OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical features of patients with necrotizing soft tissue infection (NSTI) and the related factors for sepsis, so as to provide a basis for early intervention and improvement of patients' prognosis. METHODS: A retrospective case series study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of NSTI patients admitted to the department of burns and wound repair surgery of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from October 2021 to December 2024. Demographic information, underlying diseases, infection characteristics, laboratory test results and etiological findings at admission, treatment status, occurrence of complications (including sepsis) and prognosis were collected. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were used to identify the associated factors for sepsis in NSTI patients. Receiver operator characteristic curves (ROC curves) were plotted to evaluate the predictive value of individual and combined factors for sepsis. RESULTS: A total of 159 NSTI patients were enrolled, mainly middle-aged and elderly males. Most patients had comorbidities, including diabetes mellitus (110 cases, 69.2%) and hypertension (67 cases, 42.1%). The main infection site was the lower extremities (104 cases, 65.4%). Common symptoms included redness (96 cases, 60.4%), swelling (129 cases, 81.1%), local heat (60 cases, 37.7%), pain (100 cases, 62.9%), and skin ulceration or necrosis (9 cases, 5.7%). Imaging findings included soft tissue swelling (66 cases, 57.9%), gas accumulation (41 cases, 36.0%), and abnormal signal/density shadows (50 cases, 43.9%). Staphylococcus aureus was the main pathogenic bacterium [12.0% (31/259)], and drug-resistant Escherichia coli had the highest detection rate among drug-resistant bacteria [35.1% (13/37)]. Regarding debridement and repair, most patients (80 cases, 50.3%) underwent debridement ≥ 72 hours after admission, while only 10.1% (16 cases) received debridement within 6 hours. Most patients underwent multiple debridements, with 2 times of debridements being the most common (68 cases, 42.8%), and the maximum times of debridements reached 6. The largest number of patients received secondary suture (44 cases, 27.7%). In terms of complications, sepsis was the most common (66 cases, 41.51%), followed by acute kidney injury, respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation, and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), while disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) was the least common. During the follow-up period, 9 patients (5.66%) were readmitted within 90 days, and 11 patients died, with a mortality rate of 6.92%. Univariate analysis showed that diabetes, coronary heart disease, gout, body temperature, heart rate, C-reactive protein, platelet count, total bilirubin, albumin, creatinine, out-of-hospital treatment, and out-of-hospital use of antimicrobial agents were significantly associated with sepsis in NSTI patients (all P < 0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that coronary heart disease [odds ratio (OR) = 30.085, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 2.105-956.935], C-reactive protein (OR = 1.026, 95%CI was 1.009-1.054), and total bilirubin (OR = 1.436, 95%CI was 1.188-1.948) were independent associated factors for sepsis in NSTI patients (all P < 0.05). ROC curve analysis revealed that the combination of the three predictors yielded the highest AUC for predicting sepsis in NSTI patients compared to any individual predictor [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.799 (95%CI was 0.721-0.878)]. CONCLUSIONS The clinical features of NSTI patients show certain regularity. Coronary heart disease, C-reactive protein, and total bilirubin are independent associated factors for sepsis in NSTI patients.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Sepsis ; Soft Tissue Infections/microbiology* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Adult ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors ; Necrosis ; Logistic Models ; Fasciitis, Necrotizing

Patients with severe trauma require an extremely timely treatment and transfusion plays an irreplaceable role in the emergency treatment of such patients. An increasing number of evidence-based medicinal evidences and clinical practices suggest that patients with severe traumatic bleeding benefit from early transfusion of low-titer group O whole blood or hemostatic resuscitation with red blood cells, plasma and platelet of a balanced ratio. However, the current domestic mode of blood supply cannot fully meet the requirements of timely and effective blood transfusion for emergency treatment of patients with severe trauma in clinical practice. In order to solve the key problems in blood supply and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma, Branch of Clinical Transfusion Medicine of Chinese Medical Association, Group for Trauma Emergency Care and Multiple Injuries of Trauma Branch of Chinese Medical Association, Young Scholar Group of Disaster Medicine Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized domestic experts of blood transfusion medicine and trauma treatment to jointly formulate Chinese expert consensus on blood support mode and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma patients ( version 2024). Based on the evidence-based medical evidence and Delphi method of expert consultation and voting, 10 recommendations were put forward from two aspects of blood support mode and transfusion strategies, aiming to provide a reference for transfusion resuscitation in the emergency treatment of severe trauma and further improve the success rate of treatment of patients with severe trauma.

Objective:To investigate the effects of antibacterial absorbable suture closure in the repair of small range of bone defect wounds due to deep sternal wound infection after median thoracotomy.Methods:This study was a retrospective non-randomized clinical controlled study. A total of 32 patients (20 males and 12 females, aged (58±11) years) who met the inclusion criteria and underwent closure with antibacterial absorbable sutures (hereinafter referred to as direct closure surgery) admitted to Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital of Southern Medical University (hereinafter referred to as our hospital) from October 2017 to December 2021 were included in direct closure group. A total of 39 patients (27 males and 12 females, aged (59±11) years) who met the inclusion criteria and received bilateral pectoralis major muscle flap packing repair admitted to our hospital from January 2015 to January 2020, were included in muscle flap packing group. In the two groups, sternal infected wounds were thoroughly debrided during stage Ⅰ surgery, followed by wound repair during stage Ⅱ surgery. The width of sternal cross-section defects after debridement was less than 1 cm for patients in the two groups. For patients in direct closure group, stage Ⅱ wound repair involved intermittent sutures to the anterior sternal plate or full-thickness sternum with a total of 6 or 7 double sternal sutures. Relevant data including the duration of the stage Ⅱ wound repair surgery and the volume of blood loss during surgery, length of hospital stay, and bacterial wound infection of patients in the two groups were recorded. The postoperative complications and wound healing of patients in the two groups were recorded. During follow-up, the wound infection or recurrence of patients in the two groups and the sternal healing of patients in direct closure group were observed.Results:Compared with those in muscle flap packing group, the duration of stage Ⅱ wound repair surgery and length of hospital stay of patients in direct closure group were significantly shorter (with t values of 13.61 and 6.25, respectively, P<0.05), and there was no statistically significant difference in intraoperative blood loss volume of the stage Ⅱ wound repair surgery between the two groups ( P>0.05). The main bacterial infection in the two groups was Staphylococcus. In direct closure group, one patient had exudation in the wound two weeks post-operation, however the wound healed well after two weeks of conservative dressing changes; the wounds of the other patients healed well. In muscle flap packing group, 5 patients had postoperative complications, of which one patient died, and the wounds of 4 patients healed after dressing change or reoperation; the wounds of the other patients healed well. There was no statistically significant difference in complication incidence of patients between the two groups ( P>0.05). During the follow-up of 22-45 months, there was no re-infection or recurrence in the wound of patients in direct closure group and surviving patients in muscle flap packing group, the sternum of patients in the direct closure group achieved anatomical union. Conclusions:Direct closure surgery can not only effectively repair sternal cross-sectional defects with width below 1 cm due to deep sternal wound infections after median thoracotomy, but can also significantly shorten the operation time and duration of hospitalization.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the etiology composition and outcomes of pediatric chronic critical illness (PCCI) in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). METHODS: The children who were hospitalized in the PICU of Dongguan Children's Hospital Affiliated to Guangdong Medical University and met the diagnostic criteria for PCCI from January 2017 to December 2022 were included in the study. The etiology of the children was classified based on their medical records and discharge diagnoses. Relevant clinical data during hospitalization were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 3 955 hospitalized children in the PICU from January 2017 to December 2022, 321 cases (8.12%) met the diagnostic criteria for PCCI. Among the 321 cases, the most common etiology was infection (71.3%, 229 cases), followed by unintentional injury (12.8%, 41 cases), postoperation (5.9%, 19 cases), tumors/immune system diseases (5.0%, 16 cases), and genetic and chromosomal diseases (5.0%, 16 cases). Among the 321 cases, 249 cases (77.6%) were discharged after improvement, 37 cases (11.5%) were discharged at the request of the family, and 35 cases (10.9%) died in the hospital. Among the deaths, infection accounted for 74% (26/35), unintentional injury accounted for 17% (6/35), tumors/immune system diseases accounted for 6% (2/35), and genetic and chromosomal diseases accounted for 3% (1/35). From 2017 to 2022, the proportion of PCCI in PICU diseases showed an increasing trend year by year (P<0.05). Among the 321 children with PCCI, there were 148 infants and young children (46.1%), 57 preschool children (17.8%), 54 school-aged children (16.8%), and 62 adolescents (19.3%), with the highest proportion in the infant and young children group (P<0.05). The in-hospital mortality rates of the four age groups were 14.9% (22/148), 8.8% (5/57), 5.6% (3/54), and 8.1% (5/62), respectively. The infant and young children group had the highest mortality rate, but there was no statistically significant difference among the four groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS The proportion of PCCI in PICU diseases is increasing, and the main causes are infection and unintentional injury. The most common cause of death in children with PCCI is infection. The PCCI patient population is mainly infants and young children, and the in-hospital mortality rate of infant and young children with PCCI is relatively high.
Adolescent ; Infant ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Child ; Critical Illness ; Prognosis ; Child, Hospitalized ; Chronic Disease ; Intensive Care Units, Pediatric

AIM:To evaluate the changes in corneal biomechanics of patients with moderate refractive error after receiving small-incision lenticule extraction(SMILE)and femtosecond laser-assisted laser in situ keratomileusis(FS-LASIK)using the corneal visualization Scheimpflug technology(Corvis ST).METHODS:Prospective cohort study. A total of 65 moderate myopia patients(65 eyes)who were scheduled to undergo refractive surgery at the Ophthalmic Refractive Surgery Center of the Ningxia Eye Hospital from November 2020 to November 2021 were included in the study, and there were 30 eyes in the SMILE group and 35 eyes in the FS-LASIK group. The changes in corneal biomechanical parameters, including integrated radius(IR), inverse concave radius(ICR), deformation amplitude ratio 2mm(DAR2), stiffness parameter at first applanation(SP-A1), ambrosio relational thickness(ARTh)and the central curvature radius at highest concavity(HC-Radius)were observed by Corvis ST between both groups preoperatively and 1 and 3mo postoperatively.RESULTS: There were no statistical significance in biomechanical parameters between two groups of patients 1 and 3mo postoperatively(P>0.05). IR, ICR and DAR2 of each groups of patients 1 and 3mo postoperatively were significantly increased than those preoperatively, and SP-A1, ARTh and HC-Radius were significantly decreased than those preoperatively(all P<0.05). The biomechanical parameters at 1mo and 3mo postoperatively showed no statistical significance(P>0.05). In addition, a positive correlation was found between central corneal thickness(CCT)and ARTh and SP-A1 of the two groups of patients at 3mo postoperatively(FS-LASIK group: r=0.727, 0.819, SMLIE group: r=0.683, 0.434, all P<0.05), while a negative correlation was found between CCT and IR and ICR at 3mo postoperatively.(FS-LASIK group: r=-0.697, -0.622, SMLIE group: r=-0.447, -0.491, all P<0.05).CONCLUSION:For patients with moderate myopia, both SMILE and FS-LASIK can reduce corneal biomechanical stability. Both surgeries showed no significant differences in the effect on biomechanical, and the biomechanical has been stabilized at 1mo postoperatively. A correlation was found between postoperative CCT and ARTh, SP-A1, IR and ICR.

ObjectiveTo investigate the value of percutaneous and intravenous contrast-enhanced ultrasound（P-Ⅳ-CEUS） in sentinel lymph nodes（SLNs） after resection of early-stage primary breast cancer. MethodsA retrospective analysis was done on the clinical and imaging data of 42 early breast cancer patients. Following primary tumor resection， all these patients underwent reoperation in our hospital. SLNs were examined by preoperative P-Ⅳ-CEUS and intraoperative sentinel lymph node biopsy（SLNB） was performed by using Methylene blue as a tracer. Then we analyzed the detection and false-negative rate in CEUS and SLNB respectively. By using the surgical pathological results as the gold standard， the diagnostic efficacy of CEUS for SLNs was explored. ResultsThe detection rate and false negative rate of SLNs in percutaneous contrast-enhanced ultrasound （P-CEUS） were 92.9% （39/42） and 7.1% （3/42）， respectively. The detection rate in methylene blue staining was 100% （41/41） and one patient underwent neoadjuvant therapy due to biopsy-confirmed metastasis. The sensitivity， specificity， positive predictive value， negative predictive value and accuracy of P-Ⅳ-CEUS were 66.7% （2/3）， 100% （37/37）， 100% （2/2）， 97.3% （36/37） and 97.4% （38/39）， respectively. ConclusionsP-Ⅳ-CEUS after resection of early-stage primary breast cancer can accurately detect SLNs and characterize their status， which is a reliable clinical basis for reducing invasive SLNB.

Objective:To observe the changes of macular morphology and blood flow after minimally invasive vitrectomy (PPV) in patients with severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (sNPDR).Methods:A prospective clinical study. From January 2020 to April 2021, 17 consecutive sNPDR patients with 17 eyes who were diagnosed and received PPV treatment at the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of Sun Yat-sen University were included in the study. There were 12 males with 12 eyes and 5 females with 5 eyes; the average age was 55 years old; the average duration of diabetes was 11 years; the average glycosylated hemoglobin was 7.9%. Before the operation and 1, 3, and 6 months after the operation, all the affected eyes underwent best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), standard 7-field fundus color photography, and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). An OCTA instrument was used to scan the macular area of the affected eye with in the range of 3 mm×3 mm to measure the central subfoveal thickness (CST), the thickness of the ganglion cell complex (GCC) in the macular area, the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), and the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) vessel density and perfusion density in the macular area, macular avascular zone (FAZ) area, a-circularity index (AI). Before the operation and 6 months after the operation, the least significant difference test was used for the pairwise comparison.Results:Before the operation, 1, 3, and 6 months after the operation, the FAZ area of the macular area were 0.34±0.14, 0.35±0.10, 0.37±0.10, 0.36±0.13 mm 2, respectively; AI were 0.52±0.13, 0.54±0.11, 0.57±0.10, 0.60±0.11; CST was 282.6±66.7, 290.4±70.9, 287.2±67.5, 273.2± 49.6 μm; GCC thickness were 77.1±15.5, 74.3±13.9, 72.6±16.2, 78.5±18.3 μm; the thickness of RNFL was 97.9±13.8, 101.3±14.6, 97.7±12.0, 96.1±11.4 μm, respectively. The overall blood flow density of SCP in the macula were (16.79±1.43)%, (16.71±1.82)%, (17.30±2.25)%, (17.35±1.22)%; the overall perfusion density were 0.32±0.02, 0.32±0.03, 0.33±0.03, 0.33±0.02, respectively. After the operation, the CST increased first and then decreased; the thickness of RNFL increased 1 month after the operation, and then gradually decreased. Comparison of the parameters before and 6 months after the operation showed that the AI improved, and the difference was statistically significant ( P=0.049); the difference in FAZ area and the thickness of CST, GCC, and RNFL was not statistically significant ( P=0.600, 0.694, 0.802, 0.712); There was no statistically significant difference in the retina SCP blood flow density and perfusion density in the macular area ( P=0.347, 0.361). Conclusion:Compared with before surgery, there is no significant change in macular structure and blood flow density in sNPDR patients within 6 months after minimally invasive PPV.

In this paper， the name， varieties， raw materials and manufacturing technology of maltose in the famous classical formulas were researched by consulting the herbal medicines， medical books， prescription books and modern literature of past dynasties， which provided the basis for the development and utilization of formulas containing maltose. Through textual research， it can be seen that the name of maltose has been derived from its shape， texture， preparation method， raw materials and producing area. In ancient times， maltose was mainly divided into soft and hard types according to the texture. Those who are wet and soft as honey are called "syrup" or "jelly"， while those who are hard and white are called "malt" and "sugar". In modern times， they are mostly called malt sugar， only jelly is used as medicine， and malt is mostly used as food. Throughout the ages， medicinal maltose were made of Oryza sativa var. glutinosa as the raw material and Hordeum vulgare as malt， prepared by fermenting， decocting and concentrating. The maltose made from other cereals such as Setaria italica var. germanica， Panicum miliaceum is slightly inferior in quality. The 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia did not include maltose， but included malt sugar， a pharmaceutical excipient， which was a crystal powder with high purity. But maltose was included in the national food standard and the local processing specification. Based on the textual research results， it is suggested that malt syrup in GB/T 20883-2017 can be used as the reference for the development of formulas containing maltose， and O. sativa var. glutinosa， H. vulgare are clearly used as raw materials.

In this paper， the name， origin， producing area， quality evaluation， harvesting and processing methods of Scrophulariae Radix used in the famous classical formulas were researched by consulting related ancient materia medica， medical books and prescription books. The results showed that the name of Scrophulariae Radix originated from its shape and color. Scrophularia ningpoensis， one of the eight flavors of Zhejiang， has been highly praised in the past as a genuine base， and its authentic production area is Zhejiang. Quality of Scrophulariae Radix is best if it has a dry body， thin skin， thick branches， firm physique， black inner color， net basal part of stem， and no fine whiskers. In ancient times， the origin processing was divided into two types， including sun-dried after steaming and directly sun-dried. While it mostly used a combination of drying and sweating in modern times. Before the Ming dynasty， the processing of Scrophulariae Radix was mainly steamed. Occasionally， the stir-frying appeared. In the Ming dynasty and after the Ming dynasty， wine processing emerged such as hot wine mixed roasting， wine washing， wine steaming， because the ancients believed that wine could enhance its efficacy and reduce its cold property. In the Qing dynasty， the method of steaming and baking appeared in the water and fire system. According to the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia， the processing of Scrophulariae Radix includes removing rhizome residues and impurities， washing， moistening， cutting into thin slices， and drying， or soaking slightly， steaming thoroughly， drying slightly， cutting into thin slices， and drying. Referring to the relevant national documents， it is suggested that raw products of Scrophulariae Radix should be used in Liangditang and Simiao Yong′antang.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy at 1-year follow-up of the use of drug-coated balloon (DCB) for the treatment of femoropopliteal in-stent restenosis (ISR).Methods:This study enrolled 252 patients undergoing Orchid DCB angioplasty for peripheral arterial disease in the femoral-popliteal segment. The clinical data were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Forty-nine patients were eligible, including 29 (59.2%) chronic total occlusions belonging to TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus-Ⅱ(TASC Ⅱ) D, 7 (14.3%) thrombosis, and 14 (28.6%) moderate to severe calcifications. The mean lesion length was (215.9±97.1) mm. 69.4% were of occlusive lesions (Tosaka Ⅲ category). Only 1 provisional stent was implanted. 98% patients had severe claudication or even worse. Of these cases, 34 (73.9%) showed improvements in Rutherford category, while 11 (23.9%) did not change and 1 (2.2%) case deteriorated. The average value of ABI was 0.478±0.264 before surgery and 0.907±0.207 at the end of follow-up. The improvement in Rutherford category ( P<0.01) and ABI ( P<0.005) were both significant. The primary patency (PP) was 80.4%, and the freedom from clinically driven TLR was 84.8% at 1 year. During the follow-up period, there was no all-cause death and major limb amputation. Conclusion:This multicenter study demonstrated the effectiveness of DCB as a treatment for complicated and extensive ISR lesions within 12 months.