Objective:To explore the interrelationship among three simplified hand and wrist bone age assessment methods and to establish corresponding bone ages for each substage in male children.Methods:This retrospective case series study included 169 left hand and wrist X-rays from 152 male children who underwent bone age assessments at the Pediatric Orthopedics and Pediatrics Departments,Beijing Jishuitan Hospital,Capital Medical University from January 2019 to December 2023. The age at the time of X-ray was (13.7±2.0) years (range:9.1 to 17.9 years). Reasons for bone age assessment included evaluating the progress of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in 36 cases, predicting limb length discrepancies in 28 cases, and predicting the height of healthy adolescents in 88 cases. Bone age was first graded using the Chinese hand-wrist bone age assessment method. Three simplified hand and wrist bone age assessment methods were then applied:Sanders simplified skeletal maturity staging system(Sanders stage), the distal radius and ulna classification (DRU), and e thumb ossification composite index (TOCI). Somers′delta correlation test was used to analyze the relationship among the results of the three simplified methods. The bone age and standard deviation for each sub-stage were calculated, and gender differences in bone age for the same sub-stage were compared with previous study.Results:The DRU, TOCI and Sanders stages showed a strong correlation when assessing bone age in male children, with Somers′delta correlation coefficients ranging from 0.881 to 0.876 (all P<0.01). The sub-stages with the smallest standard deviations (shorter duration) in each of the three classifications can serve as a quick reference for determining precise bone age, included proximal thumb epiphysis covered, without sesamoid (12.0 years);proximal thumb epiphysis covered with sesamoid or distal radial covered (13.0 years), early capping of the thumb epiphysis, radial epiphysis medial side capping(13.5 years), all phalangeal epiphyses capping (14.0 years), distal phalangeal physes beginning to close (14.5 years), all distal phalangeal physes closed (15.0 years), middle or proximal phalangeal physes beginning to close (15.5 years), all digital epiphyses closed (16.5 years), and nearly complete distal radius fusion with a notch (17.5 years). On average, the bone ages of males were 2 years behind those of females in the same substage. Conclusions:The DRU, TOCI, and Sanders stages can be applied to male children, and it is showed good correlation between them. The subtypes with shorter duration can be used as a quick assessment method to determine the bone age.

Objective:To explore the interrelationship among three simplified hand and wrist bone age assessment methods and to establish corresponding bone ages for each substage in male children.Methods:This retrospective case series study included 169 left hand and wrist X-rays from 152 male children who underwent bone age assessments at the Pediatric Orthopedics and Pediatrics Departments,Beijing Jishuitan Hospital,Capital Medical University from January 2019 to December 2023. The age at the time of X-ray was (13.7±2.0) years (range:9.1 to 17.9 years). Reasons for bone age assessment included evaluating the progress of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in 36 cases, predicting limb length discrepancies in 28 cases, and predicting the height of healthy adolescents in 88 cases. Bone age was first graded using the Chinese hand-wrist bone age assessment method. Three simplified hand and wrist bone age assessment methods were then applied:Sanders simplified skeletal maturity staging system(Sanders stage), the distal radius and ulna classification (DRU), and e thumb ossification composite index (TOCI). Somers′delta correlation test was used to analyze the relationship among the results of the three simplified methods. The bone age and standard deviation for each sub-stage were calculated, and gender differences in bone age for the same sub-stage were compared with previous study.Results:The DRU, TOCI and Sanders stages showed a strong correlation when assessing bone age in male children, with Somers′delta correlation coefficients ranging from 0.881 to 0.876 (all P<0.01). The sub-stages with the smallest standard deviations (shorter duration) in each of the three classifications can serve as a quick reference for determining precise bone age, included proximal thumb epiphysis covered, without sesamoid (12.0 years);proximal thumb epiphysis covered with sesamoid or distal radial covered (13.0 years), early capping of the thumb epiphysis, radial epiphysis medial side capping(13.5 years), all phalangeal epiphyses capping (14.0 years), distal phalangeal physes beginning to close (14.5 years), all distal phalangeal physes closed (15.0 years), middle or proximal phalangeal physes beginning to close (15.5 years), all digital epiphyses closed (16.5 years), and nearly complete distal radius fusion with a notch (17.5 years). On average, the bone ages of males were 2 years behind those of females in the same substage. Conclusions:The DRU, TOCI, and Sanders stages can be applied to male children, and it is showed good correlation between them. The subtypes with shorter duration can be used as a quick assessment method to determine the bone age.

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy between arthroscopically assisted reduction versus open reduction in the treatment of paediatric humeral lateral condylar fractures with Kirschner wire fixation.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the data of 28 children with humeral lateral condylar fracture who had undergone surgery at Department of Pediatric Orthopedics, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital from August 2023 to September 2023. There were 24 males and 4 females with an age of (6.5±1.6) years, 24 cases of type Ⅱ and 4 cases of type Ⅲ fractures according to the Jacob classification, and 1 case of type Ⅰ and 27 cases of type Ⅱ fractures according to the Milch classification. The time from injury to surgery averaged (71.6±21.3) hours. The children were divided into 2 groups according to their reduction methods: an arthroscopic group of 16 cases treated by arthroscopically assisted reduction and K-wire fixation and an open reduction group of 12 cases treated by open reduction and K-wire fixation. The operation time, incision length, Kirschner wire removal time, Mayo elbow performance score (MEPS) and the incidence of lateral bony spur on the X ray at the last follow-up were compared between the 2 groups; the flexion-extension and carrying angle of the elbow were compared between the healthy side and the affected side within each group at the last follow-up.Results:There was no significant difference in the preoperative general data between the 2 groups, indicating comparability ( P>0.05). The 28 pediatric patients were followed up for (4.9±0.4) months after surgery. The incision length [(1.3±0.4) cm] and Kirschner wire removal time [(42.8±3.5) d] in the arthroscopic group were significantly shorter than those in the open reduction group [(4.8±0.5) cm and (95.5±16.4) d] ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the operation time between the 2 groups [(70.6±15.5) min versus (61.7±14.5) min] ( P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the flexion-extension or in the carrying angle between the healthy and affected sides within each group at the last follow-up ( P>0.05). There was no significant difference either in the MEPS score or in the incidence of lateral bony spur between the 2 groups at the last follow-up ( P>0.05). Follow-up revealed pin infection in 1 patient in the arthroscopic group, and exposure of Kirschner wire tail in 1 patient in the open reduction group. Conclusions:In the treatment of humeral lateral condylar fractures, arthroscopically assisted reduction and Kirschner wire fixation can allow for debridement of the fracture ends in a minimally invasive way, visual fracture evaluation and reduction. Compared with open reduction, arthroscopically assisted reduction can reduce operative trauma without significantly increasing operation time.

Objective:To analyze the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic radical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA).Methods:Clinical data of 72 patients with HCCA undergoing radical resection at the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from January 2019 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, including 36 males and 36 females, aged 57(47, 63) years old. According to surgical approach, patients were divided into the laparoscopic group ( n=39) and open group ( n=33). The surgical safety, tumor radicality, postoperative recovery, complications and survival time were compared between the two groups. Results:Operative time was comparable between the two groups [(6.4±2.6) h vs. (6.3±2.4) h, P>0.05], while the intraoperative blood loss was lower in the laparoscopic group [(531.9±273.3) ml vs. (674.6±330.0) ml]. Data were also comparable between the two groups in terms of R0 resection rate [92.3% (36/39) vs. 93.9% (31/33)], the number of lymph node dissection (7.7±2.6 vs. 7.6±2.4), and the incidence of postoperative complications [20.5% (8/39) vs. 18.2% (6/33)] (all P>0.05). However, the laparoscopic group was superior to the open group in terms of postoperative analgesia time [(2.0±0.7)d vs. (2.8±0.9)d], postoperative resumption of feeding time [(1.6±0.5)d vs. (3.9±0.9)d], and postoperative hospitalization time [(8.6±1.5)d vs. (12.8±2.2)d] ( t=4.04, 8.23, 9.47, respectively, all P<0.001). Postoperative cumulative survival was comparable between the two groups ( χ2=0.50, P=0.480). Conclusion:Laparoscopic radical resection of HCCA has similar efficacy to open surgery and has the advantage of less invasiveness and enhanced recovery.

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-based comprehensive minimally invasive treatment for biliary anastomotic stenosis (BAS) after liver transplantation. Methods Clinical data of 60 BAS recipients after liver transplantation were retrospectively analyzed, 54 male and 6 female, aged (48±10) years. ERCP was initially carried out. If it succeeded, plastic or metallic stents were placed into the biliary tract. If it failed, percutaneous transhepatic cholangial drainage (PTCD) or single-operator cholangioscopy (SpyGlass) was adopted to pass through the stenosis. If all these procedures failed, magnetic anastomosis or other special methods were delivered. The incidence and treatment of BAS after liver transplantation were summarized. The efficacy, stent removal and recurrence were observed. Results The median time of incidence of BAS after liver transplantation was 8 (4, 13) months. Within postoperative 1 year, 1-2 years and over 2 years, 39, 16 and 5 recipients were diagnosed with BAS, respectively. All 60 BAS recipients after liver transplantation were successfully treated, including 56 cases initially receiving ERCP, and 41 completing BAS treatment, with a success rate of 73%. The failure of guide wire was the main cause of ERCP failure. The success rates of PTCD, SpyGlass and magnetic anastomosis were 5/9, 5/7 and 7/8, respectively. Two recipients were successfully treated by percutaneous choledochoscope-assisted blunt guide wire technique and stent placement in the biliary and duodenal fistula. After 3 (3, 4) cycles of ERCP and 13 (8, 18) months of stent indwelling, 38 recipients reached the stent removal criteria, including 25 plastic stents and 13 metallic stents. The indwelling time of plastic stents was longer than that of metallic stents (P < 0.05). Six cases suffered from stenosis recurrence at 12 (8, 33) months after stent removal, and the recurrence rate was 16%. Six patients were treated with ERCP, and 5 of them did not recur after the stents were successfully removed. Multivariate analysis showed that delayed diagnosis of stenosis and frequent ERCP before stent removal were the independent risk factors for BAS recurrence (both P < 0.05). Conclusions ERCP-based comprehensive minimally invasive treatment may improve the success rate of BAS treatment after liver transplantation and yield satisfactory long-term efficacy. Delayed diagnosis of BAS and high frequent ERCP required for stent removal are the independent risk factors for BAS recurrence.

Objective:To explore the effectiveness of medial malleolus screw epiphyseodesis for pediatric ankle valgus correction and calculate the correction rate, and analyse the influence factors on deformity correction and the risk factors of deformity recurrence after screw removal.Methods:Medical records and radiographs of patients undergoing screw hemiepiphyseodesis of the medial physis of the distal tibia for ankle valgus between Jan 2011 and Dec 2020, at a single pediatric orthopedic department were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 41 patients (49 ankles) were included in following study, including 28 male patients and 13 female patients; with 24 left sides and 25 right sides. Median age at surgery was 10.75 (4.5, 13.9) years, and median follow-up time was 27 (12, 64) months. According to the clinical diagnosis: hereditary multiple exostoses were 23 ankles, fibula hemimelia were 5 ankles, tibia hemimelia were 2 ankles, endochondromatosis were 5 ankles, neurofibromatosis were 5 ankles, traumatic fracture were 6 ankles, and fibrous dysplasia were 3 ankles. The lateral distal tibial angle (LDTA) was measured on ankle weight-bearing X-ray to evaluate the deformity correction. Malhotra classification was used to describe shortening of the fibula at the ankle.Results:Eventually effective correction were obtained in 36 ankles, with an overall effective rate of 73.5%. Screw type (partial-thread or full-thread), screw length (whether to the contralateral cortex), washer used, clinical diagnosis, and age are not independent risk factors for effective correction. Multiple linear regression analysis ( R 2=0.67) was applied for postoperative correction amplitude in effective correction cases, and the length of correction time ( P<0.001), clinical diagnosis ( P=0.013) and preoperative LDTA ( P=0.002) were significant predictive factors after adjusting for age differences. One-way ANOVA were used to compare data between different clinical diagnosis, showed a significant difference in the mean postoperative correction rate ( F=5.05, P=0.003). Conclusion:Medial malleolus screw epiphyseodesis is an effective and reliable method for the treatment of ankle valgus deformity in children; different clinical diagnosis can produce significant differences in the correction rate of ankle valgus deformity.

Objective:To explore the characteristics of biliary stricture after liver transplantation (LT) under SpyGlass peroral choledochoscopy and to investigate its treatment value for difficult stricture.Method:A total of 24 patients of biliary stricture after LT at the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University underwent SpyGlass examination from January 2019 to December 2020, 15.5 months (2-58 months) after surgery. The characteristics of different types of strictures and the selective guidewire placement results by SpyGlass were recorded and analyzed.Results:Of the 24 patients, 9 were anastomostic strictures (AS) and 15 others were non-anastomostic strictures (NAS). The main characteristic of 5 initial AS patients was scar constriction. Whether treated or not, all of the 15 NAS patients showed evident inflammatory hyperplasia in hilar bile duct under SpyGlass, 80% (12/15) of which were accompanied with intrahepatic biliary stones. The strictures disappeared with mild hyperplasia in 8 patients (4 AS and 4 NAS) whose biliary stents were extracted. Eleven patients (5 AS and 6 NAS) needed guidwire placement under SpyGlass, six (54.5%) of whom succeeded. The successful rate in AS patients was higher than that of NAS (4/5 VS 2/6).Conclusion:The main characteristic of AS is scar constriction and that of NAS is inflammatory hyperplasia. Selective guidewire placement can be achieved by SpyGlass peroral choledochoscopy with a satisfactory successful rate in the difficult AS.

Objective:To investigate the diagnosis and treatment of hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) after adult orthotopic liver transplantation.Methods:The retrospective and descriptive study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 411 patients who underwent adult orthotopic liver transplantation in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi ′an Jiaotong University from December 2011 to July 2018 were collected. There were 328 males and 83 females, aged from 21 to 66 years, with a median age of 46 years. Observation indicators: (1) incidence of HAT and its clinical characteristics; (2) diagnosis of HAT; (3) treatment of HAT; (4) follow-up. Follow-up using outpatient service, telephone interview or WeChat group communication was conducted to detect the incidence of biliary stricture and survival of patients up to August 2018. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range). Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages. Survival rate was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results:(1) Incidence of HAT and its clinical characteristics: 11 of 411 patients had HAT after orthotopic liver transplantation with the incidence of 2.68%(11/411), including 10 males and 1 female, aged 44 years(range, 22-63 years). The time to occurrence of postoperative HAT was 4 days(range, 1-15 days). The etiologies of 11 patients included 6 cases of hepatitis B virus-related cirrhosis, 1 case of hapatitis related cirrhosis, 1 case of hepato-cellular carcinoma, 1 case of liver cirrhosis, 1 case of alcoholic hepatitis related cirrhosis, 1 case of wilson disease. All the 11 patients were ABO compatible. The cold ischemic time and warm ischemic time of donor liver were (316±89)minutes and (13±4)minutes, respectively. Type Ⅰ arterial anasto-mosis was conducted in 11 patients. The clinical manifestations included asymptomatic type in 10 patients and sepsis type in 1 patient. (2) Diagnosis of HAT: all the 11 patients were confirmed with HAT by endovascular angiography, including 7 cases showed no arterial flow under Color Doppler ultrasound, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound indicated HAT. Two patients showed increased hepatic artery resistance index under Color Doppler ultrasound, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound indicated 1 case of HAT and 1 case of anastomotic stenosis. One patient showed slow velocity of hepatic artery blood flow and low resistance index under color Doppler ultrasound, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound indicated HAT. One patient showed slight blood flow signals under Color Doppler ultrasound, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound indicated HAT. (3) Treatment of HAT: 11 patients received endovascular therapy. Six patients had HAT completely disappeared after thrombolytic therapy, 5 patients with residual thrombosis continued thrombolytic therapy with microcatheter urokinase. Six patients with complications were improved after symptomatic treatment. HAT completely disappeared after (6.7±2.6)days of treatment and the clinical success rate was 11/11. (4) Follow-up: 11 patients were followed up for 19-1 722 days, with a median follow-up time of 46 days. During the follow-up, 4 patients had biliary stricture and underwent stent implantation. Nine patients survived with 1-, 3-, 5-year overall survival rates of 75%, 75%, 75%, and 2 patients died.Conclusions:The incidence of HAT after adult orthotopic liver transplantation is low and clinical manifestations are atypical. Contrast enhanced ultrasound can improve diagnosis of suspected thrombosis. Endovascular therapy is safe and effective, which can significantly improve the blood flow of hepatic artery.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors for abdominal infection after liver transplantation (LT).Methods:The retrospective case-control study was conducted. The clinical data of 356 patients who underwent LT in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University from January 2015 to December 2018 were collected. There were 273 males and 83 females, aged from 21 to 67 years, with the median age of 46 years. Observation indications: (1) abdominal infec-tion after LT and distribution of pathogens; (2) analysis of risk factors for abdominal infection after LT; (3) follow-up and survival. Follow-up was performed using outpatient examination and tele-phone interview to detect postoperative 1-year survival rate and cases of death up to June 2020. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean±SD. Measurement data with skewed distribution were described as M(range). Count data were expressed as absolute numbers or percentages. Univariate analysis was conducted using the chi-square test, t test, Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher exact probability. Multivariate analysis was done using the Logistic regression model. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate sruvival time and survival rates. Log-Rank test was used for survival analysis. Results:(1) Abdominal infection after LT and distribution of pathogens: 63 of 356 recipients had abdominal infection after LT, with the overall incidence of 17.70%(63/356). Of the 63 recipients, 41 cases had abdominal infection within postoperative 2 weeks, 17 cases had multi-drug resistant organism infection. A total of 116 strains of bacteria were isolated from 63 recipients with abdominal infection, 52 of which were gram-negative bacteria, 48 were gram-positive bacteria, 16 were fungi. (2) Analysis of risk factors for abdominal infection after LT: results of univariate analysis showed that preoperative model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, preoperative serum albumin, preoperative leukocytes, preoperative prothrombin time, preoperative alanine aminotransferase, preoperative aspartate aminotransferase, operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss, days of postoperative antibiotic use, postoperative renal failure, postoperative delayed graft function,duration of postoperative intensive care unit stay were related factors for abdominal infection after LT ( Z=-2.456, t=-1.982, Z=-3.193, -2.802, -2.336, -2.276, -2.116, -3.217, χ2=15.807, 10.395, 6.750, Z=-4.468, P<0.05). Liver retransplantaiton and postoperative bile leakage were related factors for abdominal infection after LT ( P<0.05). Results of multivariate analysis showed that preoperative MELD score>20 and liver retransplantation were independent risk factors for abdominal infection after LT ( odds ratio=2.871, 12.875, 95% confidence interval as 1.106-7.448, 1.290-128.521, P<0.05). (3) Follow-up and survival: 356 recipients were followed up for 1-66 months, with a median follow-up time of 32 months. The postoperative 1-year overall survival rate of 63 recipients with abdominal infection and 293 recipients without abdominal infection were 84.60% and 97.03%, respectively, showing a significant difference ( χ2=11.660, P<0.05). During the follow-up, 58 recipients died. Conclusion:Preoperative MELD score>20 and liver retransplantation are independent risk factors for abdominal infection after LT.

Objective:To investigate the effect of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) on the maturation and differentiation of dendritic cells (DCs) and the mechanism involved in the regulation of inflammation in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP).Methods:The full-term fetal umbilical cords(about 4-5 cm) were collected from Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University after cesarean section. hUC-MSCs were isolated and cultured in primary culture. Flow cytometry was used for phenotype identification, adipogenic and osteogenic staining. 20 ml peripheral blood samples from 5 SAP patients were collected, and monocytes were isolated using lymphocyte separation solution and then induced by adding granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), IL-4 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and cultured as DCs. According to different culture methods, DCs were divided into DCs group, hUC-MSCs+ DCs group and hUC-MSCs+ DCs+ NS398 group (NS398 was a specific inhibitor of COX-2, a downstream regulatory gene of NF-κB). The phenotype of DCs was detected by flow cytometry, and the levels of IL-1β, IL-lα, IL-2, IL-6 and IL-10 in the supernatant of cell culture for 24 hours were determined. The expression of toll like receptor (TLR)-4, IKKα and NF-κB-p65 were detected by Western blot.Results:The hUC-MSCs were successfully cultured, and their surface markers CD 90, CD 105 and CD 73 were positively expressed, and they could differentiate into adipocytes and bone cells. With the prolongation of culture time, DCs differentiated from immature to mature cells. Compared with the DCs group, the proportion of regulatory DCs (regDCs) was increased in the hUC-MSCs+ DCs group, and the marker CD 11b was significantly up regulated [(14.26±1.25)% vs (4. 87±0.58)%], CD 1a and CD 11c were significantly down regulated [(2.81±0.34)% vs (13.62±1.52)%, (3.88±0.5)% vs (11. 8±1.22)%]. All the difference were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The expression of IL-1β, INF-γ and IL-6 in culture supernatant were down regulated, but the difference was not statistically significant; The pro-inflammatory factor IL-1α was significantly decreased [(14.91±2.58)ng/L vs (30.19±7.75)ng/L], and the anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 was significantly increased [ (17.03±4.69)ng/L vs (1.83±0.14)ng/L]. The expression levels of NF-κB-p65 and TLR4 were significantly down regulated (0.74±0.02 vs 0.97±0.01, 0.89±0.01 vs 1.72±0.01), and the expression of IKKα protein was significantly up regulated (1.12±0.01 vs 0.21±0.01) in hUC-MSCs-DCs group. All the differences were statistically significant (all P value<0.05). Compared with DCs group and hUC-MSCs+ DCs group, the expression levels of NF-κB-p65 and TLR4 were significantly down regulated (0.34±0.01 vs 0.97±0.01, 0.74±0.02 and 0.14±0.01 vs 1.72±0.01, 0.89±0.01), while the expression of IKKα protein was significantly up regulated (1.68±0.01 vs 0.21±0.01, 1.12±0.01) in hUC-MSCs+ DCS+ NS398 group. All the differences were statistically significant (all P value<0.05). Conclusions:In SAP patients, hUC-MSCs can inhibit the maturation and differentiation of DCs, and induce CD 11bhigh CD 1alow CD 11clowrregDCs to participate in immune regulation, which may play an anti-inflammatory role by inhibiting the inflammatory cascade through TLR4/IKKα/NF-κB/COX-2 pathway.