Objective:To investigate the risk factors of pleural effusion after spinal separation surgery for patients with spinal metastatic tumors.Methods:A total of 427 patients with spinal metastatic tumors from January 2014 to January 2022 in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine were retrospectively analyzed. There were 252 males and 175 females, with an average age of 59±12 years (range, 15-87 years). All patients underwent separation surgery. Based on the chest CT within 1 month after surgery, the volume of pleural effusion was measured individually by reconstruction software. Pleural effusion was defined as small volume (0-500 ml), moderate volume (500-1 000 ml), and large volume (above 1 000 ml). Baseline data and perioperative clinical outcomes were compared between the groups, and indicators with statistically significant differences were included in a binary logistic regression analysis to determine the independent risk factors for the development of pleural effusion after isolation of spinal metastatic cancer. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were conducted to calculate the area under the curve (AUC) for each independent risk factor.Results:All patients successfully completed the operation. Among the 427 patients, there were 35 cases of large pleural effusion, 42 cases of moderate pleural effusion, and 350 cases of small pleural effusion. There were significant differences in tumor size (χ 2=9.485, P=0.013), intraoperative blood loss ( Z=-2.503, P=0.011), blood transfusion ( Z=-2.983, P=0.003), preoperative total protein ( Z=2.681, P=0.007), preoperative albumin ( Z=1.720, P= 0.085), postoperative hemoglobin ( t=2.950, P=0.008), postoperative total protein ( Z=4.192, P<0.001), and postoperative albumin ( t=2.268, P=0.032) in the large pleural effusion group versus the small and moderate pleural effusion group. Logistic regression analysis showed that decreased preoperative albumin ( OR=0.89, P=0.045) and metastases located in the thoracic spine ( OR=4.01, P=0.039) were independent risk factors for the occurrence of large pleural effusion after separation surgery. The ROC curve showed that the AUC and 95% CI for preoperative albumin, lesion location, and the combined model were 0.637 (0.54, 0.74), 0.421 (0.36, 0.48), and 0.883 (0.81, 0.92). The combined predictive model showed good predictive value. Conclusion:The volume of pleural effusion can be measured individually and quantitatively based on chest CT. Decreased preoperative albumin and metastases located in the thoracic spine are independent risk factors for the occurrence of large pleural effusion after separation surgery. The combined prediction of the two factors has better predictive efficacy.

Objective:To investigate the value of digital medical 3D technology versus traditional 2D technology in the diagnosis and treatment of solid abdominal tumors in children. Methods:A total of 80 children with solid abdominal tumors who received surgical treatment guided by digital medical 3D technology at Guigang People's Hospital from January 2018 to January 2022 were included in the observation group. An additional 80 children with solid abdominal tumors who received surgical treatment guided by traditional 2D technology at the same hospital from January 2014 to December 2017 were included in the control group. Clinical efficacy was compared between the two groups.Results:The surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative exhaust time, postoperative hospital stay in the observation group were (111.8 ± 28.9) minutes, (26.8 ± 25.2) mL, (2.2 ± 1.2) days, (7.5 ± 1.4) days, respectively, which were significantly shorter or less than those in the control group [(193.1 ± 66.0) minutes, (86.2 ± 47.0) mL, (3.7 ± 0.9) days, (12.2 ± 3.5) days, t = 7.00, 6.88, 5.87, 7.53, all P < 0.05]. The complete surgical resection rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group [92.5% (74/80) vs. 81.3% (65/80), χ2 = 4.44, P < 0.05]. The incidence of complications in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group [6.3% (5/80) vs. 16.3% (13/80), χ2 = 4.00, P < 0.05]. Conclusion:The utilization of digital medical 3D technology in the surgical treatment of solid abdominal tumors in children can markedly decrease surgical time, reduce intraoperative blood loss, promote postoperative recovery, achieve a high surgical resection rate, and minimize postoperative complications.

Objective: To evaluate the safety and antitumor activity of envafolimab monotherapy in Chinese patients with advanced solid tumors. Methods: This open-label, multicenter phase I trial included dose escalation and dose expansion phases. In the dose escalation phase, patients received subcutaneous 0.1, 0.3, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0 or 10.0 mg/kg envafolimab once weekly (QW) following a modified "3+ 3" design. The dose expansion phase was performed in the 2.5 mg/kg and 5.0 mg/kg (QW) dose cohorts. Results: At November 25, 2019, a total of 287 patients received envafolimab treatment. During the dose escalation phase, no dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) was observed. In all dose cohorts, drug-related treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) for all grades occurred in 75.3% of patients, and grade 3 or 4 occurred in 20.6% of patients. The incidence of immune-related adverse reactions (irAE) was 24.0% for all grades, the most common irAEs (≥2%) included hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, immune-associated hepatitis and rash. The incidence of injection site reactions was low (3.8%), all of which were grades 1-2. Among the 216 efficacy evaluable patients, the objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 11.6% and 43.1%, respectively. Median duration of response was 49.1 weeks (95% CI: 24.0, 49.3). Pharmacokinetic (PK) exposure to envafolimab is proportional to dose and median time to maximum plasma concentration is 72-120 hours based on the PK results from the dose escalation phase of the study. Conclusion: Subcutaneous envafolimab has a favorable safety and promising preliminary anti-tumor activity in Chinese patients with advanced solid tumors.
Humans ; East Asian People ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/therapeutic use*

Objective:To investigate the risk factors affecting the completion of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in elderly patients with progressive gastric cancer.Methods:Clinicopathological data of patients diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma and treated with radical surgery at our hospital between January 2017 and December 2018 were retrospectively collected, and 96 patients were finally included in the study according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria.Patients were divided into a completed chemotherapy group and an uncompleted chemotherapy group depending on whether they had completed 6 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery.The optimal cut-off value was derived from the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve, and the Youden Index was calculated.Relevant factors that might affect the completion of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in elderly patients with progressive gastric cancer were included in univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses to identify independent risk factors affecting the completion of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in gastric cancer patients.The Kaplan-Meier(K-M)method was used to plot the survival curves for the groups, and the log-rank test was used to compare the survival rates between the groups.Results:A total of 96 patients, aged 60-89 years, with a mean age of(70.3±7.0)years, were included.Sixteen patients completed postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, while 80 patients did not.The following analysis was performed on clinicopathological data of patients in the two groups.Univariate Logistic regression analysis showed that patient age ≥70 years( OR=8.135, 95% CI: 1.735-38.153, P=0.008)or a preoperative prognostic nutritional index(PNI)score <49.5( OR=4.765, 95% CI: 1.549-14.656, P=0.006)affected the completion of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.The risk factors that might affect the completion of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in elderly gastric cancer patients were analyzed using multivariate Logistic regression and the results showed that age ≥70 years( OR=9.815, 95% CI: 1.947-49.485, P=0.006)and a preoperative PNI score <49.5( OR=5.895, 95% CI: 1.711-20.305, P=0.005)were independent risk factors hindering the completion of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Conclusions:Age ≥70 years and PNI<49.5 are independent risk factors for the completion of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.Failure to complete postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy is associated with a poor prognosis.PNI is a valid predictor for whether postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy will be completed and helps to screen chemotherapy patients who need nutritional intervention.

Objective:To explore the value of convalescent somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in formulating a prognosis for children with severe disorders of consciousness (DOC) caused by brain trauma, infection or hypoxia.Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study of 286 children with DOC children treated between 2013 and 2021. They were divided into a trauma group ( n=103), an intracranial infection group ( n=101), a hypoxia group ( n=42) and an other-causes group ( n=40). Their consciousness status and functional recovery were obtained in follow-up appointments, and their functional condition 1 year after discharge was assessed using the modified Glasgow Outcome scale (GOS). Results:During 8-year follow-up, 16 had died, with 4 deaths within 1 year. Among the 191 cases followed up to 1 year, children with a bilateral N20 SEP had significantly better functional outcomes than those with unilateral or bilateral N20 absence. For the trauma group, the presence of a bilateral N20 signal was a strong indicator of good functional outcome at the 1-year follow-up, with a specificity of 90.9%, sensitivity of 55.6%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 92.6%, negative predictive value (NPV) of 50% and a positive likelihood rate (PLR) of 6.111. However, for the intracranial infection group, the presence of N20 had a low specificity for predicting good outcomes, though the absence of an N20 potential predicted poor functional outcome at 1 year with a specificity of 82.4%, sensitivity of 62.1%, PPV of 75%, and PLR of 3.517. For the hypoxic group, bilateral N20 could not predict a good prognosis, though its absence meant a poor outcome, with a specificity of 87.5%, sensitivity of 63.6%, PPV of 93.3%, and PLR of 5.818.Conclusion:SEPs during the recovery period can help to formulate a prognosis for children with severe DOC. Traumatic brain injury and the presence of bilateral N20 potentials can be used as a good prognostic indicator. For intracranial infection and hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, the absence of an N20 potential indicates a poor prognosis.

Objective:To analyze the impacts of volume-based procurement(VBP) of artificial joints on the hospital costs for discharged patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty.Methods:The discharge data of 515 total hip replacement patients at a tertiary public hospital in Baise city was collected, comprising 353 cases pre-VBP (January 2021 to March 2022) and 162 cases post-VBP (April to October 2022). Data was analyzed using interrupted time series method. Between October to December 2022 and July to August 2023, one-to-one unstructured qualitative interviews were conducted with the director, doctors, and nurses of the orthopedic department, as well as staffs of the medical equipment department and the health insurance office. The aim was to gather insights about the implementation details of the VBP policy for artificial joint implants, VBP policy's impact on hospitalization costs and its underlying causes.Results:After the implementation of the VBP for artificial joint implants, the hospitalization expenses of surgical patients immediately dropped by 22 566 yuan ( P<0.001), but the change in the slope of the long-term trend was not statistically significant ( P=0.430). From the perspective of cost structure, the cost of disposable surgical materials decreased immediately by 26 889 yuan ( P<0.001), with a long-term trend slope change of -515 yuan per month ( P<0.001). Meanwhile, there were varying degrees of immediate increases in surgical treatment costs, non-surgical item treatment costs, and non-surgical disposable medical material costs ( P<0.05). Specifically, the long-term trend slope for surgical treatment costs and non-surgical disposable medical material costs decreased by -637 yuan per month and -372 yuan per month, respectively ( P<0.001). However, the long-term trend slope of non-surgical item treatment costs did not show statistical significance ( P=0.196). The out-of-pocket expenses immediately decreased by 7 195 yuan ( P<0.001), but the change in the slope of the long-term trend was not statistically significant ( P=0.550). The interview results showed that there were not much overall changes found in the use and surgeries of artificial joints after centralized procurement, but there were delivery delays, and the changes in some cost indicators of hospitalization expenses were also related to the reform of diagnosis related groups payment methods. Conclusions:The implementation of VBP effectively reduced the hospitalization cost for total hip arthroplasty patients, primarily by decreasing artificial joint cost. In addition, it optimized the cost structure, alleviated the financial burden on patients and saved medical insurance expenditures. Future initiatives should focus on improving the medical insurance payment reform to form a policy synergy, creating a cohesive policy framework that enhances the effectiveness of VBP policy, thereby facilitating the high-quality development of public hospitals and medical services.

This article analyzed the mechanism of Danggui Sini Decoction(DSD) in improving kidney injury caused by blood stasis syndrome(BSS) in rats. Firstly, 32 female SD rats were randomly divided into the following four groups: a normal group and a BSS group, both receiving an equal amount of distilled water by gavage; a normal+DSD group and a BSS+DSD group, both receiving 5.103 g·kg~(-1) DSD orally for a total of 14 days. Daily cold water bath was given to establish the BSS model, and on the 14th day, BSS rats were subcutaneously injected with 0.8 mg·kg~(-1) adrenaline. Normal rats were subjected to the water bath at 37 ℃ and injected with an equal volume of distilled water. After the experiment, 24-hour urine, serum, and kidney samples were collected for metabolomic analysis, biochemical measurements, and hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining. The study then employed ~1H-NMR metabolomic technology to reveal the metabolic network regulated by DSD in improving BSS-induced kidney injury and used network pharmacology to preliminarily elucidate the key targets of the effectiveness of DSD. Pathological and biochemical analysis showed that DSD intervention significantly reduced inflammation and abnormal levels of blood creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and urine protein in the kidneys. Metabolomic analysis indicated that DSD attenuated BSS-induced kidney injury primarily by regulating 10 differential metabolites and three major metabolic pathways(taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, citrate cycle, and acetaldehyde and dicarboxylic acid metabolism). Network pharmacology analysis suggested that the protective effect of DSD against BSS-induced kidney injury might be related to two key genes, ATP citrate lyase(ACLY) and nitric oxide synthase 2(NOS2), and two main metabolic pathways, i.e., arginine biosynthesis, and arginine and proline metabolism. This study, from the perspective of network regulation, provides initial insights and evidence into the mechanism of DSD in improving kidney injury induced by BSS, offering a basis for further investigation into the molecular mechanisms underlying its efficacy.
Rats ; Female ; Animals ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Network Pharmacology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Metabolomics ; Kidney ; Arginine ; Water

Background/Aims: Diagnosis of isolated laryngopharyngeal reflux symptoms (ILPRS), ie, without concomitant typical reflux symptoms (CTRS), remains difficult. Mean nocturnal baseline impedance (MNBI) reflects impaired mucosal integrity. We determined whether esophageal MNBI could predict pathological esophagopharyngeal reflux (pH+) in patients with ILPRS. Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted in Taiwan, non-erosive or low-grade esophagitis patients with predominant laryngopharyngeal reflux symptoms underwent combined hypopharyngeal multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH monitoring when off acid suppressants. Participants were divided into the ILPRS (n = 94) and CTRS (n = 63) groups. Asymptomatic subjects without esophagitis (n = 25) served as healthy controls. The MNBI values at 3 cm and 5 cm above the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and the proximal esophagus were measured. Results: Distal but not proximal esophageal median MNBI values were significantly lower in patients with pH+ than in those with pH– (ILPRS in pH+ vs pH–: 1607 Ω vs 2709 Ω and 1885 Ω vs 2563 Ω at 3 cm and 5 cm above LES, respectively; CTRS in pH+ vs pH–: 1476 vs 2307 Ω and 1500 vs 2301 Ω at 3 cm and 5 cm above LES, respectively, P < 0.05 for all). No significant differences of any MNBI exist between any pH– subgroups and healthy controls. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve in the ILPRS group were 0.75 and 0.80, compared to the pH– subgroup and healthy controls (P < 0.001 for both), respectively. Interobserver reproducibility was good (Spearman correlation 0.93, P < 0.0001). Conclusion Distal esophageal MNBI predicts pathological reflux in patients with ILPRS.

Humans ; Presbycusis ; Speech Perception ; Hearing Aids ; Cognition ; Noise

Objective: For patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) complicated with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), both anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy should be applied, but the use of anticoagulation therapy is still poor in these patients in China. The purpose of this study was to explore the status and adherence of antithrombotic therapy in AF patients with ACS and the impact on 1 year clinical outcomes. Methods: Patients with AF hospitalized for ACS were retrospectively included from 6 tertiary hospitals in China between July 2015 and December 2020. According to the use of anticoagulant drugs at discharge, patients were divided into two groups: anticoagulant treatment group and non-anticoagulant treatment group. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the main factors influencing the use of anticoagulant drugs in patients with atrial fibrillation complicated with ACS. Major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) were defined as all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization, and ischemic stroke and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) 3 bleeding events were also collected at 1 year after discharge. After propensity score matching, Cox proportional hazards models and Kaplan-Meier analysis were used to evaluate the effect of anticoagulant treatment and non-anticoagulant treatment on 1-year prognosis. The patients were divided into different groups according to whether anticoagulation was performed at discharge and follow-up, and the sensitivity of the results was analyzed. Results: A total of 664 patients were enrolled, and 273 (41.1%) were treated with anticoagulant therapy, of whom 84 (30.8%) received triple antithrombotic therapy, 91 (33.3%) received double antithrombotic therapy (single antiplatelet combined with anticoagulant), and 98 (35.9%) received single anticoagulant therapy. Three hundred and ninety-one (58.9%) patients were treated with antiplatelet therapy, including 253 (64.7%) with dual antiplatelet therapy and 138 (35.3%) with single antiplatelet therapy. After 1∶1 propensity score matching between the anticoagulant group and the non-anticoagulant group, a total of 218 pairs were matched. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that history of diabetes, HAS-BLED score≥3, and percutaneous coronary intervention were predictors of the absence of anticoagulant therapy, while history of ischemic stroke and persistent atrial fibrillation were predictors of anticoagulant therapy. At 1-year follow-up, 218 patients (79.9%) in the anticoagulant group continued to receive anticoagulant therapy, and 333 patients (85.2%) in the antiplatelet group continued to receive antiplatelet therapy. At 1-year follow-up, 36 MACEs events (13.2%) occurred in the anticoagulant group, and 81 MACEs events (20.7%) in the non-anticoagulant group. HR values and confidence intervals were calculated by Cox proportional risk model. Patients in the non-anticoagulant group faced a higher risk of MACEs (HR=1.802, 95%CI 1.112-2.921, P=0.017), and the risk of bleeding events was similar between the two group (HR=0.825,95%CI 0.397-1.715, P=0.607). Conclusions: History of diabetes, HAS-BLED score≥3, and percutaneous coronary intervention are independent factors for the absence of anticoagulant therapy in patients with AF complicated with ACS. The incidence of MACEs, death and myocardial infarction is lower in the anticoagulant group, and the incidence of bleeding events is similar between the two groups. The risk of bleeding and ischemia/thrombosis should be dynamically assessed during follow-up and antithrombotic regiments should be adjusted accordingly.
Humans ; Atrial Fibrillation/drug therapy* ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors/adverse effects* ; Acute Coronary Syndrome/drug therapy* ; Fibrinolytic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Anticoagulants ; Myocardial Infarction/complications* ; Hemorrhage ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Ischemic Stroke/drug therapy* ; Stroke