Objective To investigate the radon activity concentrations in subways of Nanning City and assess the average annual effective doses for subway staff and passengers due to radon exposure. Methods Sixty-three stations across the subway lines 2, 3, and 5 were selected as study sites. Radon activity concentrations were measured using the scintillation counting method with scintillation vials. Results The radon activity concentrations in subway lines 2, 3, and 5 were 7.9-24.4, 12.0-26.2, and 12.6-18.2 Bq/m³, respectively. The average radon activity concentrations for these three lines were (17.4 ± 4.6), (19.1 ± 4.1), and (14.6 ± 1.7) Bq/m³, respectively. Statistical analysis using SPSS 26.0 software revealed a significant difference in radon activity concentrations among these stations (P<0.01). Considering the data in previous research, the average radon activity concentration across all stations in the subway lines of Nanning City was determined to be 17.4 Bq/m³. The estimated average annual effective dose due to radon exposure was 0.131 mSv for subway staff and 0.033 mSv for passengers. Conclusion The radon activity concentrations in the subway lines of Nanning City were significantly lower than the national standard limit (400 Bq/m³). The annual effective doses from radon exposure for both subway staff and passengers were below the limits specified in the Basic Standards for Protection Against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources (GB18871—2002). The health impact of radon and its progeny on subway staff and passengers in the subway lines of Nanning City was extremely low and can be considered negligible.

Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) with different numbers of ports in the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax. Methods We conducted a comprehensive search of CNKI, PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMbase, Wanfang Data, and the Chinese Medical Journal Full-text Database for clinical controlled trials on VATS with different port numbers for spontaneous pneumothorax, from their inception to March 2023. Two researchers independently screened the literature and assessed its quality.The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the methodological quality of cohort and case-control studies, and the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to evaluate randomized controlled trials (RCT). Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4.1 software. Results A total of 107 studies were included, comprising 35 RCT, 2 cohort studies, and 70 case-control studies. All cohort and case-control studies included in the analysis had NOS scores≥7. The meta-analysis revealed that compared to two-port VATS (2P-VATS) and three-port VATS (3P-VATS), single-port thoracoscopic surgery (SPTS) was associated with less intraoperative blood loss (SMD=–1.58, 95%CI: –1.93 to –1.22, P<0.001; and SMD=–1.59, 95%CI: –2.03 to –1.14, P<0.001, respectively), shorter postoperative hospital stay (SMD=–1.05, 95%CI: –1.29 to –0.82, P<0.001; and SMD=–1.08, 95%CI: –1.39 to –0.77, P<0.001), shorter duration of postoperative chest tube drainage (SMD=–0.75, 95%CI: –1.00 to –0.50, P<0.001; and SMD=–1.23, 95%CI: –1.72 to –0.75, P<0.001), fewer postoperative complications (OR=0.34, 95%CI: 0.26 to 0.45, P<0.001; and OR=0.47, 95%CI: 0.33 to 0.68, P<0.001), and lower pain scores at 24, 48, and 72 hours after surgery (P<0.05). The operative time for SPTS was shorter than that for 2P-VATS (SMD=–0.53, 95%CI: –0.90 to –0.16, P=0.005) but showed no significant difference compared to 3P-VATS (P=0.21). When comparing 2P-VATS with 3P-VATS, 2P-VATS demonstrated less intraoperative blood loss (SMD=–1.02, 95%CI: –1.81 to –0.22, P=0.01), shorter postoperative hospital stay (SMD=–0.59, 95%CI: –1.11 to –0.06, P=0.03), shorter duration of chest tube drainage (SMD=–0.46, 95%CI: –0.85 to –0.08, P=0.02), fewer postoperative complications (OR=0.36, 95%CI: 0.22 to 0.59, P<0.001), and lower pain scores at 24, 48, and 72 hours after surgery (P≤0.05). Conclusion Both SPTS and 2P-VATS are effective and safe surgical options for spontaneous pneumothorax, deserving further promotion and application in clinical practice. However, due to limitations in the quantity and quality of the included studies, more large-sample, high-quality research is needed to validate these findings.

Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in treating esophageal cancer patients of different genders. Methods Computer searches were conducted on PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases to collect randomized controlled trial (RCT) on ICIs treatment for esophageal cancer patients from the establishment of the databases to January 25, 2024. Two researchers independently screened the literature and extracted data according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The outcome indicators were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), and RevMan 5.4 software was used for meta-analysis. The modified Jadad scoring scale was used to evaluate the quality of the included literature. Results A total of 10 RCT involving 5364 esophageal cancer patients were included in this study, with 2684 patients in the trial group and 2680 patients in the control group. The Jadad scores of the included literature were all ≥6 points, indicating high-quality RCT. Meta-analysis results showed that female esophageal cancer patients receiving ICIs treatment [HR=0.72, 95%CI (0.59, 0.87), P<0.001] had a more significant median OS prolongation than male patients [HR=0.73, 95%CI (0.68, 0.78), P<0.001]; while male patients [HR=0.57, 95%CI (0.52, 0.64), P<0.001] had a more significant PFS prolongation than female patients [HR=0.72, 95%CI (0.55, 0.94), P=0.01]. Female patients treated with ICIs alone [HR=0.66, 95%CI (0.50, 0.87), P=0.003] had a more significant median OS prolongation than male patients [HR=0.79, 95%CI (0.72, 0.87), P<0.001]; while male patients receiving ICIs combined with chemotherapy [HR=0.67, 95%CI (0.61, 0.74), P<0.001] had a more significant median OS prolongation than female patients [HR=0.77, 95%CI (0.59, 1.01), P=0.06]. Conclusion Female patients receiving ICIs have a slight advantage in OS compared to male patients, while male patients have an advantage in PFS. Male patients receiving ICIs combined with chemotherapy have better survival benefits than female patients, while female patients using ICIs monotherapy have better survival benefits than male patients.

Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of single-port thoracoscopic surgery (SPTS) in the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax. Methods Computer searches were conducted in PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, CNKI, WanFang, and the Chinese Medical Association databases to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies on the comparison of efficacy and safety of SPTS and three-port thoracoscopic surgery (TPTS) for the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax from their inception to March 2024. The Cochrane RCT bias risk assessment tool and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) were used to assess the quality of RCTs and cohort studies, respectively. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4.1. Results A total of 68 studies were included, comprising 23 RCTs and 45 cohort studies with a total of 5403 patients. The NOS scores of the cohort studies were 7-8 points. Meta-analysis results showed that compared with TPTS, SPTS had less intraoperative blood loss [SMD=−1.58, 95%CI (−1.93, −1.22), P<0.001], shorter postoperative hospital stay [SMD=−1.05, 95%CI (−1.29, −0.82), P<0.001], shorter postoperative drainage tube placement time [SMD=−0.75, 95%CI (−1.00, −0.50), P<0.001], fewer postoperative complications [OR=0.34, 95%CI (0.26, 0.45), P<0.001], fewer postoperative recurrences [OR=0.48, 95%CI (0.32, 0.72), P<0.001], and less pain at 24, 48, and 72 h postoperatively [SMD=−1.71, 95%CI (−2.13, −1.30), P<0.001; SMD=−1.70, 95%CI (−2.35, −1.06), P<0.001; SMD=−1.72, 95%CI (−2.16, −1.29), P<0.001]. Conclusion SPTS is safe and effective in the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax with high clinical value and can be further promoted in clinical practice. Considering the limitations in the number and quality of included studies, researches with larger sample sizes and higher quality are needed to validate the above conclusions.

Objective To analyze the clinical efficacy and safety of Huoxue Xiaoyi decoction combined with exercise in the treatment of ovarian endometriosis.Methods 36 patients with ovarian endometriosis treated in Guang'anmen Hospital,China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences from May 2022 to November 2022 were selected and treated with Huoxue Xiaoyi decoction combined with exercise for 3 months.The size of ovarian ectopic cyst,dysmenorrhea VAS score,PBAC score,female hormones,serum CA125 and CA199,catecholamines and cytokines levels were observed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety.Results After treatment,the maximum diameter of ovarian ectopic cyst,dysmenorrhea VAS score,PBAC score,cytokines(serum IL-1β,IL-2,IL-4,IL-6,IL-8,IL-10)levels were significantly lower than those before treatment(P<0.05).The levels of SHBG and adrenaline were significantly higher than those before treatment(P<0.05).During the treatment,the patient had no adverse drug reactions,vital signs,liver,and kidney function indexes were normal.Conclusion Huoxue Xiaoyi decoction combined with exercise therapy can reduce the size of ovarian ectopic cyst,relieve dysmenorrhea,regulate menstrual volume,increase the level of adrenaline,increase the level of sex hormone binding globulin,reduce the level of cytokines,and has fewer adverse reactions and good safety.

Objective To explore the distribution and characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndromes in patients with adenomyosis.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data collected from patients with adenomyosis between December 2019 and April 2022 based on a cross-sectional survey.Variables included age,body mass index(BMI),disease duration,geographical region,dysmenorrhea,menstrual flow,diagnosis and treatment goals,history of adenomyosis-related surgery,postoperative recurrence,and carbohydrate antigen 125(CA125)and carbohydrate antigen 199(CA199)levels.The distribution pattern of TCM syndromes,including general information of patients with different syndromes,CA125 and CA199 levels,were analyzed.The relationship between syndromes and age,BMI,duration of disease,geographic region,and history of adenomyosis-related surgery were analyzed using the multinomial logistic regression.Results A total of 1,816 patients with adenomyosis were included.The most common TCM syndrome was syndrome of cold coagulation and blood stasis(36.84%).The other four TCM syndromes,ranked by frequency,were syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis(25.39%),syndrome of blood stasis due to qi deficiency(17.35%),syndrome of kidney deficiency and blood stasis(15.97%),and syndrome of intermin-gled phlegm and blood stasis(4.46%).Significant differences in age,disease duration,and BMI were observed among patients with different TCM syndromes(P<0.05).Patients with syndrome of cold congelation and blood stasis,syndrome of kidney deficiency and blood stasis,were younger than those with syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis.Patients with syndrome of cold congelation and blood stasis had a longer disease duration than those with syndrome of blood stasis due to qi deficiency.Patients with syndrome of blood stasis due to qi deficiency had lower BMI(P<0.05)than those with syndrome of intermin-gled phlegm and blood stasis.The most common symptom in North China,East China,Southwest China,Northwest China,and Northeast China was syndrome of cold congelation and blood stasis,accounting for 45.39%,35.98%,30.33%,41.38%,and 50.00%,respectively.The most common syndrome in Southern and Central China was syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis,accounting for 31.34%and 36.23%respectively.Differences in syndrome distribution were observed between patients in East,Southwest,South,and Central China and those in North China(P<0.05).Syndrome distribution also varied significantly across different diagnosis and treatment goals,as well as menstrual conditions(P<0.05).For treatment goals such as pain relief,lesion control,menstrual flow reduction,and recurrence prevention,the dominant syndromes were syndrome of cold congelation and blood stasis(40.67%,37.13%,36.95%,and 43.35%,respectively)and syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis(29.35%,26.39%,26.10%,and 25.75%,respectively).Among patients seeking assisted pregnancy,the primary syndromes were syndrome of cold congelation and blood stasis(41.12%)and syndrome of kidney deficiency and blood stasis(18.69%).Patients with dysmenorrhea were mostly diagnosed with syndrome of cold congelation and blood stasis(39.95%)and syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis(28.52%).Differences in syndrome distribution were observed between patients with small and large menstrual volume,with a higher proportion of syndrome of kidney deficiency and blood stasis in patients with small menstrual volume(P<0.05).However,no significant difference was noted in the distribution of TCM syndromes in different treatment stages.Additionally,no statistical significance was observed in the CA125 and CA199 levels among patients with various TCM syndromes.Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that compared with syndrome of cold congelation and blood stasis,the course of disease was the influencing factor of syndrome of blood stasis due to qi deficiency,BMI was the influencing factor of syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis and syndrome of intermin-gled phlegm and blood stasis,and geography was the influencing factor of syndrome of blood stasis due to qi deficiency,syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis,syndrome of kidney deficiency and blood stasis,and syndrome of intermin-gled phlegm and blood stasis.Conclusion Syndrome of cold coagulation and blood stasis is the most prevalent TCM syndrome among patients with adenomyosis,and the distribution of TCM syndromes has a specific regularity.The syndromes are independently correlated with region,disease duration,and BMI.

Objective To investigate the clinical distribution and risk factors of metabolic syndrome(MS)in children from Lubei district of Tangshan City from 2020 to 2024.Methods A total of 964 children were identified by multi-segment stratified cluster sampling.A questionnaire survey was conducted on all subjects,and the recovery rate of the questionnaire was 98.0%,with 945 samples recovered.The detection rates of MS in different populations were compared,and risk factors of MS in children were analysed by Logistic regression analysis.Results In 945 children,49(5.19%)had MS,and there was no significant difference in detection rate between different genders of children(P>0.05).There were no significant differences in blood pressure[systolic blood pressure(SBP)and diastolic blood pressure(DBP)],blood lipid[triglycerides(TG)and high density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)]between children ages 7 to 10 years old and 11 to 14 years old(P>0.05).The values of total cholesterol(TC),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)and waist circumference(WC)were higher in boys aged 11-14 than those in girls(P＜0.05).The proportion of body weight and obesity,the proportion of physical activity time＜10 h/week,the proportion of family history of hypertension and WC level were higher in the MS group than those in the non-MS group(P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression model showed that weight obesity,physical activity time＜10 h/week,family history of hypertension and high WC value were independent risk factors for MS in children(P＜0.05).Conclusion Obesity,family history of hypertension,time spent in physical activity and higher WC are strongly associated with the development of MS in children,and clinical attention should be paid to them.

Objective:The Fuxing Program was established in Zhuhai as an action plan to micro-eliminate hepatitis C in response to the World Health Organization's goal of eliminating hepatitis C by 2030. Therefore, the effectiveness of this program in terms of hepatitis C screening, treatment, follow-up, and other aspects is evaluated here.Methods:The "Fuxing Project" was established in May 2021 under the supervision of the Zhuhai Medical Quality Control Center for Infectious Diseases. A bridge was formed among the governmental entities, hospitals at all levels, and the community to train hepatitis C prevention and control strategies. Hepatitis C screening, publicity, and educational awareness were conducted in-and out-of-hospital. The responsibility for the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of a patient with hepatitis C was assigned to the staff. The screening and treatment rates of hepatitis C in hospitals before and after the initiation of the project were compared and analyzed using the χ2 test or Fisher's exact test. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and treatment status were investigated and analyzed among the general population, high-risk populations such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, drug addicts, and the population residing in supervised sites within Zhuhai communities, rural areas, schools, or factories. Results:Anti-HCV positivity rate (0.82% vs. 0.43%, P<0.001), HCV RNA detection rate (98.1% vs. 59.5%, P<0.001), HCV RNA detection positivity rate (52.56% vs. 29.76%, P<0.001), HCV RNA positivity rate (0.4% vs. 0.13%, P<0.001), and hepatitis C treatment rate (76.76% vs. 31.97%, P<0.001) were significantly higher among the inpatient population after the Fuxing Program initiation than before. The HCV RNA detection rate (58.52% vs. 6.93%, P<0.001) and HCV RNA detection positivity rate (77.72% vs. 29.41%, P<0.001) in Zhuhai were significantly higher after the Fuxing Program initiation than before. Anti-HCV positivity rate (0.46% vs. 1.28%, P=0.009) and HCV RNA (0.32% vs. 0.99%, P=0.03) were significantly lower in the Zhuhai general population of urban communities than those of the general population in rural areas. The HCV infection rate was more than three times higher in rural populations than in urban populations. Anti-HCV positivity rate, HCV RNA positivity rate, HCV RNA detection positivity rate, and hepatitis C treatment rates were 2.64% (31/1 175), 3.40% (69/2 022) and 94.4% (34/36), 2.64% (31/1 175), 2.72% (55/2 022), 50.00% (18/36), and 100% (31/31), 79.71% (55/69) and 52.94% (18/34), and 100% (31/31), 0 (0/55) and 55.55% (10/18) among the HIV infection, supervised population under supervised sites, and methadone maintenance treatment clinic population, respectively. Anti-HCV positivity rate (4.15% vs. 0.72%, P<0.001) and HCV RNA (3.22% vs. 0.53%, P<0.001) were significantly higher in the high-risk group than those in the general population, while the treatment rate of hepatitis C in the high-risk group (39.42% vs. 82.35%, P<0.01) was significantly lower than that of the general population. Conclusion:The establishment of the hospital grid linkage mechanism and the management model of hepatitis C follow-up by specialists, with the infectious diseases medical quality control center as the supervisory body, have improved the screening rate, the HCV RNA detection rate, and the treatment rate in the hospital, thereby providing a reference for exploring a management model to eliminate the nationwide threat of hepatitis C.

Objective To investigate the articulation acoustic characteristics of children with spastic cerebral palsy and their correlation with articulation intelligibility.Methods A total of 17 children with cerebral palsy and 17 ordinary children aged 6-12 years were included in the study,and the articulation acoustics and articulation intelligi-bility performance of the two types of children were compared by using three kinds of corpus:monophthong,single word and sentence,and the correlation between them was studied.Results The articulation intelligibility of the monophthong,single word and sentence corpus of children with spastic cerebral palsy was lower than that of ordina-ry children(P＜0.01),as follows:monophthong＞single word＞sentence.In the monophthong corpus,only mandibular distance and tongue distance were significantly lower than that of ordinary children(P＜0.05),and only mandibular distance and vowel space area(VSA)were significantly correlated with articulation intelligibility(P＜0.05).In the single word corpus,mandibular distance,tongue distance and VSA were significantly lower than that of ordinary children,while vowel ellipse area(VEA)was significantly higher than that of ordinary children(P＜0.05).All other indexes except VSA and formant centralization ratio(FCR)were significantly correlated with artic-ulation intelligibility(P＜0.05).In the sentence corpus,all the other indexes except mandibular distance were sig-nificantly worse than those of ordinary children(P＜0.05),and all the acoustic indexes were significantly correlated with articulation intelligibility(P＜0.05).Conclusion Children with cerebral palsy have poor articulation acoustic cha-racteristics and articulation intelligibility,and the corpus complexity will affect the degree of correlation between the two.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of mucogingival surgery on aesthetic restoration during the resection of anterio tooth epulis.Methods:A total of 60 patients with gingival tumors in the anterior tooth area were collected,and a control group of17 cases were treated with traditional surgical resection.After tumor resection,the study group of 43 cases underwent simultaneous repair with gingival membrane surgery.Group A underwent coronal reduction flap surgery,group B underwent lateral transposition flap sur-gery,and group C underwent connective tissue graft and coronal reduction flap surgery.Follow up examinations were conducted at 2 month,6 months,and 1 year after surgery to record the distance of gingival recession,the difference between the width of the atta-ched gingiva and the corresponding tooth on the opposite side,the red aesthetic index,patient satisfaction VAS,and postoperative recurrence.Results:The postoperative gingival recession distance in the study group was lower than that in the control group,and the difference between the attached gingival width and the opposite homonymous tooth in the study group was lower than that in the control group.Conclusion:The use of gingival membrane surgery in the anterior tooth area for aesthetic restoration after gingival tumor resection is effective and worthy of promotion.