level of agreement on tinnitus treatment.Consensus was defined when 75% or more of the participants scored 7–9, and 15% or less scored 1–3. To ensure reliability of the responses, the content validity ratio and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance were evaluated. Results: Approximately 19 of 31 statements reached a consensus. All 3 statements reached a consensus regarding the candidates for treatment. Regarding treatment, 3 of 8 statements on medication, 2 of 2 statements on tinnitus retraining therapy/cognitive behavioral therapy, and 5 of 7 statements on auditory rehabilitation reached a positive consensus. Although all 6 statements regarding miscellaneous treatment reached a consensus, most were negatively agreed. For treatment with neuromodulation, none of the 5 statements reached a consensus. Conclusion The experts reached a high level of consensus on treatment candidates, tinnitus retraining therapy/cognitive behavioral therapy, and auditory rehabilitation in this modified Delphi study. The results of this study can provide beneficial and practical information for clinicians regarding the treatment of tinnitus.

Background: Healthcare-associated infections impose a significant burden on antibiotic usage, healthcare expenditures, and morbidity. Therefore, it is crucial to revise policies to minimize such losses. This nationwide survey aimed to evaluate infection prevention and control (IPC) components in healthcare facilities and encourage improvements in acute care hospitals with inadequate infection prevention settings. This study aims to enhance the infection control capabilities of healthcare facilities. Methods: From December 27, 2021, to May 13, 2022, we conducted a survey of 1,767 acute care hospitals in the Republic of Korea. A survey was conducted to evaluate the infection control components in 1,767 acute care hospitals. Infection control officers provided direct responses to a systematically developed questionnaire. Subsequently, 10% of the respondents were randomly selected for the site investigation. Results: Overall, 1,197 (67.7%) hospitals responded to the online survey. On-site investigations were conducted at 125 hospitals. Hospitals with ≥ 150 beds are advised to have an IPC team under Article 3 of the Medical Service Act; however, only 87.0% (598/687) of hospitals with ≥ 100 beds had one. Conversely, 22.7% (116/510) of hospitals with < 100 beds had an IPC team. Regulations for hand hygiene, waste management, healthcare worker protection and safety, environmental cleaning, standard precautions, and prevention of the transmission of multidrug-resistant pathogens were present in 84.2%, 80.1%, 77.4%, 76.2%, 75.8%, and 63.5% of the hospitals, respectively. Hospitals with < 100 beds had low availability of all categories of standard operating procedures. Conclusion This study is the first national survey of acute care hospitals in the Republic of Korea. The data presented in the current study will improve the understanding of IPC status and will help establish a survey system. Our survey provides a basis for improving policies related to IPC in healthcare facilities.