Objective To compare the long-term survival of elderly patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with surgical versus non-surgical treatment. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of elderly patients aged ≥70 years with ESCC who underwent esophagectomy or radiotherapy/chemotherapy at Sichuan Cancer Hospital from January 2009 to September 2017. Patients were divided into a surgical group (S group) and a non-surgical group (NS group) according to the treatment method. The propensity score matching method was used to match the two groups of patients at a ratio of 1∶1, and the survival of the two groups before and after matching was analyzed. Results A total of 726 elderly patients with ESCC were included, including 552 males and 174 females, with 651 patients aged ≥70-80 years and 75 patients aged ≥80-90 years. There were 515 patients in the S group and 211 patients in the NS group. The median follow-up time was 60.8 months, and the median overall survival of the S group was 41.9 months [95%CI (35.2, 48.5)], while that of the NS group was only 24.0 months [95%CI (19.8, 28.3)]. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates of the S group were 84%, 54%, and 40%, respectively, while those of the NS group were 72%, 40%, and 30%, respectively [HR=0.689, 95%CI (0.559, 0.849), P<0.001]. After matching, 138 patients were included in each group, and there was no statistical difference in the overall survival between the two groups [HR=0.871, 95%CI (0.649, 1.167), P=0.352]. Conclusion Compared with conservative treatment, there is no significant difference in the long-term survival of elderly patients aged ≥70 years who undergo esophagectomy for ESCC. Neoadjuvant therapy combined with surgery is still an important choice to potentially improve the survival of elderly patients with ESCC.

Objective To develop and evaluate the equivalence of the Mandarin test material for tracking of noise tolerance(TNT)test.Methods Six different speech materials were developed(themes including daily life,entertainment,family,festivals,outdoors,and school).Four-minute TNT tests were measured in 21 normal hear-ing subjects using six different test materials.For each session,the tolerable noise level(TNL)and TNT scores were acquired and calculated for 3 time windows(31～240 s,31～120 s,151～240 s).Results Statistic analysis showed significant differences in the TNL(F=43.611,P＜0.05)among the normal hearing listeners.There were statistically significant differences in standardize z-scored TNT scores of the six different materials in the three time windows(P＜0.05).Post-hoc comparisons revealed that all significant differences involved the family and daily life themes.Conclusion Entertainment,festival,outdoors and school themed test materials can serve as the materials of Mandarin tracking of noise tolerance test and can be appied in research and clinical testing.

Objective To evaluate the Mandarin tracking of noise tolerance(TNT)test material and compare the differences between the average tolerable noise level(aTNL)value obtained from assessment and the program-estimated tolerable noise level(eTNL).Methods A total of 25 subjects with normal hearing and aural communica-tional ability were selected to undergo two of the mandarin TNT tests successively(respectively test 1,C1;test 2,C2),and 13 of them completed the third test(C3)under the same test condition as test 2 at least 1 week later.The stimulus for the three test conditions was presented with"speech 0°,continuous noise 180°".Results The aTNL of 25 participants for C1 and C2 was 83.42±3.09 dB SPL and 83.50±3.18 dB SPL,respectively.The eTNL of 25 participants for C1 and C2 were 84.08±3.53 dB SPL and 83.95±3.85 dB SPL,respectively.The aTNL and eT-NL for 13 subjects who participated in C3 was 83.16±2.13 dB SPL and 83.18±2.64 dB SPL,respectively.The intra-session(C1 vs C2)and inter-session(C2 vs C3)test-retest reliability were 2.36 dB and 2.75 dB,respectively.Pearson correlation analysis showed that intra-session(r=0.837,P＜0.001)and inter-session(r=0.867,P＜0.001)test-retest reliability was good.There was no statistical difference between aTNL and eTNL in the other TNT tests(P＞0.05 for both)except that aTNL and eTNL were statistically different in C1(P＜0.01),and more than 90％of the subjects could obtain eTNL within 1 minute.Conclusion The test-retest reliability of Mandarin tracking of noise tolerance test is good,with advantages of high reliability and efficiency.

Objective To study the characteristics of spontaneous speech pauses in individuals with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease(AD).Methods A total of 20 patients with AD,exhibiting a Minimum Mental State Examination(MMSE)score ranging from 10 to 20 and a disease duration of 6 months to 5 years,were selected for the AD group.Twenty five cognitively normal and mentally healthy participants were chosen as the control group.Spontaneous speech was elicited from each participant,and 1-minute continuous audio recordings were used to tally pause counts categorized by duration into short pauses(0.25 s≤t＜0.50 s),medium pauses(0.50 s≤t＜0.90 s),long pauses(0.90 s≤t＜2.00 s),and silences(＞2.00 s).Mean values of each pause type were computed for in-ter-group and intra-group comparisons.Correlation and regression analyses between MMSE scores and pause counts were conducted within the AD group.Results Significant statistical differences were observed between the AD and control groups concerning the counts of short pauses,long pauses,and silences(P＜0.05).Within the AD group,significant differences were found in the counts of short pauses versus medium pauses and short pauses versus long pauses(P＜0.05).In the AD group,the count of medium pauses positively predicted MMSE scores(β=0.515,P＜0.05),whereas the count of silences negatively predicted MMSE scores(β=-0.626,P＜0.01).Conclusion Individuals with AD exhibit a higher frequency of longer duration pauses in spontaneous speech and a lower frequen-cy of shorter duration pauses.Higher cognitive functioning in AD patients is associated with increased occurrences of shorter pauses,whereas lower cognitive functioning is linked to more extended pauses.

Objective:To investigate the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with esophageal cancer (EC).Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 8 458 EC patients who were admitted to Sichuan Cancer Hospital from January 2017 to December 2021 were collected. There were 6 923 males and 1 535 females, aged (64±9)years. There were 3 187 patients undergoing surgical treatment, and 5 271 cases undergoing non-surgical treatment. Observation indicators: (1) incidence of VTE in EC patients; (2) treatment and outcomes of patients with VTE. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range), and comparison between groups was analyzed using the nonparameter rank sum test. Count data were expressed as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Comparison of ordinal data was analyzed using the nonparameter rank sum test. Results:(1) Incidence of VTE in EC patients. Of 8 458 EC patients, 175 cases developed VTE, with an incidence rate of 2.069%(175/8 458). Among 175 VTE patients, there were 164 cases of deep venous thrombosis (DVT), 4 cases of pulmonary embolism (PE), 7 cases of DVT and PE. There were 59 surgical patients and 116 non-surgical patients. There was no significant difference in thrombus type between surgical and non-surgical EC patients with VTE ( χ2=1.95, P>0.05). Of 3 187 surgical patients, the incidence of VTE was 1.851%(59/3 187), including an incidence of 0.157%(5/3 187) of PE. PE accounted for 8.475%(5/59) of surgical patients with VTE. Of 5 271 non-surgical patients, the incidence of VTE was 2.201%(116/5 271), including an incidence of 0.114%(6/5 271) of PE. PE accounted for 5.172%(6/116) of non-surgical patients with VTE. There was no significant difference in the incidence of VTE or PE between surgical patients and non-surgical patients ( χ2=1.20, 0.05, P>0.05). (2) Treatment and outcomes of patients with VTE. Among 175 EC patients with VTE, 163 cases underwent drug treatment, and 12 cases did not receive treatment. Among 163 cases with drug therapy, 158 cases underwent anticoagulant therapy, 5 cases were treated with thrombolysis. All the 163 patients were improved and discharged from hospital. Conclusions:The incidence of VTE in patients with EC is relatively low, as 2.069%. There is no significant difference in the incidence of VTE or thrombus type between surgical EC patients and non-surgical EC patients.

Two male patients (75 years and 51 years, respectively) suffered infection of novel coronavirus after minimally invasive surgery for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Sichuan Cancer Hospital since December 2022. Both patients developed severe hypoxemia after surgery, and were treated with advanced oxygen therapy, antiviral therapy, hormone shock therapy, antibiotic anti-infection and nutritional support. The two patients stayed in the intensive care unit for 6 days and 8 days respectively. They were transferred to the general ward for symptomatic treatment and were discharged successfully. Both patients required low-flow oxygen maintenance after discharge. On the 20th day of follow-up after discharge, patient 1 still needed low-flow oxygen, his oxygen saturation could be maintained above 97%, but intermittent deoxygenation could be performed for half an hour. Patient 2 was in good condition on 35 days after discharge.

Objective:To investigate the surgical treatment and prognosis of thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 2 766 patients with thoracic ESCC who were admitted to Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute from January 2010 to December 2017 were collected. There were 2 256 males and 510 females, aged (62±8)years. All patients underwent surgical treatment. Observation indicators: (1) treatment; (2) postoperative complications; (3) postoperative survival. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3). Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw survival curve and calculate survival rate, and the Log-Rank test was used for survival analysis. Result:(1) Treatment. Fifty-two of the 2 766 patients underwent neoadjuvant therapy. There were 1 444 patients undergoing open surgery, including 44 cases conversion to thoracotomy, and there were 1 322 patients undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy. There were 1 991, 729 and 46 cases with McKeown, Ivor-Lewis and Sweet esophagectomy, respectively. One thousand two hundred and seventy-one of the 2 766 patients underwent postoperative adjuvant therapy. The number of lymph node metastases, the number of lymph node dissected, rate of R 0 resection, operation time of 2 766 patients were 2.1(0,3.0), 22±12, 94.722%(2 620/2 766), (237±66)minutes. (2) Postoperative complications. The overall incidence of postoperative complications was 25.850%(715/2 766). The top two postoperative complications were pneumonia and anastomotic fistula, with incidence rates of 8.604%(238/2766) and 7.484%(207/2766), respectively. One patient may have more than two kinds of postoperative complications. (3) Postoperative survival. The 1-, 3-and 5-year overall survival rates of 2 766 patients were 86.2%, 57.5% and 46.8%, respectively. Further analysis indicated that the 5-year overall survival rates of 510 female patients and 2 256 male patients were 62.0% and 43.3%, respectively, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=48.94, P<0.05). The 5-year overall survival rates of 693 cases with upper thoracic ESCC, 1 479 cases with middle thoracic ESCC and 594 cases with lower thoracic ESCC were 49.5%, 46.7% and 44.1%, respectively, showing no significant difference among them ( χ2=3.21, P>0.05). The 5-year overall survival rates of 68 cases with stage 0 thoracic ESCC, 259 cases with stage Ⅰ esophageal ESCC, 885 cases with stage Ⅱ thoracic ESCC, 1 222 cases with stage Ⅲ thoracic ESCC, and 332 cases with stage Ⅳ thoracic ESCC were 95.6%, 76.4%, 61.4%, 35.6%, and 14.5%, respectively, showing a significant difference among them ( χ2=500.40, P<0.05). The 5-year overall survival rates of 1 444 patients undergoing open esophagectomy and 1 322 patients undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy were 42.5% and 51.8%, respectively, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=31.29, P<0.05). The 5-year overall survival rates of 1 991 cases undergoing McKeown esophagectomy, 729 cases undergoing Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy, and 46 cases undergoing Sweet esophagectomy were 49.5%, 41.2%, and 32.3%, respectively, showing a significant difference among them ( χ2=19.19, P<0.05). Conclusions:Compared with open esophagectomy, minimally invasive esophagectomy brings survival benefits to patients with thoracic esophageal ESCC. Among different esophagectomy methods, the McKeown esophagectomy has also brought survival benefits to patients with esophageal ESCC compared to the Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy and the Sweet esophagectomy.

Objective:To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and current status of surgical management for esophageal cancer in China.Methods:A national database was setup through a network platform. The clinical data of esophageal cancer treated by surgery was collected from 70 major hospitals in China between January 2009 and December 2014.Results:Complete data of 8 181 cases of esophageal cancer patients who underwent surgery were recorded in the database and recruited in the analysis. Among them, 6 052 cases were male and 2 129 were female, the average age was 60.5 years.The epidemiological investigation results showed that 148 cases (1.8%) had history of psychological trauma, 7 527 cases (92.0%) were lower social economic status, 5 072 cases (62.0%) were short of fresh vegetables and fruits, 6 544 cases (80.0%) ate rough food frequently, 3 722 cases (45.5%) drank untreated water directly from lake or river or shallow well, 3 436 cases (42.0%) had a unhealthy eating habit, including habits of eating food fast (507 cases, 6.2%), eating hot food or drinking hot tea/soup (998 cases, 12.2%), eating fried food (1 939 cases, 23.7%), 4 410 cases (53.9%) had the habits of smoking cigarettes and 2 822 cases (34.5%) drank white wine frequently.The pathological results showed that 7 813 cases (95.5%) were squamous cell carcinoma, 267 cases were adenocarcinoma (3.3%), 25 cases were adenosquamous cell carcinoma (0.3%) and 50 cases were small cell carcinoma (0.6%). A total of 1 800 cases (22.0%) received preoperative neoadjuvant therapy due to locally advanced disease or difficulty of resection. The esophagectomies were performed through left thoracotomy approach in 5 870 cases (71.8%), through right chest approach in 2 215 cases (27.1%), and the remain 96 cases (1.2%) received surgery though other approaches.A total of 8 001 cases (97.8%) underwent radical resection, the other 180 cases (2.2%) received palliative resection. The 30-day postoperative mortality rate was 0.5%, the overall ≥ grade Ⅱ postoperative complication rate was 11.6% (951 cases). The 1-yr, 3-yr, and 5-yr overall actual survival rates were 82.6%, 61.6%, and 52.9%, respectively.Conclusions:The data analysis of the national database for esophageal cancer shows that bad eating habits or eating rough food without enough nutrients, lower social and economic status, drinking white wine and smoking cigarettes frequently may be correlated with tumorigenesis of esophageal cancer. However, strong evidences produced by prospective observation studies are needed. Overall, the long-term survival of esophageal cancer patients has been improved gradually due to the application of advanced surgical techniques and reasonable multimodality treatment.

Objective:To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and current status of surgical management for esophageal cancer in China.Methods:A national database was setup through a network platform. The clinical data of esophageal cancer treated by surgery was collected from 70 major hospitals in China between January 2009 and December 2014.Results:Complete data of 8 181 cases of esophageal cancer patients who underwent surgery were recorded in the database and recruited in the analysis. Among them, 6 052 cases were male and 2 129 were female, the average age was 60.5 years.The epidemiological investigation results showed that 148 cases (1.8%) had history of psychological trauma, 7 527 cases (92.0%) were lower social economic status, 5 072 cases (62.0%) were short of fresh vegetables and fruits, 6 544 cases (80.0%) ate rough food frequently, 3 722 cases (45.5%) drank untreated water directly from lake or river or shallow well, 3 436 cases (42.0%) had a unhealthy eating habit, including habits of eating food fast (507 cases, 6.2%), eating hot food or drinking hot tea/soup (998 cases, 12.2%), eating fried food (1 939 cases, 23.7%), 4 410 cases (53.9%) had the habits of smoking cigarettes and 2 822 cases (34.5%) drank white wine frequently.The pathological results showed that 7 813 cases (95.5%) were squamous cell carcinoma, 267 cases were adenocarcinoma (3.3%), 25 cases were adenosquamous cell carcinoma (0.3%) and 50 cases were small cell carcinoma (0.6%). A total of 1 800 cases (22.0%) received preoperative neoadjuvant therapy due to locally advanced disease or difficulty of resection. The esophagectomies were performed through left thoracotomy approach in 5 870 cases (71.8%), through right chest approach in 2 215 cases (27.1%), and the remain 96 cases (1.2%) received surgery though other approaches.A total of 8 001 cases (97.8%) underwent radical resection, the other 180 cases (2.2%) received palliative resection. The 30-day postoperative mortality rate was 0.5%, the overall ≥ grade Ⅱ postoperative complication rate was 11.6% (951 cases). The 1-yr, 3-yr, and 5-yr overall actual survival rates were 82.6%, 61.6%, and 52.9%, respectively.Conclusions:The data analysis of the national database for esophageal cancer shows that bad eating habits or eating rough food without enough nutrients, lower social and economic status, drinking white wine and smoking cigarettes frequently may be correlated with tumorigenesis of esophageal cancer. However, strong evidences produced by prospective observation studies are needed. Overall, the long-term survival of esophageal cancer patients has been improved gradually due to the application of advanced surgical techniques and reasonable multimodality treatment.

Objective To establish a stably overexpressing miR-31 transgenic mouse and detect the expression of miR-31 in the organs and tissues,and to provide qualified tool mice with overexpression of miR-31 in vivo. Methods The miR-31 overexpression vector was constructed by Gateway cloning technology. The vector was injected into fertilized ovum by DNA microinjection technology,then transferred to the pseudopregnant mice and waited for eutocia. Newborn mouse tail DNA was extracted and PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis were performed to identify the positive miR-31 transgenic mice. microRNA was extracted from the organs and tissues of miR-31 transgenic mice and the expression of miR-31 was de-tected by RT-PCR. The expression of Nestin and number of neural stem cells in the nervous system were compared in the positive and WT mice. Results The miR-31 transgenic mice were constructed successfully and bred more than 14 genera-tions in barrier environment. Expression of miR-31 was increased in major organs and tissues. The expression of Nestin and the number of neural stem cells in the positive mice were higher than those in the wild type mice. Conclusions MiR-31 overexpressing transgenic mice are constructed by Gateway cloning technology and the expression of miR-31 is stable in sub-sequent generations. The number of neural stem cells in the nervous system is higher than that in wild-type mice. The miR-31 overexpressing transgenic mice can be a good tool for experimental research of the function of overexpressed miR-31 in vivo and the treatment of nervous system diseases.