BACKGROUND:Proximal humeral fracture in older adults is one of the three major osteoporotic fractures.Anatomic locking plate fixation is the first choice for most scholars to treat difficult-to-reduce and complex fracture types.However,the probability of reduction failure after the operation is high,which seriously affects patients'quality of life. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the correlation between deltoid tuberosity index and postoperative reduction failure of proximal humeral fractures in the elderly,analyze and filter preoperative independent risk factors for reduction failure of proximal humeral fractures in the elderly,and construct and verify the effectiveness of a clinical prediction model. METHODS:The clinical data of 153 elderly patients with proximal humeral fractures who met the diagnosis and inclusion criteria and received open reduction and locking plate surgery in Foshan Hospital of TCM from June 2012 to June 2021 were collected.The patients were divided into the reduction failure subgroup and the reduction maintenance subgroup.The independent risk factors were selected by multivariate Logistic regression analysis,and the nomogram was constructed by R language.After 1000 times of resampling by Bootstrap method,the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit correlation test,receiver operating characteristic curve,calibration curve,clinical decision,and influence curve were plotted to evaluate its goodness of fit,discrimination,calibration ability,and clinical application value.Fifty-five elderly patients with proximal humeral fractures from June 2013 to August 2021 were selected as the model's external validation group to evaluate the prediction model's stability and accuracy. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Of the 153 patients in the training group,44 patients met reduction failure after internal plate fixation.The prevalence of postoperative reduction failure was 28.8%.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis identified that deltoid tuberosity index[OR=9.782,95%CI(3.798,25.194)],varus displacement[OR=4.209,95%CI(1.472,12.031)],and medial metaphyseal comminution[OR=4.278,95%CI(1.670,10.959)]were independent risk factors for postoperative reduction failure of proximal humeral fractures in older adults(P<0.05).(2)A nomogram based on independent risk factors was then constructed.The Hosmer-Lemeshow test results for the model of the training group showed that χ2=0.812(P=0.976)and area under curve=0.830[95%CI(0.762,0.898)].The calibration plot results showed that the model's predicted risk was in good agreement with the actual risk.The decision and clinical influence curves showed good clinical applicability.(3)In the validation group,the accuracy rate in practical applications was 86%,area under curve=0.902[95%CI(0.819,0.985)].(4)It is concluded that deltoid tuberosity index<1.44,medial metaphyseal comminution,and varus displacement were independent risk factors for reduction failure.(5)The internal and external validation of the risk prediction model demonstrated high discrimination,accuracy,and clinical applicability could be used to individually predict and screen the high-risk population of postoperative reduction failure of proximal humeral fractures in the elderly.The predicted number of patients at high risk is highly matched to the actual number of patients who occur when the model's threshold risk probability is above 65%,and clinicians should use targeted treatment.

BACKGROUND:Internal fixation and open reduction with locking plate is the main treatment for proximal humeral fractures with medial column instability.However,reduction failure is one of the main postoperative complications,and accurate risk factor assessment is beneficial for screening high-risk patients and clinical decision selection. OBJECTIVE:To construct four types of prediction models by different machine learning algorithms,compare the optimal model to analyze and sort the risk variables according to their weight scores on the impact of outcome,and explore their significance in guiding clinical diagnosis and treatment. METHODS:262 patients with proximal humeral fractures with medial column instability,aged(60.6±10.2)years,admitted to Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine between June 2012 and June 2022 were included.All patients underwent open reduction with locking plate surgery.According to the occurrence of reduction failure at 5-month follow-up,the patients were divided into a reduction failure group(n=64)and a reduction maintenance group(n=198).Clinical data of patients were collected,and model variables and their classification were determined.The data set was randomly divided into a training set and a test set according to a 7:3 ratio,and the optimal hyperparameters were obtained in the training set according to a 5-fold cross-over test.Four machine learning prediction models of logistic regression,random forest,support vector machine,and XGBoost were constructed,and the performance of different algorithms was observed in the test set using AUC,correctness,sensitivity,specificity,and F1 scores,so as to comprehensively evaluate the prediction performance of the models.The best-performing model was evaluated using SHAP to assess important risk variables and to evaluate its clinical guidance implications. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)There were significant differences between the two groups in deltoid tuberosity index,fracture type,fracture end with varus deformity before operation,fragment length of inferior metaphyseal of humerus,postoperative reduction,cortical support of medial column of proximal humerus,and insertion of calcar screw(P<0.05).(2)The best-combined performance of the four machine models was XGBoost.The AUC,accuracy,and F1 scores were 0.885,0.885,and 0.743,respectively;followed by random forest and support vector machine,with both models performing at approximately equal levels.Logistic regression had the worst combined performance.The SHAP interpretation tool was used in the optimal model and results showed that deltoid tuberosity index,medial humeral column cortical support,fracture type,fracture reduction quality,and the status of the calcar screw were important influencing fators for postoperative fracture reduction failure.(3)The accuracy of using machine learning to analyze clinical problems is superior to that of traditional logistic regression analysis methods.When dealing with high-dimensional data,the machine learning approach can solve multivariate interaction and covariance problems well.The SHAP interpretation tool can not only clarify the importance of individual variables but also obtain detailed information on the impact of dummy variables in each variable on the outcome.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with Vibrio vulnificus infection, share diagnosis and treatment experience, and establish a rapid diagnosis procedure for this disease. Methods:This study was a retrospective case series study. From January 2009 to November 2022, 11 patients with Vibrio vulnificus infection who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the Department of Burns and Wound Repair of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital Affiliated to Southern Medical University. The gender, age, time of onset of illness, time of admission, time of diagnosis, route of infection, underlying diseases, affected limbs, clinical manifestations and signs on admission, white blood cell count, hemoglobin, platelet count, C-reactive protein (CRP), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), creatinine, procalcitonin, albumin, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and blood sodium levels on admission, culture results and metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) results of pathogenic bacteria and the Vibrio vulnificus drug susceptibility test results during hospitalization, treatment methods, length of hospital stay, and outcomes of all patients were recorded. Comparative analysis was conducted on the admission time and diagnosis time of patients with and without a history of exposure to seawater/marine products, as well as the fatality ratio and amputation of limbs/digits ratio of patients with and without early adequate antibiotic treatment. For the survived patients with hand involvement, the hand function was assessed using Brunnstrom staging at the last follow-up. Based on patients' clinical characteristics and treatment conditions, a rapid diagnosis procedure for Vibrio vulnificus infection was established. Results:There were 7 males and 4 females among the patients, aged (56±17) years. Most of the patients developed symptoms in summer and autumn. The admission time was 3.00 (1.00, 4.00) d after the onset of illness, and the diagnosis time was 4.00 (2.00, 8.00) d after the onset of illness. There were 7 and 4 patients with and without a history of contact with seawater/marine products, respectively, and the admission time of these two types of patients was similar ( P>0.05). The diagnosis time of patients with a history of contact with seawater/marine products was 2.00 (2.00, 5.00) d after the onset of illness, which was significantly shorter than 9.00 (4.25, 13.00) d after the onset of illness for patients without a history of contact with seawater/marine products ( Z=-2.01, P<0.05). Totally 10 patients had underlying diseases. The affected limbs were right-hand in 8 cases, left-hand in 1 case, and lower limb in 2 cases. On admission, a total of 9 patients had fever; 11 patients had pain at the infected site, and redness and swelling of the affected limb, and 9 patients each had ecchymosis/necrosis and blisters/blood blisters; 6 patients suffered from shock, and 2 patients developed multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. On admission, there were 8 patients with abnormal white blood cell count, hemoglobin, and albumin levels, 10 patients with abnormal CRP, procalcitonin, and NT-proBNP levels, 5 patients with abnormal creatinine and blood sodium levels, and fewer patients with abnormal platelet count, ALT, and AST levels. During hospitalization, 4 of the 11 wound tissue/exudation samples had positive pathogenic bacterial culture results, and the result reporting time was 5.00 (5.00, 5.00) d; 4 of the 9 blood specimens had positive pathogenic bacterial culture results, and the result reporting time was 3.50 (1.25, 5.00) d; the mNGS results of 7 wound tissue/exudation or blood samples were all positive, and the result reporting time was 1.00 (1.00, 2.00) d. The three strains of Vibrio vulnificus detected were sensitive to 10 commonly used clinical antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and amikacin, etc. A total of 10 patients received surgical treatment, 4 of whom had amputation of limbs/digits; all patients received anti-infection treatment. The length of hospital stay of 11 patients was (26±11) d, of whom 9 patients were cured and 2 patients died. Compared with that of the 6 patients who did not receive early adequate antibiotic treatment, the 5 patients who received early adequate antibiotic treatment had no significant changes in the fatality ratio or amputation of limbs/digits ratio ( P>0.05). In 3 months to 2 years after surgery, the hand function of 8 patients was assessed, with results showing 4 cases of disabled hands, 2 cases of incompletely disabled hands, and 2 cases of recovered hands. When a patient had clinical symptoms of limb redness and swelling and a history of contact with seawater/marine products or a pre-examination triage RiCH score of Vibrio vulnificus sepsis ≥1, the etiological testing should be initiated immediately to quickly diagnose Vibrio vulnificus infection. Conclusions:Vibrio vulnificus infection occurs most frequently in summer and autumn, with clinical manifestations and laboratory test results showing obvious infection characteristics, and may be accompanied by damage to multiple organ functions. Both the fatality and disability ratios are high and have a great impact on the function of the affected limbs. Early diagnosis is difficult and treatment is easily delayed, but mNGS could facilitate rapid detection. For patients with red and swollen limbs accompanied by a history of contact with seawater/marine products or with a pre-examination triage RiCH score of Vibrio vulnificus sepsis ≥1, the etiological testing should be initiated immediately to quickly diagnose Vibrio vulnificus infection.

A semi-supervised learning method based on multi-scale consistency and regional reliability perception is proposed to combine unlabeled data with a small amount of labeled data to achieve high-performance lung tumor segmentation tasks.A multi-scale consistency mean teacher framework is used to construct a multi-scale consistency loss and constrain the outputs in the mean teacher network to be consistent across multiple scales,so that the model learns richer consistency knowledge.In addition,a regional reliability perception scheme is adopted to make the knowledge exchange between consistency learning more efficient,enabling the model to learn more valid and reliable knowledge from unlabeled data.The evaluation on the lung tumor dataset in the Medical Segmentation Decathlon shows superior performance of the proposed method over current state-of-the-art semi-supervised learning methods,validating its effectiveness.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the pharmacodynamic effect of Huangqintang （HQT） on ulcerative colitis （UC） model mice and investigate its protective effect against UC by regulating intestinal flora. MethodMale Balb/c mice were randomly divided into control group，model group， high-， medium-， and low-dose HQT groups （20， 10， 5 g·kg^-1）， flora interference group， flora interference model group， and flora interference-drug treatment group （HQT， 20 g·kg^-1）. The flora interference model was constructed through intragastric administration of antibiotics （200 mg·kg^-1 bacitracin and 200 mg·kg^-1 vancomycin） for 8 d， and the UC model was constructed by allowing mice with free access to 3% dextran sulfate sodium （DSS） solution for 7 d. HQT was administered for 7 d. After the experiments， the mice were sacrificed， and blood， colon， and feces were collected. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to observe the colonic lesions. The serum levels of interleukin （IL）-4， IL-6， IL-10， and tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The mRNA and protein expression of Claudin1， MUC1， Occludin， and zonula occludens-1（ZO-1） in colon tissues was detected by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot， respectively. The fecal DNA of mice was extracted and analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed increased serum content of IL-4， IL-6， and TNF-α （P<0.05， P<0.01） and decreased IL-10 （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the HQT groups displayed decreased serum levels of IL-4， IL-6， and TNF-α （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased IL-10 content （P<0.01）， increased mRNA and protein expression levels of Claudin1， MUC1， Occludin， and ZO-1 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. After flora interference， the diversity and abundance of intestinal bacteria decreased. To be specific， Proteobacteria increased （P<0.01）， and Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes decreased （P<0.01）. After UC induction by DSS， Bacteroidetes and Tenericutes decreased （P<0.05）. The high-， medium-， and low-dose HQT groups showed increased Bacteroidetes and Tenericutes （P<0.05， P<0.01） and decreased Firmicutes （P<0.05）. Additionally， the abundance of Lactobacillus， Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group， Escherichia-Shigella， and Helicobacteris was positively proportional to the dose of HQT. ConclusionHQT can inhibit the inflammatory response of UC mice， restore the imbalance of intestinal flora， and repair the damaged intestinal mucosal barrier.

BACKGROUND: Low-density computed tomography (LDCT) improved early lung cancer diagnosis but introduces an excess of false-positive pulmonary nodules data. Hence, accurate diagnosis of early-stage lung cancer remains challenging. The purpose of the study was to assess the feasibility of using circulating tumour cells (CTCs) to differentiate malignant from benign pulmonary nodules. METHODS: 122 patients with suspected malignant pulmonary nodules detected on chest CT in preparation for surgery were prospectively recruited. Peripheral blood samples were collected before surgery, and CTCs were identified upon isolation by size of epithelial tumour cells and morphological analysis. Laser capture microdissection, MALBAC amplification, and whole-exome sequencing were performed on 8 samples. The diagnostic efficacy of CTCs counting, and the genomic variation profile of benign and malignant CTCs samples were analysed. RESULTS: Using 2.5 cells/5 mL as the cut-off value, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was of 0.651 (95% confidence interval: 0.538-0.764), with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.526 and 0.800, respectively, and positive and negative predictive values of 91.1% and 30.3%, respectively. Distinct sequence variations differences in DNA damage repair-related and driver genes were observed in benign and malignant samples. TP53 mutations were identified in CTCs of four malignant cases; in particular, g.7578115T>C, g.7578645C>T, and g.7579472G>C were exclusively detected in all four malignant samples. CONCLUSIONS CTCs play an ancillary role in the diagnosis of pulmonary nodules. TP53 mutations in CTCs might be used to identify benign and malignant pulmonary nodules.
Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Exome Sequencing ; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules ; Carcinoma ; DNA Repair

Surgery is an important method for the treatment of resectable esophageal cancer. With the continuous development of minimally invasive esophageal technology, video-assisted thoracoscopic esophagectomy (VATE) has demonstrated obvious advantages over conventional open surgery and has been widely accepted. However, there are still some esophageal cancer patients who cannot benefit from VATE. Inflatable video-assisted mediastinoscopic transhiatal esophagectomy(IVMTE) does not require one-lung ventilation, reduces postoperative complications, expands surgical indications, and brings surgical opportunities for patients with impaired lung function and thoracic lesions, which has become a new choice for the treatment of esophageal cancer. However, the limited field of surgical view and the tunneling surgical approach undoubtedly increase the difficulty of surgery, and how to clearly expose the anatomical structures and thoroughly dissect the lymph nodes has always been the key points and difficulties of surgery. The authors review relevant literatures to discuss the clinical progress and limitations of IVMTE.

Objective:To compare proximal humerus internal locking system (PHILOS) and Multiloc intramedullary nail in the treatment of proximal humerus fracture-anterior dislocation.Methods:A retrospective study was performed to analyze the data of 33 patients with proximal humerus fracture-anterior dislocation who had been treated by open reduction and internal fixation from June 2015 to April 2021 at Department of Upper Limbs, Zhengzhou Orthopaedic Hospital. According to methods of internal fixation, the patients were divided into an extramedullary group and an intramedullary group. In the extramedullary group of 18 cases subjected to internal fixation with PHILOS, there were 8 males and 10 females with an age of (53.3 ± 10.6) years, and 1 2-part fracture, 15 3-part fractures and 2 4-part fractures by the Neer classification. In the intramedullary group of 15 cases subjected to internal fixation with Multiloc intramedullary nail, there were 8 males and 7 females with an age of (51.5 ± 11.2) years, and 14 3-part fractures and 1 4-part fracture by the Neer classification. The 2 groups were compared in terms of incision length, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative complications, and visual analog scale (VAS), range of shoulder motion, and Constant-Murley score at postoperative 12 months.Results:The 2 groups were comparable due to insignificant differences in their preoperative general data ( P>0.05). All patients were followed up for (20.8 ± 4.7) months. The incision length in the intramedullary group [(11.6 ± 1.7) cm] was significantly shorter than that in the extramedullary group [(17.6 ± 2.0) cm], and the intraoperative blood loss in the former [(106.7 ± 34.4) mL] was significantly lower than that in the latter [(151.7 ± 45.7) mL] ( P<0.05). The VAS scores at 1 week and 1 month after surgery [2.0 (2.0, 3.0) and 0.0 (0.0, 1.0) respectively] in the intramedullary group were significantly lower than those in the extramedullary group [3.0 (3.0, 3.3) and 1.0 (0.0, 1.3) respectively] ( P<0.05). The external rotation of the shoulder at the last follow-up in the intramedullary group (65.3° ± 15.5°) was significantly larger than that in the extramedullary group (50.6° ± 13.9°) ( P<0.05). There were no significant differences in operation time, incidence of postoperative complications, VAS score at 12 months after operation, Constant-Murley score or range of shoulder motion at the last follow-up between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:In the treatment of proximal humerus fracture-anterior dislocation, open reduction and internal fixation with both PHILOS and Multiloc intramedullary nail can result in a favorable prognosis when the fracture-dislocation is well reduced and fixated. However, the Multiloc intramedullary nail may lead to better early pain relief, less surgical invasion, and better functional recovery of the external rotation of the shoulder.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of the axillary approach in the treatment of scapular glenoid fracture.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed of the 12 patients who had been treated for scapular glenoid fracture from November 2019 to April 2021 at Department of Upper Limb Orthopaedics, Zhengzhou Orthopaedic Hospital. They were 4 males and 8 females, aged from 30 to 75 years (mean, 53.5 years). According to the Ideberg classification, there were 2 cases of type Ⅰa, 9 cases of type Ⅱ and one case of type Ⅴa. All cases were treated through the axillary approach. Two patients complicated with anterior shoulder dislocation were treated with manual reduction under anesthesia before operation and the other 10 cases with special plate fixation through the axillary approach. The 3 patients complicated with fracture of greater tuberosity were fixated with a special plate through the lateral shoulder split deltoid approach. Constant-Murley score, visual analogue scale (VAS) and Hawkins grading were used at the last follow-up to evaluate shoulder function, pain and stability after operation.Results:All patients were followed up for 9 to 20 months (mean, 14.4 months). The operation time ranged from 55 to 110 min (mean, 76.3 min), intraoperative bleeding from 60 to 160 mL (mean, 103.8 mL), and hospital stay from 8 to 14 d (mean, 11.1 d). All incisions healed primarily and all scapular glenoid fractures got united 6 months after operation. The last follow-up showed no shoulder instability, neurovascular injury or internal fixation failure. At the last follow-up, the range of motion of the shoulder was 159.2°±26.1° in forward bending, 156.7°±29.6° in abduction, 48.3°± 15.3° in external rotation (neutral position), and 73.3°±12.3° in internal rotation (neutral position), and the Constant-Murley score was (94.0±5.3) points. The range of motion of the shoulder and Constant-Murley score were significantly improved compared with those before operation (10.8°±11.6°, 7.5°±11.4°, 5.8°±10.0°, 42.5°±16.0° and 4.9±4.0, respectively) (all P<0.05). The VAS score was 0 in 11 patients and 2 in one patient at the last follow-up. Conclusion:The axillary approach is feasible for the treatment of scapular glenoid fracture, because it is hidden and less invasive, leading to good clinical outcomes.

Objective:To investigate the application value of dual-source CT urography with stellar photon detectors in the diagnosis of gout.Methods:Forty patients who were diagnosed with gout according to American College of Rheumatology Guideline for the Diagnosis of Gout and received treatment between April 2018 and May 2020 were included in the observation group. Forty patients who were concurrently diagnosed with osteoarthritis and received treatment in the same hospital were included in the control group. All patients underwent dual-source CT urography with stellar photon detectors and corresponding biochemical index detection. Blood levels of uric acid, urea nitrogen, creatinine, total cholesterol, and triglyceride were compared between the observation and control groups.Results:Blood levels of uric acid, creatinine, urea nitrogen, total cholesterol, and triglyceride in the observation group were (519.38 ± 97.91) μmol/L, (110.21 ± 18.29) μmol/L, (12.21 ± 3.29) mmol/L, (6.49 ± 1.22) mmol/L, (3.45 ± 1.89) mmol/L, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the control group (310.45 ± 61.40) μmol/L, (86.22 ± 13.12) μmol/L, (6.82 ± 1.75) mmol/L, (4.75 ± 0.56) mmol/L, (1.98 ± 0.85) mmol/L, respectively ( t = 11.43, 6.741, 9.148, 8.198, 4.486, all P < 0.05). Dual-source CT urography with stellar photon detectors revealed that urate crystals (color coded as green) were detected in 3 and 36 patients from the control and observation groups, respectively, with the detection rate of 7.5% (3/40) and 90% (36/40), respectively. There was significant difference in urate crystal detection rate between the observation and control groups ( χ2 = 24.993, P < 0.05). In the control group, no obvious destruction of bone, tendon and ligament were observed, urate deposition, total volume of (1.023 ± 0.83) cm 3, was found in feet and knee joint of a small number of patients. In the observation group, there were 30 patients with uric acid crystals and bone destruction in the metatarsophalangeal joint ( n = 6), distal tibia ( n = 7), distal fibula ( n = 3), proximal talus ( n = 4), proximal calcaneus ( n = 6), and wrist joint ( n = 4). There were 20 patients with ligament or tendon damage, involving deltoid ligament ( n = 2), Achilles tendon ( n = 10), and extensor and flexor tendon ( n = 53). Total volume of uric acid crystals was (32.22 ± 5.83) cm 3. The volume of uric acid crystals deposited in the hand, elbow, feet and knee was (8.00 ± 4.92) cm 3, (5.32 ± 2.75) cm 3, (36.00 ± 15.54) cm 3, and (13.31 ± 9.14) cm 3, respectively. Conclusion:Dual-source CT urography with stellar photon detectors has a high sensitivity in the diagnosis of gout, can accurately locate and quantify uric acid crystals and is of high application value in the diagnosis of gout.