Objective: This study characterizes the demographic and clinical profiles of patients undergoing unilateral biportal endoscopic spine surgery (UBE ESS) for lumbar decompression/discectomy at a tertiary hospital in Singapore. It examines service implementation across multiple senior surgeons, evaluates preliminary clinical outcomes, and describes the learning curve observed during early adoption among surgeons already experienced in minimally invasive spine surgery, benchmarked against international standards. In the context of increasing global uptake of endoscopic techniques, this work provides evidence to inform institutional adoption and surgeon training. This analysis forms part of a multi-paper series comparing surgeon experience and patient outcomes between conventional minimally invasive approaches and UBE ESS for lumbar decompression/discectomy. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of 111 patients who underwent UBE lumbar decompression/discectomy at a public tertiary hospital between October 2022 and April 2024. Data on patient demographics, comorbidities, presenting symptoms, operative details, and clinical outcomes, including visual analogue scale (VAS) scores and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) health domains, were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. Results: The mean patient age was 56.8 years, with a slight female predominance (54.1%). Statistically significant improvements were observed in VAS scores for both back and leg pain (p<0.05), alongside significant gains in SF-36 domains including physical functioning, bodily pain, vitality, and social functioning. Operative times decreased progressively with increasing case volume, consistent with the presence of a procedural learning curve. Conclusion UBE ESS for lumbar decompression/discectomy is a safe and efficacious technique that can be successfully adopted by spinal surgeons with prior minimally invasive surgical experience. Operative time demonstrates a meaningful reduction once the initial learning curve has been overcome. ESS provides a reproducible option for the treatment of degenerative lumbar spine disease in the tertiary hospital setting in Singapore, with outcomes comparable to established international benchmarks. Future work will include long-term follow-up of this patient cohort and direct comparison with conventional minimally invasive techniques in subsequent studies.

Objective: Spinal stenosis and degenerative spinal disorders are increasingly prevalent and have a substantial impact on quality of life. Surgical decompression, performed using either open microscopic or endoscopic approaches, remains a cornerstone of management for these conditions. This study examines evolving trends in single-level lumbar spinal decompression procedures performed at a tertiary academic hospital in Singapore. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted involving 588 patients who underwent single-level spinal decompression between 2021 and 2024, including endoscopic spine surgery (ESS; n=364) and microdecompression (n=224). Primary outcome measures were changes in 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores at 3 months, 6 months, and 2 years postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay, reoperation rates, and operative time. Patient demographics, spinal level and pathology characteristics, surgical techniques, and postoperative outcomes were analyzed. Difference-in-differences (DID) analysis was used to compare outcomes between the 2 groups. Results: Both groups demonstrated significant postoperative improvements in SF-36 and VAS scores. At 2 years, Short Form Health Survey physical function (SFPF) scores improved in the endoscopic group (mean difference [MD], 18.6; standard deviation [SD], 21.7; p=0.064) and in the open microscopic group (MD, 36.7; SD, 20.9; p=0.007), with a non-significant DID of -18.1 (p=0.155). No DID comparisons across SF-36 domains reached statistical significance. Mean operative time for endoscopic procedures decreased from 249 minutes in 2022 to 145 minutes in 2024, reflecting a procedural learning curve. Surgeons with higher endoscopic caseloads exhibited greater improvements in functional outcomes. Conclusion Both endoscopic and open microscopic decompression achieve comparable short- and long-term clinical outcomes. ESS provides similar effectiveness while being associated with shorter recovery periods and reduced hospital stay. Further research is warranted to identify factors contributing to incomplete symptom resolution or the need for revision surgery.

Objective To investigate the protective effects of Ligilactobacillus salivarius Li01(L.salivarius Li01)against DNA damage induced by Helicobacter pylori(Hp),Benzo(a)pyrene(BaP),and Hp+BaP,and to evaluate the probiotic properties of L.salivarius Li01.Methods After 1 week of adaptive feeding,specific pathogen-free male Mongolian gerbils were randomly assigned to groups and subjected to intragastric administration of Hp,BaP,and Hp+BaP for model induction.At week 32 post model establishment,therapeutic L.salivarius Li01 was administered intragastrically.At week 36,peripheral blood samples were collected from each group for the comet assay,while liver tissues were collected and tested for Cyp1a1 gene expression levels.Results Compared with those in the control group,the comet tail length,％tail DNA,and hepatic Cyp1a1 expression levels were significantly increased in the Hp,BaP,and Hp+BaP groups(P＜0.0001).Among these,the comet tail length,olive tail moment,％tail DNA,and hepatic Cyp1a1 expression levels were significantly higher in the Hp+BaP group than in the Hp and BaP groups(P＜0.05).Following intervention with L.salivarius Li01,the comet tail length,olive tail moment,％tail DNA,and hepatic Cyp1a1 expression levels were significantly reduced in each group(P＜0.001).Conclusions Hp infection,BaP exposure,and the Hp+BaP combination induced DNA damage in the peripheral lymphocytes of Mongolian gerbils,with the Hp+BaP combination showing synergistic damage.L.salivarius Li01 had a protective effect against DNA damage caused by Hp,BaP,and Hp+BaP.

Objective To investigate the protective effects of Ligilactobacillus salivarius Li01(L.salivarius Li01)against DNA damage induced by Helicobacter pylori(Hp),Benzo(a)pyrene(BaP),and Hp+BaP,and to evaluate the probiotic properties of L.salivarius Li01.Methods After 1 week of adaptive feeding,specific pathogen-free male Mongolian gerbils were randomly assigned to groups and subjected to intragastric administration of Hp,BaP,and Hp+BaP for model induction.At week 32 post model establishment,therapeutic L.salivarius Li01 was administered intragastrically.At week 36,peripheral blood samples were collected from each group for the comet assay,while liver tissues were collected and tested for Cyp1a1 gene expression levels.Results Compared with those in the control group,the comet tail length,％tail DNA,and hepatic Cyp1a1 expression levels were significantly increased in the Hp,BaP,and Hp+BaP groups(P＜0.0001).Among these,the comet tail length,olive tail moment,％tail DNA,and hepatic Cyp1a1 expression levels were significantly higher in the Hp+BaP group than in the Hp and BaP groups(P＜0.05).Following intervention with L.salivarius Li01,the comet tail length,olive tail moment,％tail DNA,and hepatic Cyp1a1 expression levels were significantly reduced in each group(P＜0.001).Conclusions Hp infection,BaP exposure,and the Hp+BaP combination induced DNA damage in the peripheral lymphocytes of Mongolian gerbils,with the Hp+BaP combination showing synergistic damage.L.salivarius Li01 had a protective effect against DNA damage caused by Hp,BaP,and Hp+BaP.

Using high-energy proton to image the region of interest can directly obtain the accurate estimation of the proton stopping power of the lesions,which is of great significance to reduce the range uncertainty in proton therapy.As a fundamental function of proton computed tomography(CT),radiographic imaging plays a crucial role in assisting clinical positioning.The study develops a compact proton CT detector based on an active array pixel CMOS chip in Monte-Carlo simulation toolkit Geant4,and evaluates the radiographic imaging capability of the system using 180 MeV protons.The angles of tracks are successfully reconstructed.CTP404,CTP528,and the CTP515 of specific materials are used for simulation,obtaining the spatial and density resolutions,and measuring the proton relative stopping power(RSP).The image signal-to-noise ratio is improved when using 2° proton scattering angle cut-off value.The spatial resolution is 3-4 lp/cm measured using CTP528 module.The density resolution is better than 0.05 g/cm3,and the RSP resolution is within 5%when CTP404 module is used.Through the imaging of CTP515 phantom of specific material,it is demonstrated that the system has potential for imaging common human tissues.

【Objective】 To explore the effects of early application of erythropoietin (EPO) in patients with anemia after renal transplantation. 【Methods】 Patients who underwent renal transplantation in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University were retrospectively analyzed. According to whether EPO was applied after operation, the patients were divided into EPO group and routine group. Patients with delayed renal function recovery were excluded, and the remaining patients were further analyzed. The general, laboratory and follow-up data of the two groups were compared, and adverse drug reactions were observed. 【Results】 The hemoglobin (P=0.026), red blood cell count (P=0.038) and hematocrit (P=0.011) in EPO group were higher than those in the routine group 2 weeks after operation, while the postoperative serum creatinine level was lower (P=0.001). Since the first week after operation, the reticulocyte count in EPO group was significantly higher than that in routine group (P<0.01). There was a negative correlation between hemoglobin and serum creatinine in EPO group at week 1 (r=-0.375, P=0.010) and week 2 (r=-0.386, P=0.008). During the treatment, 6 patients showed transient elevation of serum potassium, which returned to normal after symptomatic treatment, and no obvious adverse drug reactions were observed. 【Conclusion】 Continuous application of erythropoietin in the early stage after renal transplantation can significantly improve anemia in renal transplant patients and promote the recovery of renal function.

Transcription, Genetic

Objective:To estimate in-hospital mortality after knee replacement (KR) and to assess its trend and risk factors in China.Methods:We included patients undergoing KR in the Hospital Quality Monitoring System in China (2013-2019) to estimate in-hospital mortality after KR and assessed relation of patient's and hospital's characteristics (year of surgery, age, gender, marital status, primary indication, Charlson comorbidity index, geographic location, hospital type, hospital volume of KR, and surgery type) to in-hospital mortality using multivariable Poisson regression.Results:The annual amount of KR has increased from 20 307 in 2013 to 35 757 in 2019, and has maintained an upward trend for 7 years. The mean age of patients having KR increased from 64.9 years in 2013 to 66.6 years in 2019. Of the total 218 923 KRs, 63 deaths (0.29‰) occurred within 30 days before discharging. Older age was associated with higher in-hospital mortality ( P for trend <0.001). Male gender had higher incidence of in-hospital mortality compared with female [relative risk (RR), 2.5; 95% CI: 1.5, 4.1]. Single marital status was associated with higher, albeit non-statistically significant, in-hospital mortality than married patients (RR, 2.1; 95% CI: 0.9, 4.6). Higher Charlson comorbidity index was associated with increased risk of in-hospital mortality ( P for trend <0.001). Risk of in-hospital mortality decreased with more hospital-year knee replacement surgeries ( P for trend <0.001). In-hospital mortality varied by geographic regions, with the lowest mortality in East region (0.16‰), followed by South-West (0.31‰), South-Central (0.31‰), North region (0.33‰), North-West (0.54‰) and North-East (0.59‰). Conclusion:In-hospital mortality after KR in China was relatively low. Older age, male gender, higher Charlson comorbidity index and lower hospital-year knee replacement surgeries were risk factors for in-hospital mortality. The mortality varied greatly according to the geographic location of hospital.

OBJECTIVES: We assessed the role of social support in presenteeism by examining organizational commitment among Chinese healthcare workers. METHODS: One thousand four hundred thirty-four healthcare workers from 6 hospitals in 4 Chinese cities completed a questionnaire measuring presenteeism, social support, and organizational commitment. With organizational commitment as the mediator, regression analyses and structural equation modeling were used to test the model. RESULTS: Organizational commitment was directly inversely associated with presenteeism (β = - 0.42, p < 0.001). Coworker support was moderately but significantly inversely associated with presenteeism (β = - 0.15, p < 0.001), but the path from supervisor support to presenteeism was not significant (β = 0.05, p > 0.05). The correlation between supervisor support and coworker support was significant (β = 0.71, p <0.001). Supervisor support and coworker support were significantly positively associated with organizational commitment (β = 0.41, p < 0.001, and β = 0.14, p < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Supervisor support was more important in promoting organizational commitment, while coworker support was more effective in reducing presenteeism. The mediating effect of organizational commitment was significant.

Objective: To investigate the effect of clopidogrel on antiplatelet therapy in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) combining chronic kidney disease (CKD) in order to provide a medication reference in clinical practice. Methods: We retrospectively investigated 423 CAD patients with coronary angiography (CAG) conifrmed diagnosis in our hospital from 2014-01 to 2014-09. According to the value of eGFR, the patients were classiifed into 2 groups:CAD+ CKD- group,n=257 patients with eGFR ≥ 90 ml/(min?1.73 m2), including 182 male and 75 female at the mean age of (60.39 ± 11.09) years, and CAD+CKD+ group,n=166 patients with eGFR < 90 ml/(min?1.73 m2), including 107 male and 59 female at the mean age of (65.80 ± 10.84) years. The patients were treated either by aspirin 0.1 g/d with clopidogrel 75 mg/d for at least 7 days, or by PCI operation with the load of aspirin 0.3g and clopidogrel 300 mg. The thrombelastography was conducted to examine and compare the inhibitory rates of ADP receptor and arachidonic acid (AA) pathway in platelet between 2 groups. Results: The inhibitory rate of platelet ADP receptor in CAD+CKD- group (64.9 ± 27.2) % was higher than that in CAD+CKD+ group (56.6 ± 27.4) %,P=0.039. Based on clinical standard of platelet’s ADP and AA inhibitory rates, in CAD+CKD- group, there were 24/257 (9.4%) of patients only insensitive to clopidogrel, in comparison with 25 (9.7%) of patients only insensitive to aspirin,P=0.99. While in CAD+CKD+ group, there were 21/166 (12.7%) of patients only insensitive to clopidogrel, in comparison with 11 (6.6%) of patients only insensitive to aspirin,P= 0.045. Conclusion: Clopidogrel has decreased effect on anti-platelet therapy in CAD patients combining with CKD, such patients have reduced sensitivity to relevant medication.