Elderly patients with lung cancer have a significantly increased risk of perioperative cardiopulmonary complications due to physiological decline, high incidence of complications and reduced surgical tolerance, which directly affects postoperative recovery and long-term survival. Although the concepts of minimally invasive surgery and enhanced recovery after surgery have improved clinical outcomes, early recognition and intervention of postoperative complications in elderly patients remains a significant challenge in the field of thoracic surgery. By integrating recent literature and clinical practice, this paper systematically analyzes the pathophysiological mechanism and risk factors of perioperative cardiopulmonary complications in elderly patients with lung cancer, and discusses individualized intervention strategies based on risk stratification and multidisciplinary team, in order to provide theoretical basis and practical guidance for optimizing perioperative management and improving postoperative prognosis in elderly patients.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a fatal malignancy with steadily increasing incidence and poor prognosis. Since most CCA cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage, systemic therapies, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy, play a crucial role in the management of unresectable CCA. The recent advances in targeted therapies and immunotherapies brought more options in the clinical management of unresectable CCA. This review depicts the advances of targeted therapies and immunotherapies for unresectable CCA, summarizes crucial clinical trials, and describes the efficacy and safety of different drugs, which may help further develop precision and individualization in the clinical treatment of unresectable CCA.
Humans ; Cholangiocarcinoma/drug therapy* ; Immunotherapy/methods* ; Bile Duct Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Molecular Targeted Therapy/methods*

Objective To analyze the geographical distribution characteristics of TCM syndromes of coronary heart disease in the elderly based on the literature;To summarize the characteristics of TCM syndromes of coronary heart disease patients in different geographical areas;To provide evidence-based data for the standardization of TCM syndromes and syndrome differentiation treatment of coronary heart disease in the elderly.Methods Literature on TCM syndrome of coronary heart disease in the elderly was retrieved from CNKI,Wanfang Data,VIP,CBM and PubMed,from the establishment of each database to December 31,2024.The common TCM syndrome types,syndrome frequency and regional distribution of coronary heart disease in the elderly were statistically analyzed.Results Forty articles were included,with a total number of 6 447 cases and a male-to-female ratio of 1.1∶1.The top 5 highest percentage of co-morbidities of coronary artery disease in the elderly were 1 308 cases of hypertension(24.11%),1 022 cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus(18.84%),787 cases of respiratory disease(14.51%),517 cases of heart failure(9.53%),and 348 cases of hyperlipidemia(6.41%).The top 5 TCM syndromes in elderly patients with coronary heart disease included 779 cases of qi deficiency and blood stasis(12.08%),692 cases of qi-yin deficiency(10.73%),367 cases of phlegm-blood stasis(5.69%),363 cases of heart blood stagnant blockade(5.63%),and 343 cases of qi stagnation and blood stasis(5.32%).The distribution of TCM syndromes in different regions was characterized by qi deficiency,blood stasis and phlegm stasis in the northeast;qi deficiency,blood stasis and qi yin deficiency in the north;qi deficiency,blood stasis and phlegm internal obstruction in the east;qi and yin deficiency and heart blood stasis in the central;qi deficiency,blood stasis and phlegm stasis in the south;phlegm and yin paralysis obstruction,qi and yin deficiency in the southwest;stasis blockage of the cardiac veins,qi yin deficiency in the northwest.The overall trend was that the number of syndromes in the north was higher than that in the south;the number of syndromes in the east,centre and west was decreasing.The distribution of yin deficiency syndrome was highest in the southwest(23.33%)and lowest in the east(10.93%);yang deficiency syndrome was highest in the southwest(13.30%)and lowest in the central(3.32%);qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome was highest in the northeast(32.89%)and lowest in the northwest(7.24%);the distribution of qi-yin deficiency was highest in the southwest(23.33%)and lowest in the east(7.22%);the distribution of phlegm and stasis syndrome was highest in the northeast(25.67%)and lowest in the east(1.69%).The overall generalization was that deficiency,stasis and phlegm were the main syndrome factors.Conclusion The main symptoms of coronary heart disease in the elderly manifest as a mixture of deficiency and excess,qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome is the most syndrome type of coronary heart disease in the elderly and is mainly distributed in the northeast.The distribution of TCM syndromes has regional characteristics.

Objective:To evaluate the impact of the surgical strategy of selective thoracic duct(TD) ligation established through fluorescence thoracoscopy TD imaging technology on the occurrence of chylothorax after lung cancer surgery in the elderly.Methods:A prospective cohort study was conducted.Elderly patients who underwent right lung cancer surgery in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Beijing Hospital from October 2023 to June 2024 were enrolled as the research subjects.The surgical approaches involved pulmonary resection, systematic lymphadenectomy, and selective TD ligation using fluorescence thoracoscopy.Prior to the surgery, 0.4 mg/kg indocyanine green(ICG)was injected subcutaneously into the right inguinal region of all patients.Clinical data, surgical details, pathological information, and intraoperative TD imaging, including the course, collateral vessels, and any injuries, were collected.Postoperative chylothorax and other complications were also recorded.Results:A total of 83 patients were enrolled, of which 38 were males, and 45 were females, with a median age of 68 years raging from 60 to 83 years old, TD imaging was observed in 69 cases(83.1%)within one hour after IGC injection.Intraoperative injuries of collateral branches were visualized in 4 cases(4.8%). Among them, 2 cases had injuries in both the 2R+ 4R and the subcarinal station, while 2 others had injuries of collateral branches only in the 2R+ 4R station.These 4 patients underwent concurrent TD ligation.No TD or collateral injury was found in the remaining patients during the surgery, and the TD was not ligated, none of the patients developed chylothorax postoperatively, and no adverse reactions related to indocyanine green were observed.Conclusions:Fluorescence thoracoscopy-guided TD imaging technique can well visualize TD and its collateral injuries in elderly lung cancer surgeries, assist in the management of leaks or TD ligation, thereby effectively preventing the occurrence of postoperative chylothorax.

Objective:To conduct a multi-center cross-sectional study of elderly patients with cognitive impairment based on real-world data; To analyze the clinical characteristics and core medication law of the disease population.Methods:The medical records of elderly patients diagnosed with cognitive impairment from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2024 were retrieved from Chinese Evidence-based TCM Database. Excel 2010 software was used to collect general information, TCM syndrome elements and syndrome types, use frequency of Chinese materia medica, property, taste, meridian tropism, efficacy classification and other information, using PivotTable to establish Chinese materia medica matrix. IBM SPSS Modeler 18.0 software was used to display the frequency of co-occurrence among high-frequency Chinese materia medica, and the association rules were analyzed based on the Apriori algorithm. R language 4.4.1 was used for clustering analysis on Chinese materia medica and the cluster pedigree and correlation heat map were drawn.Results:A total of 1 194 elderly patients with cognitive impairment were enrolled, with a mean age of (79.51±7.65) years, and the highest frequency of comorbidities was hypertension (891 cases, 74.62%); AD was the most frequent diagnosis of cognitive impairment (367 times, 30.74%). The proportion of mild cognitive impairment in the low value group of Systemic Immune Inflammation Index (SII) was relatively high, and the high value group of SII was mainly vascular dementia and AD. Wind-phlegm blocking syndrome (106 times, 13.73%) topped the list; phlegm was the most frequent element of pathogenicity (353 times, 45.73%), and meridians and collaterals (194 times, 25.13%). Totally 328 prescriptions were included, involving 308 kinds of Chinese materia medica. The total recorded frequency of Chinese materia medica was 5 665, with tonifying herbs constituting the most frequently used category, accounting for 1 633 times; the medicinal property of drugs for treating elderly patients with cognitive disorders was mostly warm (103 times, 33.44%), the taste was mostly bitter (141 times, 45.78%), and attributed to the liver meridian (145 times, 47.08%); among the two and three association rules, the drug pairs with the highest confidence were Gastrodiae Rhizoma→Uncariae Ramulus cum Uncis (97.22%) and Hyperici Perforati Herba→Acanthopanacis Senticosi Radix et Rhizoma seu Caulis+Alpiniae Oxyphyllae Fructus (97.06%); five medicinal combinations were obtained by high frequency drug clustering analysis.Conclusions:Elderly patients with cognitive impairment are mainly diagnosed with AD. There may be a potential correlation between SII level and the progression of cognitive impairment. The drugs are used to tonify the kidney and replenish essence, detoxify and unblock collaterals, replenish qi and activate blood circulation, and awaken the brain and open the orifices. Shengmai Decoction, Renshen Yangrong Decoction and other TCM classic prescriptions can be used in clinic.

Objective To analyze the geographical distribution characteristics of TCM syndromes of coronary heart disease in the elderly based on the literature;To summarize the characteristics of TCM syndromes of coronary heart disease patients in different geographical areas;To provide evidence-based data for the standardization of TCM syndromes and syndrome differentiation treatment of coronary heart disease in the elderly.Methods Literature on TCM syndrome of coronary heart disease in the elderly was retrieved from CNKI,Wanfang Data,VIP,CBM and PubMed,from the establishment of each database to December 31,2024.The common TCM syndrome types,syndrome frequency and regional distribution of coronary heart disease in the elderly were statistically analyzed.Results Forty articles were included,with a total number of 6 447 cases and a male-to-female ratio of 1.1∶1.The top 5 highest percentage of co-morbidities of coronary artery disease in the elderly were 1 308 cases of hypertension(24.11%),1 022 cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus(18.84%),787 cases of respiratory disease(14.51%),517 cases of heart failure(9.53%),and 348 cases of hyperlipidemia(6.41%).The top 5 TCM syndromes in elderly patients with coronary heart disease included 779 cases of qi deficiency and blood stasis(12.08%),692 cases of qi-yin deficiency(10.73%),367 cases of phlegm-blood stasis(5.69%),363 cases of heart blood stagnant blockade(5.63%),and 343 cases of qi stagnation and blood stasis(5.32%).The distribution of TCM syndromes in different regions was characterized by qi deficiency,blood stasis and phlegm stasis in the northeast;qi deficiency,blood stasis and qi yin deficiency in the north;qi deficiency,blood stasis and phlegm internal obstruction in the east;qi and yin deficiency and heart blood stasis in the central;qi deficiency,blood stasis and phlegm stasis in the south;phlegm and yin paralysis obstruction,qi and yin deficiency in the southwest;stasis blockage of the cardiac veins,qi yin deficiency in the northwest.The overall trend was that the number of syndromes in the north was higher than that in the south;the number of syndromes in the east,centre and west was decreasing.The distribution of yin deficiency syndrome was highest in the southwest(23.33%)and lowest in the east(10.93%);yang deficiency syndrome was highest in the southwest(13.30%)and lowest in the central(3.32%);qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome was highest in the northeast(32.89%)and lowest in the northwest(7.24%);the distribution of qi-yin deficiency was highest in the southwest(23.33%)and lowest in the east(7.22%);the distribution of phlegm and stasis syndrome was highest in the northeast(25.67%)and lowest in the east(1.69%).The overall generalization was that deficiency,stasis and phlegm were the main syndrome factors.Conclusion The main symptoms of coronary heart disease in the elderly manifest as a mixture of deficiency and excess,qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome is the most syndrome type of coronary heart disease in the elderly and is mainly distributed in the northeast.The distribution of TCM syndromes has regional characteristics.

Objective:To evaluate the impact of the surgical strategy of selective thoracic duct(TD) ligation established through fluorescence thoracoscopy TD imaging technology on the occurrence of chylothorax after lung cancer surgery in the elderly.Methods:A prospective cohort study was conducted.Elderly patients who underwent right lung cancer surgery in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Beijing Hospital from October 2023 to June 2024 were enrolled as the research subjects.The surgical approaches involved pulmonary resection, systematic lymphadenectomy, and selective TD ligation using fluorescence thoracoscopy.Prior to the surgery, 0.4 mg/kg indocyanine green(ICG)was injected subcutaneously into the right inguinal region of all patients.Clinical data, surgical details, pathological information, and intraoperative TD imaging, including the course, collateral vessels, and any injuries, were collected.Postoperative chylothorax and other complications were also recorded.Results:A total of 83 patients were enrolled, of which 38 were males, and 45 were females, with a median age of 68 years raging from 60 to 83 years old, TD imaging was observed in 69 cases(83.1%)within one hour after IGC injection.Intraoperative injuries of collateral branches were visualized in 4 cases(4.8%). Among them, 2 cases had injuries in both the 2R+ 4R and the subcarinal station, while 2 others had injuries of collateral branches only in the 2R+ 4R station.These 4 patients underwent concurrent TD ligation.No TD or collateral injury was found in the remaining patients during the surgery, and the TD was not ligated, none of the patients developed chylothorax postoperatively, and no adverse reactions related to indocyanine green were observed.Conclusions:Fluorescence thoracoscopy-guided TD imaging technique can well visualize TD and its collateral injuries in elderly lung cancer surgeries, assist in the management of leaks or TD ligation, thereby effectively preventing the occurrence of postoperative chylothorax.

Objective To evaluate the perioperative safety of lung surgery for patients with corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of the patients recovered from COVID-19 infection and received lung surgery from December 2022 to February 2023 in the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Beijing Hospital. Patients who received lung surgery and without COVID-19 at the same time were selected as a control group. Perioperative data between the two groups were compared. Results A total of 103 patients were included with 44 males and 49 females at an average age of (62.2±12.1) years. All surgeries were performed by uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Among patients who recovered from COVID-19, 53 (51.5%) received lobectomy, 30 (29.1%) received segmentectomy, and 20 (19.4%) received wedge resection. The interval between diagnosis of infection and lung surgery was ≤1 month in 32 (31.1%) patients, and >1 month in 71 (68.9%) patients. The results of virus nucleic acid test for all patients before surgery were negative. A total of 13 (12.6%) patients had positive IgM, and 100 (97.1%) patients had positive IgG. A total of 20 patients experienced perioperative complications (13 patients with pulmonary air leakage, 3 patients with chylothorax, 2 patients with atrial fibrillation, and 2 patients with severe pulmonary complications). There was one perioperative death. Comparing the patients who recovered from COVID-19 with those without COVID-19, we found no statistical difference in perioperative outcomes including surgical duration, postoperative drainage, duration of thoracic tube, and duration of postoperative stay (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in perioperative complications between the two groups (P>0.05). Multivariable logistical regression analysis demonstrated that positive IgM before surgery (OR=7.319, 95%CI 1.669 to 32.103, P=0.008), and longer duration of surgery (OR=1.016, 95%CI 1.003 to 1.028, P=0.013) were independent risk factors of perioperative complications for patients who recovered from COVID-19. Conclusion It is safe for patients recover from COVID-19 to receive lung surgery when symptoms disappear and the nucleic acid test turn negative. However, positive COVID-19 IgM is an independent risk factor for perioperative complications. We suggest that lung surgery could be performed when the nucleic acid test and COVID-19 IgM are both negative for patients recover from COVID-19 infection.

Objective The aim of this study was to explore the role and mechanism of ferroptosis in SiO2-induced cardiac injury using a mouse model. Methods Male C57BL/6 mice were intratracheally instilled with SiO2 to create a silicosis model.Ferrostatin-1(Fer-1)and deferoxamine(DFO)were used to suppress ferroptosis.Serum biomarkers,oxidative stress markers,histopathology,iron content,and the expression of ferroptosis-related proteins were assessed. Results SiO2 altered serum cardiac injury biomarkers,oxidative stress,iron accumulation,and ferroptosis markers in myocardial tissue.Fer-1 and DFO reduced lipid peroxidation and iron overload,and alleviated SiO2-induced mitochondrial damage and myocardial injury.SiO2 inhibited Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2)and its downstream antioxidant genes,while Fer-1 more potently reactivated Nrf2 compared to DFO. Conclusion Iron overload-induced ferroptosis contributes to SiO2-induced cardiac injury.Targeting ferroptosis by reducing iron accumulation or inhibiting lipid peroxidation protects against SiO2 cardiotoxicity,potentially via modulation of the Nrf2 pathway.

Ultra-rapid cooling and rewarming rate is a critical technical approach to achieve ice-free cells during the freezing and melting process. A set of ultra-rapid solid surface freeze-thaw visualization system was developed based on a sapphire flim, and experiments on droplet freeze-thaw were carried out under different cryoprotectant components, volumes and laser energies. The results showed that the cooling rate of 1 μL mixed cryoprotectant [1.5 mol/L propylene glycol (PG) + 1.5 mol/L ethylene glycol (EG) + 0.5 mol/L trehalose (TRE)] could be 9.2×10 ³ °C/min. The volume range of 1-8 μL droplets could be vitrified. After comparing the proportions of multiple cryoprotectants, the combination of equal proportion mixed permeability protectant and trehalose had the best vitrification freezing effect and more uniform crystallization characteristics. During the rewarming operation, the heating curve of glassy droplets containing gold nanoparticles was measured for the first time under the action of 400-1 200 W laser power, and the rewarming rate was up to the order of 10 ⁶ °C/min. According to the droplet images of different power rewarming processes, the laser power range for ice-free rewarming with micron-level resolution was clarified to be 1 400-1 600 W. The work of this paper simultaneously realizes the ultra-high-speed temperature ramp-up, transient visual observation and temperature measurement of droplets, providing technical means for judging the ice free droplets during the freeze-thaw process. It is conducive to promoting the development of ultra-rapid freeze-thaw technology for biological cells and tissues.
Freezing ; Vitrification ; Cryopreservation/methods* ; Trehalose ; Gold ; Rewarming ; Metal Nanoparticles ; Cryoprotective Agents ; Lasers