Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an intelligent handheld ultrasound (US) device for assisting non-expert general practitioners (GPs) in detecting carotid plaques (CPs) in community populations. Methods: This prospective parallel controlled trial recruited 111 consecutive community residents. All of them underwent examinations by non-expert GPs and specialist doctors using handheld US devices (setting A, setting B, and setting C). The results of setting C with specialist doctors were considered the gold standard. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the features of CPs were measured and recorded. The diagnostic performance of GPs in distinguishing CPs was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Inter-observer agreement was compared using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC). Questionnaires were completed to evaluate clinical benefits. Results: Among the 111 community residents, 80, 96, and 112 CPs were detected in settings A, B, and C, respectively. Setting B exhibited better diagnostic performance than setting A for detecting CPs (area under the curve, 0.856 vs. 0.749; P<0.01). Setting B had better consistency with setting C than setting A in CIMT measurement and the assessment of CPs (ICC, 0.731 to 0.923). Moreover, measurements in setting B required less time than the other two settings (44.59 seconds vs. 108.87 seconds vs. 126.13 seconds, both P<0.01). Conclusion Using an intelligent handheld US device, GPs can perform CP screening and achieve a diagnostic capability comparable to that of specialist doctors.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an intelligent handheld ultrasound (US) device for assisting non-expert general practitioners (GPs) in detecting carotid plaques (CPs) in community populations. Methods: This prospective parallel controlled trial recruited 111 consecutive community residents. All of them underwent examinations by non-expert GPs and specialist doctors using handheld US devices (setting A, setting B, and setting C). The results of setting C with specialist doctors were considered the gold standard. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the features of CPs were measured and recorded. The diagnostic performance of GPs in distinguishing CPs was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Inter-observer agreement was compared using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC). Questionnaires were completed to evaluate clinical benefits. Results: Among the 111 community residents, 80, 96, and 112 CPs were detected in settings A, B, and C, respectively. Setting B exhibited better diagnostic performance than setting A for detecting CPs (area under the curve, 0.856 vs. 0.749; P<0.01). Setting B had better consistency with setting C than setting A in CIMT measurement and the assessment of CPs (ICC, 0.731 to 0.923). Moreover, measurements in setting B required less time than the other two settings (44.59 seconds vs. 108.87 seconds vs. 126.13 seconds, both P<0.01). Conclusion Using an intelligent handheld US device, GPs can perform CP screening and achieve a diagnostic capability comparable to that of specialist doctors.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an intelligent handheld ultrasound (US) device for assisting non-expert general practitioners (GPs) in detecting carotid plaques (CPs) in community populations. Methods: This prospective parallel controlled trial recruited 111 consecutive community residents. All of them underwent examinations by non-expert GPs and specialist doctors using handheld US devices (setting A, setting B, and setting C). The results of setting C with specialist doctors were considered the gold standard. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the features of CPs were measured and recorded. The diagnostic performance of GPs in distinguishing CPs was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Inter-observer agreement was compared using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC). Questionnaires were completed to evaluate clinical benefits. Results: Among the 111 community residents, 80, 96, and 112 CPs were detected in settings A, B, and C, respectively. Setting B exhibited better diagnostic performance than setting A for detecting CPs (area under the curve, 0.856 vs. 0.749; P<0.01). Setting B had better consistency with setting C than setting A in CIMT measurement and the assessment of CPs (ICC, 0.731 to 0.923). Moreover, measurements in setting B required less time than the other two settings (44.59 seconds vs. 108.87 seconds vs. 126.13 seconds, both P<0.01). Conclusion Using an intelligent handheld US device, GPs can perform CP screening and achieve a diagnostic capability comparable to that of specialist doctors.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an intelligent handheld ultrasound (US) device for assisting non-expert general practitioners (GPs) in detecting carotid plaques (CPs) in community populations. Methods: This prospective parallel controlled trial recruited 111 consecutive community residents. All of them underwent examinations by non-expert GPs and specialist doctors using handheld US devices (setting A, setting B, and setting C). The results of setting C with specialist doctors were considered the gold standard. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the features of CPs were measured and recorded. The diagnostic performance of GPs in distinguishing CPs was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Inter-observer agreement was compared using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC). Questionnaires were completed to evaluate clinical benefits. Results: Among the 111 community residents, 80, 96, and 112 CPs were detected in settings A, B, and C, respectively. Setting B exhibited better diagnostic performance than setting A for detecting CPs (area under the curve, 0.856 vs. 0.749; P<0.01). Setting B had better consistency with setting C than setting A in CIMT measurement and the assessment of CPs (ICC, 0.731 to 0.923). Moreover, measurements in setting B required less time than the other two settings (44.59 seconds vs. 108.87 seconds vs. 126.13 seconds, both P<0.01). Conclusion Using an intelligent handheld US device, GPs can perform CP screening and achieve a diagnostic capability comparable to that of specialist doctors.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an intelligent handheld ultrasound (US) device for assisting non-expert general practitioners (GPs) in detecting carotid plaques (CPs) in community populations. Methods: This prospective parallel controlled trial recruited 111 consecutive community residents. All of them underwent examinations by non-expert GPs and specialist doctors using handheld US devices (setting A, setting B, and setting C). The results of setting C with specialist doctors were considered the gold standard. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the features of CPs were measured and recorded. The diagnostic performance of GPs in distinguishing CPs was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Inter-observer agreement was compared using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC). Questionnaires were completed to evaluate clinical benefits. Results: Among the 111 community residents, 80, 96, and 112 CPs were detected in settings A, B, and C, respectively. Setting B exhibited better diagnostic performance than setting A for detecting CPs (area under the curve, 0.856 vs. 0.749; P<0.01). Setting B had better consistency with setting C than setting A in CIMT measurement and the assessment of CPs (ICC, 0.731 to 0.923). Moreover, measurements in setting B required less time than the other two settings (44.59 seconds vs. 108.87 seconds vs. 126.13 seconds, both P<0.01). Conclusion Using an intelligent handheld US device, GPs can perform CP screening and achieve a diagnostic capability comparable to that of specialist doctors.

Objective To explore early postoperative gait characteristics and clinical outcomes after total knee arthroplasty(TKA).Methods From February 2023 to July 2023,26 patients with unilateral knee osteoarthritis(KOA)were treated with TKA,including 4 males and 22 females,aged from 57 to 85 years old with an average of(67.58±6.49)years old;body mass in-dex(BMI)ranged from 18.83 to 38.28 kg·m-2 with an average of(26.43±4.15)kg·m-2;14 patients on the left side,12 pa-tients on the right side;according to Kellgren-Lawrence(K-L)classification,6 patients with grade Ⅲ and 20 patients with grade Ⅳ;the courses of disease ranged from 1 to 14 years with an average of(5.54±3.29)years.Images and videos of standing up and walking,walking side shot,squatting and supine kneeling were taken with smart phones before operation and 6 weeks after operation.The human posture estimation framework OpenPose were used to analyze stride frequency,step length,step length,step speed,active knee knee bending angle,stride length,double support phase time,as well as maximum hip flexion angle and maximum knee bending angle on squatting position.Western Ontario and McMaster Universities(WOMAC)arthritis index and Knee Society Score(KSS)were used to evaluate clinical efficacy of knee joint.Results All patients were followed up for 5 to 7 weeks with an average of(6.00±0.57)weeks.The total score of WOMAC decreased from(64.85±11.54)before op-eration to(45.81±7.91)at 6 weeks after operation(P＜0.001).The total KSS was increased from(101.19±9.58)before opera-tion to(125.50±10.32)at 6 weeks after operation(P＜0.001).The gait speed,stride frequency and stride length of the affected side before operation were(0.32±0.10)m·s-1,(96.35±24.18)steps·min-1,(0.72±0.14)m,respectively;and increased to(0.48±0.11)m·s 1,(104.20±22.53)steps·min-1,(0.79±0.10)m at 6 weeks after operation(P＜0.05).The lower limb support time and active knee bending angle decreased from(0.31±0.38)sand(125.21±11.64)° before operation to(0.11±0.04)s and(120.01±13.35)° at 6 weeks after operation(P＜0.05).Eleven patients could able to complete squat before operation,13 patients could able to complete at 6 weeks after operation,and 9 patients could able to complete both before operation and 6 weeks after operation.In 9 patients,the maximum bending angle of crouching position was increased from 76.29° to 124.11° before operation to 91.35° to 134.12° at 6 weeks after operation,and the maximum bending angle of hip was increased from 103.70° to 147.25° before operation to 118.61° to 149.48° at 6 weeks after operation.Conclusion Gait analysis technology based on artificial intelligence image recognition is a safe and effective method to quantitatively identify the changes of pa-tients'gait.Knee pain of KOA was relieved and the function was improved,the supporting ability of the affected limb was im-proved after TKA,and the patient's stride frequency,stride length and stride speed were improved,and the overall movement rhythm of both lower limbs are more coordinated.

This study aims to investigate the function of lmo2363 gene in stress resistance of Liste-ria monocytogenes strain LM83-1.In this study,the lmo2363 gene deletion strain and complement-ation strain of Listeria monocytogenes were constructed using overlapping extended PCR and ho-mologous recombination techniques,and the growth ability,stress survival rate and biofilm forma-tion ability of wild,deletion strain and complementation strain were compared under different stress environments.lmo2363 gene deletion strain and complementation strain of Listeria monocy-togenes were successfully constructed in this experiment.The growth curves showed that the growth capacity of the deletion strain was weaker than the wild strain LM83-1 under 4 ℃,7％NaCl,10％NaCl,3.5％ethanol,4.0％ethanol and pH5 stress(P＜0.001).The results of stress survival test showed that the survival rate of the deletion strain was significantly lower than the wild strain after 1 h treatment with pH3 and 10 mmol/L H2 O2 stress(P＜0.010).The biofilm forming ability of the deletion strain was decreased compared with that of the wild strain(P＜0.050).This study confirmed that lmo2363 gene mediated the adaptation of LM to low temperature,high osmotic pressure,ethanol and acid stress environment and affected the formation of LM bio-film.This study laid a foundation for further exploring the function of lmo2363 gene in the stress resistance process of Listeria monocytogenes.

Objective:To explore the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant immunotherapy combined chemotherapy after radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) with high recurrence risk (pT 2 with positive lymph nodes, and pT 3-4a with or without positive lymph nodes). Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data of 217 patients with bladder cancer admitted to Tianjin Medical University Second Hospital from August 2016 to January 2022. Among them, 183 were male (84.3%) and 34 were female (15.7%), with an average age of (67.3±8.6) years old. All 217 patients underwent radical cystectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection. Based on postoperative adjuvant treatment, the patients were divided into an observation group (147 cases, 67.7%) and a treatment group (70 cases, 32.3%). The observation group and treatment group had similar demographic and pathological characteristics. The age of the observation group and treatment group was (67.4±9.0) years and (66.3±7.6) years, respectively ( P=0.14). The postoperative pathological stages T 2 with lymph node positivity were observed in 8 cases (5.4%) in the observation group and 6 cases (8.6%) in the treatment group. For stages T 3-4awith lymph node positivity, there were 34 cases (23.1%) in the observation group and 18 cases (25.7%) in the treatment group. And there were 105 cases (71.5%) in the observation group and 46 cases (65.7%) in the treatment group of stages T 3-4a without lymph node positivity, respectively( P>0.05). Tumor diameter ≥3 cm was found in 118 cases (80.3%) in the observation group and 54 cases (77.1%) in the treatment group ( P>0.05), while tumor diameter <3 cm was observed in 29 cases (19.7%) in the observation group and 16 cases (22.9%) in the treatment group ( P>0.05).In the treatment group, 36 patients (16.6%) received postoperative chemotherapy with gemcitabine (1 000 mg/m 2, days 1 and 8) and cisplatin (75 mg/m 2, days 2 to 4) (chemotherapy group), while 34 patients (15.7%) received postoperative immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors (intravenous infusion of sintilimab 200 mg, terlizumab 200 mg, or toripalimab 240 mg on day 1) in combination with albumin-bound paclitaxel (200 mg on day 2)(immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group). The age of the chemotherapy group and immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group was (66.8±8.4) years and (65.8±6.8) years, respectively ( P>0.05). Postoperative pathological stages T 2 with lymph node positivity were observed in 3 cases (8.3%) in the chemotherapy group and 3 cases (8.8%) in the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group ( P>0.05). For stages T 3-4awith lymph node positivity, there were 6 cases (16.7%) in the chemotherapy group and 12 cases (35.3%) in the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group. And there were 27 cases (75.0%) in the observation group and 19 cases (55.9%) in the treatment group of stages T 3-4a without lymph node positivity, respectively( P>0.05). Lymph node involvement was seen in 9 cases (25.0%) in the chemotherapy group and 15 cases (44.1%) in the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group ( P>0.05). Tumor diameter ≥3 cm was found in 30 cases (83.3%) in the chemotherapy group and 10 cases (29.4%) in the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group ( P>0.05), while tumor diameter <3 cm was observed in 6 cases (16.7%) in the chemotherapy group and 24 cases (70.6%) in the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group ( P>0.05). Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate Cox regression test were used to analyze the overall survival (OS) at 1 and 3 years in the observation group and treatment group, as well as the disease-free survival (DFS) at 1 and 3 years in the chemotherapy group and immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group. Additionally, common adverse events were evaluated and compared between the chemotherapy group and immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group based on the criteria published by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. Results:The median follow-up time in this study was 18.4 (8.2, 34.7) months. The median follow-up time in the observation group and treatment group was 19.0 (8.3, 35.2) months and 17.5 (7.9, 33.2) months, respectively. The 1-year survival rate was significantly higher in the treatment group compared to the observation group (90.0% vs. 76.2%, χ2=6.92, P=0.009). Similarly, the 3-year survival rate was significantly higher in the treatment group compared to the observation group (82.9% vs. 57.8%, χ2=13.22, P<0.01). The median OS was 35.9 months in the observation group and was not reached in the treatment group, with a statistically significant difference ( HR=2.51, 95% CI 1.36-4.65, P=0.003).In the chemotherapy group and immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group, the median follow-up time was 10.7 (7.4, 22.1) months and 14.4 (6.3, 40.7) months, respectively. The 1-year disease-free survival rate was significantly higher in the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group compared to the chemotherapy group (91.2% vs. 67.6%, χ2=4.60, P=0.032). The 3-year disease-free survival rate was significantly higher in the chemotherapy group compared to the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group (88.2% vs. 55.6%, χ2=8.37, P=0.004). The median DFS was 27.7 months in the chemotherapy group and was not reached in the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group, with a statistically significant difference ( HR=3.39, 95% CI 1.46-7.89, P=0.016).The treatment group had complications classified as follows: 140 cases of grade 1, 39 cases of grade 2, 8 cases of grade 3, 2 cases of grade 4, and 0 case of grade 5 adverse reactions. In the chemotherapy group and the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group, there were both 5 cases with adverse reactions of grade 3 or higher. Specifically, in the chemotherapy group, there were 2 cases of anemia, 2 cases of decreased platelet count, and 1 case of decreased neutrophil count. In the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group, there was 1 case of anemia, 1 case of decreased platelet count, and 2 cases of decreased neutrophil count. Additionally, there was 1 case with elevated gamma-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT) in the immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group. The incidence of adverse events of grade 3 or higher in the chemotherapy group and immunotherapy combined chemotherapy group was 13.9% and 14.7%, respectively, with no statistically significant difference( χ2=0.01, P=0.922). Conclusions:Adjuvant therapy significantly prolongs the overall survival in high risk of recurrence for MIBC patients after radical cystectomy. For patients intolerant to platinum-based chemotherapy or refusing platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy, immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors combined with albumin-bound paclitaxel can be considered as an effective and well-tolerated adjuvant treatment after radical cystectomy.

With the accelerated aging society in China, the incidence of biliary surgical diseases in the elderly has increased significantly. The clinical characteristics of these patients indicate that improving treatment outcomes and realizing healthy aging are worthy of attention. How to effectively improve the treatment effect of geriatric biliary surgical diseases has attracted widespread attention. This paper reviews and comments on the hotspots and difficulties of biliary surgery in older patients from six aspects: (1) higher morbidity associated with an aging society, (2) prevention and control of pre-operative risks, (3) extending the indications of laparoscopic surgery, (4) urgent standardization of minimally invasive surgery, (5) precise technological progress in hepatobiliary surgery, and (6) guarantee of peri-operative safety. It is of great significance to fully understand the focus of controversy, actively make use of its favorable factors, and effectively avoid its unfavorable factors, for further improving the therapeutic effects of geriatric biliary surgical diseases, and thus benefits the vast older patients with biliary surgical diseases. Accordingly, a historical record with the highest age of 93 years for laparoscopic transcystic common bile duct exploration has been created by us recently.
Humans ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biliary Tract Surgical Procedures ; Gallstones ; Laparoscopy ; Treatment Outcome ; Aging ; Retrospective Studies

Objective: To explore the efficacy of chemotherapy re-challenge in the third-line setting for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in the real world. Methods: The clinicopathological data, treatment information, recent treatment efficacy, adverse events and survival data of mCRC patients who had disease progression after treatment with oxaliplatin-based and/or irinotecan-based chemotherapy and received third-line chemotherapy re-challenge from January 2013 to December 2020 at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital were retrospectively collected. Survival curves were plotted with the Kaplan-Meier method, and the Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze the prognostic factors. Results: A total of 95 mCRC patients were included. Among them, 32 patients (33.7%) received chemotherapy alone and 63 patients (66.3%) received chemotherapy combined with targeted drugs. Eighty-three patients were treated with dual-drug chemotherapy (87.4%), including oxaliplatin re-challenge in 35 patients and irinotecan re-challenge in 48 patients. The remaining 12 patients were treated with triplet chemotherapy regimens (12.6%). Among them, as 5 patients had sequential application of oxaliplatin and irinotecan in front-line treatments, their third-line therapy re-challenged both oxaliplatin and irinotecan; 7 patients only had oxaliplatin prescription before, and these patients re-challenged oxaliplatin in the third-line treatment. The overall response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) reached 8.6% (8/93) and 61.3% (57/93), respectively. The median progression free survival (mPFS) and median overall survival (mOS) were 4.9 months and 13.0 months, respectively. The most common adverse events were leukopenia (34.7%) and neutropenia (34.7%), followed by gastrointestinal adverse reactions such as nausea (32.6%) and vomiting (31.6%). Grade 3-4 adverse events were mostly hematological toxicity. Cox multivariate analysis showed that gender (HR=1.609, 95% CI: 1.016-2.548) and the PFS of front-line treatments (HR=0.598, 95% CI: 0.378-0.947) were independent prognostic factors. Conclusion: The results suggested that it is safe and effective for mCRC patients to choose third-line chemotherapy re-challenge, especially for patients with a PFS of more than one year in front-line treatments.
Humans ; Irinotecan/therapeutic use* ; Oxaliplatin/therapeutic use* ; Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Fluorouracil ; Colonic Neoplasms/chemically induced* ; Rectal Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/adverse effects* ; Camptothecin/adverse effects*