Objective:To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of robot-assisted neck dissection via retroauricular approach for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 22 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who underwent robot-assisted neck dissection via the retroauricular approach at Beijing United Family Hospital from March 2018 to August 2023. Among them, 6 were female and 16 were male, with an age range of 39-75 years. Preoperative staging showed N0 for 9 patients (41%), N1 for 12 patients (55%), and N2 for 1 patient (4%). The relevant clinical pathological and follow-up data were collected, and the effectiveness and safety of this surgical approach were analyzed. Kaplan Meier method was used to analyze the patient survival rate.Results:All patients were completed the robot-assisted neck dissection without conversion to open neck surgery, including the dissections of Ⅱ-Ⅳ regions in 11 patients, Ⅱ-Ⅲ regions in 8 patients, Ⅰ-Ⅳ regions in 2 patients, and Ⅰ-Ⅲ regions in 1 patient. The total number of dissected lymph nodes ranged from 7 to 69 (average 25.5), and the total number of metastatic lymph nodes ranged from 0 to 4 (average 1.4). The average total drainage volume was 145.8 ml. During the operation, one patient had pharyngocervical communication with the neck, which was sutured without postoperative pharyngeal fistula. After the operation, one patient developed a wound hematoma and improved after bedside drainage and hemostasis. The median follow-up time was 30 months. At the end of follow-up, one patient developed parapharyngeal lymph node recurrence, but no recurrence in the conventional neck dissection area. The 3-year neck control rate was 94.7% and the 3-year overall survival rate was 83.3%. The median satisfaction score for appearance was 10 points.Conclusion:Robot-assisted neck dissection via the retroauricular approach for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma can achieve good oncological and functional outcomes, with fewer postoperative complications and higher patient appearance satisfaction.

Objective:To determine the prevalence of GJB2 gene c. 109G>A (p.V37I) variant among infants with congenital hearing loss and analyze the initial audiological characteristics of children harboring the variant, compare the audiometric difference among individuals with various genotypes, and explore genetic and audiological manifestations of the affected families. Methods:One hundred twenty six infants diagnosed with congenital hearing loss at the Neonate Screening Center of Ningbo City from June 2021 to December 2024 were selected as the study subjects. The neonates, in addition with members from 16 of their families, had undergone genetic screening for variants of 208 hotspot sites within 24 deafness-associated genes. For cases identified with monoallelic variants and concurrent hearing loss, the full GJB2 gene was sequenced. Meanwhile, a retrospective analysis was carried out on 23 children whom were confirmed to have hearing loss and the c. 109G>A variant by whole exome sequencing from March 2022 to December 2024. And 102 children who were excluded to have hearing loss and pathogenic variants by whole exome sequencing were selected as normal controls. Audiological features of individuals harboring the c. 109G>A variant were compared. This study has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of The Affiliated Women and Children′s Hospital of Ningbo University (Ethics No.: EC2023-009). Results:For the 126 infants with congenital hearing loss, prospective screening has identified 58 (46.03%) to harbor the c. 109G>A variant. These included 38 homozygotes and 16 compound heterozygotes. Retrospective review of the 23 c. 109G>A positive children has identified 15 as homozygotes and 8 as compound heterozygotes. Genetic testing of the 16 pedigrees has identified 7 homozygotes and 1 compound heterozygote. For the homozygotes combined ( n=53), 96.2% exhibited bilateral symmetric hearing loss, with 78.3% showing high-frequency sloping patterns, and 98.1% having a hearing threshold ranging from 20 to 65 dB. For the compound heterozygotes combined ( n=24), 95.8% showed symmetric loss, with 59.4% having high-frequency sloping, and 97.9% had a hearing threshold ranging from 20 to 65 dB. Both groups showed significantly elevated ABR/PTA thresholds compared with the normal controls ( P=0.000). The compound heterozygous group had higher ABR thresholds (43.3 ± 15.0 dB nHL) compared with the homozygous group (39.1±12.0 dB nHL, P=0.005). Conclusion:Infants harboring the GJB2 c. 109G>A variant primarily manifest as mild-to-moderate, symmetric, high-frequency sloping hearing loss. Nearly one-third of affected children have thresholds between 20 to 35 dB nHL, suggesting that ABR > 35 dB nHL alone may underestimate the hearing impairment in this population. Compared with homozygotes, compound heterozygotes with the the GJB2 c. 109G>A variant can confer a more severe hearing loss.

Objective:To explore the implementation method of the "daily-monthly-quarterly" quality control model based on total quality management (TQM) theory in nursing quality management, and evaluate its application effectiveness.Methods:A quasi-experimental research method was used. The quarterly quality control model employed at Shanxi Medical University Second Hospital from 2018 to 2019 was set as the control group, and the"day-month-quarter" quality control model based on TQM implemented from 2020 to 2022 was set as the observation group. The nurse practice environment assessment scores from 2018 to 2022 were analyzed; the nursing quality-sensitive indicators between the two groups were compared, including the incidence rate of overall adverse event, falls among hospitalized patients, pressure ulcers of stage 2 and above, unplanned extubations, and catheter-related infections (central venous catheter-related bloodstream infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections).Results:The nurse practice environment assessment scores from 2018 to 2022 were (69.11 ± 19.66), (75.20 ± 18.70), (77.60 ± 17.65), (82.45 ± 16.44), and (88.00 ± 15.06). The differences compared to the previous year were statistically significant ( t=3.63-9.24, all P<0.05).After the intervention, the incidence rates of overall adverse events, falls among hospitalized patients, unplanned extubation, central venous catheter-related bloodstream infections, and ventilator-associated pneumonia in the control group were 0.385% (499/129 678), 0.072% (94/129 678), 0.051% (66/129 678), 0.037% (23/62 390), and 0.746% (43/5 761). Compared to 0.258% (551/213 851), 0.048% (103/213 851), 0.033% (71/213 851), 0.019% (19/98 642), and 0.444% (88/19 826) in the observation group. The differences were statistically significant ( χ2values were 3.89-42.83, all P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence rates of pressure ulcers of stage 2 and above and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (both P>0.05). Conclusions:The "daily-monthly-quarterly" quality control model based on TQM is beneficial in improving nursing quality and ensuring patient safety.

Objective To observe the value of artificial intelligence iterative reconstruction(AIIR)for low-dose chest CT images of infants with congenital heart disease.Methods Totally 262 infants with congenital heart disease who would undergo chest CT scanning were prospectively enrolled and randomly divided into low-dose group(n=142)and conventional dose group(n=120).Chest CT scanning with tube voltage of 80 kVp and tube current of 10 mAs was performed in low-dose group,and hybrid iterative reconstruction(HIR,group A)and AIIR(group B)were used to reconstruct images,respectively.In conventional dose group,chest CT scanning with tube voltage of 80 kVp and tube current of 100 mAs was performed,and HIR was used to reconstruct images(group C).Then subjective and objective evaluation on image quality were performed,the results were compared among 3 groups,and the value of AIIR was analyzed.Results Significant differences of image quality and clarity of displaying structures were found among 3 groups(all P＜0.001).Among them,except for the clarity of interlobar fissure,no significant difference of subjective scores was found between low-dose AIIR images and conventional dose HIR images(all corrected P＞0.05),while subjective scores of low-dose HIR images were all lower than those of low-dose AIIR images and conventional dose HIR images(all corrected P＜0.05).Significant differences of standard deviation(SD),signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)were found among 3 groups(all P＜0.001)and between each 2 groups(all corrected P＜0.05).The effective dose of low-dose group and conventional dose group was 0.09(0.08,0.10)and 0.85(0.75,1.03)mSv,respectively,and the former was lower than the latter(Z=-13.942,P＜0.001).Conclusion Using AIIR could obtain low-dose chest CT images of infants with quality comparable to conventional chest CT images.

Objective A Social Care Needs Assessment Tool for Terminal Patients at Home is constructed and tested for its reliability and validity.Methods In view of the Social Ecosystem Theoiy,based on the semi-structured interviews,participatory observation and literature analysis of the social care needs of terminal patients at home,a questionnaire item pool was formed.Through 3 rounds of Delphi expert consultations,the initial version of the tool was formed.From April to December 2023,a convenient sampling method was used to select 504 terminal patients from 22 hospitals in 5 provinces as the research subjects.The reliability and validity of the tool were tested.Result The constructed tool in this study contained 3 dimensions:micro,meso,macro,with a total of 34 items.Cronbach's α of the tool was 0.966 and split-half reliability was 0.877;I-CVI at the item level was 0.875～1.000 and S-CVI/Ave was 0.989;the exploratory factor analysis results showed that the factors load of each dimension were greater than 0.4;the results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the tool had good fitting degree.Conclusion The reliability and validity of the nursing-based social care needs assessment tool for terminal patients at home constructed in this study are good,and it can provide a valid tool for healthcare professionals to assess the home-based social care needs of terminal patients.

Objective This study investigated feasible cases and their significance in promoting the"generalized"development of inspection through digital-intelligent equipment.Methods A qualitative research approach was used,involving interviews conducted between February 2025 and March 2025 with experts in traditional Chinese medicine diagnostics,clinical research methodology,medical engineering integration,and related disciplines,using both online and offline methods.In accordance with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research,feasible cases involving the specific application of digital equipment in various parts of observation were collected through item enrichment.The significance of extending observation capabilities via these cases was analyzed,along with the overall implications of integrating digital technologies with traditional inspection method.Results Interviews were completed with 11 experts from domestic universities and research institutes in the fields of traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis,medical engineering integration,and related disciplines.A total of 78 feasible cases of digital-intelligent inspection were identified,along with 69 insights regarding the significance of enhancing the inspection capabilities.These insights were synthesized into two dimensions and 23 holistic meanings.The first dimension is to expand the scope of inspection,including obtaining internal environmental characteristics,observing external environmental characteristics,expanding thermodynamic characteristic data,and crossing time and space.The second dimension is to improve the quality of observation and diagnosis information collection and analysis,including 19 specific meanings,such as standardized collection environment,objective quantification,and refined observation.Conclusion Digital-intelligent equipment plays a significant role in expanding the scope of inspection content and achieving high-quality acquisition and analysis of extensive inspection information.These advancements extend and enrich the capabilities of traditional inspection method in traditional Chinese medicine.

Objective To analyze the risk factors of ultrasound-guided percutaneous transluminal angioplasty(PTA)for treating thrombotic occlusion of autogenous arteriovenous fistula(AVF).Methods A total of 144 patients with thrombotic occlusion of autologous AVF were retrospectively enrolled and divided into success group(n=114)and failure group(n=30)according to the success of treatment or not.Clinical data and ultrasonic parameters of AVF were compared between groups.A multivariate logistic regression model was constructed to analyze the risk factors of PTA for treating thrombotic occlusion of autologous AVF,and the results were visualized by nomogram.Then receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn,and the area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to evaluate the predictive efficacy of this model.Results Patients'age,use years of AVF,degree of vascular calcification,the mean Young modulus(Emean),the maximum Young modulus(Emax)and the minimum Young modulus(Emin)were all higher,while the number of venous outflow tracts of AVF was less in failure group than those in success group(all P＜0.05).Moderate to severe calcification of vascular,high Emean of thrombus and 1 venous outflow tract of in AVF were all independent risk factors of ultrasound-guided PTA for treating thrombotic occlusion of autologous AVF(all P＜0.05),and AUC of the obtained model for predicting failure of treatment was 0.969.Conclusion Moderate to severe calcification of vascular,high Emean of thrombus and 1 venous outflow tract of AVF were all independent risk factors of ultrasound-guided PTA for treating thrombotic occlusion of autologous AVF.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of GJB2 gene c.109G>A (p.V37I) variant among infants with congenital hearing loss and analyze the initial audiological characteristics of children harboring the variant, compare the audiometric difference among individuals with various genotypes, and explore genetic and audiological manifestations of the affected families. METHODS: One hundred twenty six infants diagnosed with congenital hearing loss at the Neonate Screening Center of Ningbo City from June 2021 to December 2024 were selected as the study subjects. The neonates, in addition with members from 16 of their families, had undergone genetic screening for variants of 208 hotspot sites within 24 deafness-associated genes. For cases identified with monoallelic variants and concurrent hearing loss, the full GJB2 gene was sequenced. Meanwhile, a retrospective analysis was carried out on 23 children whom were confirmed to have hearing loss and the c.109G>A variant by whole exome sequencing from March 2022 to December 2024. And 102 children who were excluded to have hearing loss and pathogenic variants by whole exome sequencing were selected as normal controls. Audiological features of individuals harboring the c.109G>A variant were compared. This study has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of The Affiliated Women and Children's Hospital of Ningbo University (Ethics No.: EC2023-009). RESULTS: For the 126 infants with congenital hearing loss, prospective screening has identified 58 (46.03%) to harbor the c.109G>A variant. These included 38 homozygotes and 16 compound heterozygotes. Retrospective review of the 23 c.109G>A positive children has identified 15 as homozygotes and 8 as compound heterozygotes. Genetic testing of the 16 pedigrees has identified 7 homozygotes and 1 compound heterozygote. For the homozygotes combined (n = 53), 96.2% exhibited bilateral symmetric hearing loss, with 78.3% showing high-frequency sloping patterns, and 98.1% having a hearing threshold ranging from 20 to 65 dB. For the compound heterozygotes combined (n = 24), 95.8% showed symmetric loss, with 59.4% having high-frequency sloping, and 97.9% had a hearing threshold ranging from 20 to 65 dB. Both groups showed significantly elevated ABR/PTA thresholds compared with the normal controls (P = 0.000). The compound heterozygous group had higher ABR thresholds (43.3 ± 15.0 dB nHL) compared with the homozygous group (39.1 ± 12.0 dB nHL, P = 0.005). CONCLUSION Infants harboring the GJB2 c.109G>A variant primarily manifest as mild-to-moderate, symmetric, high-frequency sloping hearing loss. Nearly one-third of affected children have thresholds between 20 to 35 dB nHL, suggesting that ABR > 35 dB nHL alone may underestimate the hearing impairment in this population. Compared with homozygotes, compound heterozygotes with the the GJB2 c.109G>A variant can confer a more severe hearing loss.
Humans ; Connexin 26/genetics* ; Female ; Male ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant ; Hearing Loss/genetics* ; Retrospective Studies ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Genotype ; Connexins/genetics* ; Mutation

Objective A Social Care Needs Assessment Tool for Terminal Patients at Home is constructed and tested for its reliability and validity.Methods In view of the Social Ecosystem Theoiy,based on the semi-structured interviews,participatory observation and literature analysis of the social care needs of terminal patients at home,a questionnaire item pool was formed.Through 3 rounds of Delphi expert consultations,the initial version of the tool was formed.From April to December 2023,a convenient sampling method was used to select 504 terminal patients from 22 hospitals in 5 provinces as the research subjects.The reliability and validity of the tool were tested.Result The constructed tool in this study contained 3 dimensions:micro,meso,macro,with a total of 34 items.Cronbach's α of the tool was 0.966 and split-half reliability was 0.877;I-CVI at the item level was 0.875～1.000 and S-CVI/Ave was 0.989;the exploratory factor analysis results showed that the factors load of each dimension were greater than 0.4;the results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the tool had good fitting degree.Conclusion The reliability and validity of the nursing-based social care needs assessment tool for terminal patients at home constructed in this study are good,and it can provide a valid tool for healthcare professionals to assess the home-based social care needs of terminal patients.

Objective To observe the value of artificial intelligence iterative reconstruction(AIIR)for low-dose chest CT images of infants with congenital heart disease.Methods Totally 262 infants with congenital heart disease who would undergo chest CT scanning were prospectively enrolled and randomly divided into low-dose group(n=142)and conventional dose group(n=120).Chest CT scanning with tube voltage of 80 kVp and tube current of 10 mAs was performed in low-dose group,and hybrid iterative reconstruction(HIR,group A)and AIIR(group B)were used to reconstruct images,respectively.In conventional dose group,chest CT scanning with tube voltage of 80 kVp and tube current of 100 mAs was performed,and HIR was used to reconstruct images(group C).Then subjective and objective evaluation on image quality were performed,the results were compared among 3 groups,and the value of AIIR was analyzed.Results Significant differences of image quality and clarity of displaying structures were found among 3 groups(all P＜0.001).Among them,except for the clarity of interlobar fissure,no significant difference of subjective scores was found between low-dose AIIR images and conventional dose HIR images(all corrected P＞0.05),while subjective scores of low-dose HIR images were all lower than those of low-dose AIIR images and conventional dose HIR images(all corrected P＜0.05).Significant differences of standard deviation(SD),signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)were found among 3 groups(all P＜0.001)and between each 2 groups(all corrected P＜0.05).The effective dose of low-dose group and conventional dose group was 0.09(0.08,0.10)and 0.85(0.75,1.03)mSv,respectively,and the former was lower than the latter(Z=-13.942,P＜0.001).Conclusion Using AIIR could obtain low-dose chest CT images of infants with quality comparable to conventional chest CT images.