Esophageal cancer is one of the malignant tumors that poses a threat to human health, with both high incidence and malignancy. Currently, surgery following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is the standard treatment for locally advanced esophageal cancer; however, the long-term prognosis remains unsatisfactory. In recent years, inhibitors of programmed death protein-1 (PD-1) and its ligand (programmed death ligand-1, PD-L1) have achieved breakthrough progress in other solid tumors, and research on esophageal cancer is gradually being conducted. With the demonstration of good efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in the first-line and second-line treatment of advanced unresectable esophageal cancer, their incorporation into neoadjuvant treatment regimens has become a hot topic. Therefore, this article reviews the mechanism of action of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and their application in the neoadjuvant treatment of esophageal cancer.

Objective To explore the mechanisms of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) in improvement of renal injury in rats with diabetic nephropathy (DN) by regulating mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/p70 ribosome protein S6 kinase (S6K1)/coiled-coil myosin-like Bcl-2-interacting protein (Beclin 1) pathway. Methods The model of SD rats with DN was established by a method of high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin, and they were randomly divided into model group, MSC-EVs group, and MSC-EVs+MHY1485 (mTOR activator) group, with 12 rats in each group. Another 12 SD rats were normally fed for 6 weeks and then intraperitoneally injected with an equal dose of sodium citrate solution as controls. After grouping with MSC-EVs and MHY1485, blood glucose and levels of renal function indicators [blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr), and urinary microalbumin (UmALB)] in rats were detected. HE staining was used to detect the pathological morphology of renal tissue in rats of each group; immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of mTOR/S6K1/Beclin 1 pathway related proteins in the renal tissues of rats in each group; the Western blot was used to detect the mTOR/S6K1/Beclin 1 pathway and autophagy-related protein expression in the renal tissues of rats in each group. Results Compared with the control group, the renal tissue morphology of rats in the model group were impaired, and the blood glucose, BUN, Scr, UmALB, relative positive expressions of p-mTOR and p-S6K1, p-mTOR/mTOR, p-S6K1/S6K1 increased significantly (P < 0.05), while microtubule associated protein 1A/1B light chain 3 (LC3) Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ, expression of Beclin 1 protein, and relative positive expression of Beclin 1 significantly reduced (P < 0.05); compared with the model group, the MSC-EVs group had less impairment in the renal tissue morphology, and the blood glucose, BUN, Scr, UmALB, relative positive expressions of p-mTOR and p-S6K1, p-mTOR/mTOR, and p-S6K1/S6K1 decreased significantly (P < 0.05), while expression of LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ, Beclin 1 protein, and relative positive expression of Beclin 1 increased significantly (P < 0.05); compared with the MSC-EVs group, the impairment of the renal tissue morphology was worse in the MSC-EVs+MHY1485 group, and the blood glucose, BUN, Scr, UmALB, relative positive expressions of p-mTOR and p-S6K1, expression of p-mTOR/mTOR, and p-S6K1/S6K1 increased significantly (P < 0.05), while the expression of LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ, Beclin 1 protein, and relative positive expression of Beclin 1 decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Conclusion MSC-EVs can enhance autophagy, reduce levels of blood glucose, Scr, BUN and urinary protein in rats with DN, alleviate renal tissue damage, and the mechanism may be achieved by inhibiting the activation of the mTOR/S6K1/Beclin 1 pathway.

The use of bariatric and metabolic surgery as a central treatment for obesity has been steadily increasing. BMI, as a widely used metric for assessing obesity, has considerable relevance in the field of metabolic research. However, its limitations, such as its inability to account for variations in fat distribution, remain a subject of considerable controversy. In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in the relationship between changes in body composition and the risk of metabolic disease. Consequently, the study of the effects of bariatric and metabolic surgery on changes in body composition has become a major focus of bariatric and metabolic surgery research. As a potential replacement for BMI, body composition measurements are expected to improve and standardize the assessment of the effectiveness of bariatric and metabolic surgery. This underscores the urgent need for the development of methods and standards for body composition measurement. This paper undertakes a comprehensive review of the existing evidence on the application of body composition measurement techniques for the efficacy evaluation of bariatric and metabolic surgery. The intent is to provide new insights and pave the way for the exploration of future research directions in this area.

The use of bariatric and metabolic surgery as a central treatment for obesity has been steadily increasing. BMI, as a widely used metric for assessing obesity, has considerable relevance in the field of metabolic research. However, its limitations, such as its inability to account for variations in fat distribution, remain a subject of considerable controversy. In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in the relationship between changes in body composition and the risk of metabolic disease. Consequently, the study of the effects of bariatric and metabolic surgery on changes in body composition has become a major focus of bariatric and metabolic surgery research. As a potential replacement for BMI, body composition measurements are expected to improve and standardize the assessment of the effectiveness of bariatric and metabolic surgery. This underscores the urgent need for the development of methods and standards for body composition measurement. This paper undertakes a comprehensive review of the existing evidence on the application of body composition measurement techniques for the efficacy evaluation of bariatric and metabolic surgery. The intent is to provide new insights and pave the way for the exploration of future research directions in this area.

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) can lead to lower back pain and may be even accompanied by scoliosis, neurological dysfunction and other complications, which will affect the daily activities and life quality of patients. Vertebral augmentation is an effective treatment method for OVCF, but it cannot correct unbalance of bone metabolism or improve the osteoporotic status, causing complications like lower back pain, limited spinal activities and vertebral refracture. The post-operative systematic and standardized rehabilitation treatments can improve curative effect and therapeutic efficacy of anti-osteoporosis, reduce risk of vertebral refracture, increase patient compliance and improve quality of life. Since there still lack relevant clinical treatment guidelines for postoperative rehabilitation treatments following vertebral augmentation for OVCF, the current treatments are varied with uneven therapeutic effect. In order to standardize the postoperative rehabilitation treatment, the Spine Trauma Group of the Orthopedic Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized relevant experts to refer to relevant literature and develop the "Guideline for postoperative rehabilitation treatment following vertebral augmentation for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (2022 version)" based on the clinical guidelines published by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) as well as on the principles of scientificity, practicality and advancement. The guideline provided evidence-based recommendations on 10 important issues related to postoperative rehabilitation treatments of OVCF.

Objective     To evaluate the early clinical effect of reimplantation in the treatment of bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) with aortic root aneurysm. Methods     The clinical data of 25 patients with BAV and aortic root aneurysm [mean diameter: 45-63 (52.68±5.55) mm] undergoing reimplantation in West China Hospital from November 2019 to May 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. There were 22 males and 3 females. The mean age was 15-65 (50.00±13.10) years and body surface area was 1.79±0.23 m2. Results    The pathological classification of BAV malformation was confirmed during the operation: Type 0 in 3 patients and Type 1 in 22 patients. There were 12 patients undergoing cusp central plication, and 2 patients were sutured with a closed fusion crest. Postoperative valve leaflet coaptation height was 0.78±0.15 cm, and effective height was 1.27±0.19 cm. In operation, maximum aortic valve flow velocity was 1.65±0.42 m/s, pressure difference was 5.46±3.05 mm Hg, and aortic valve annulus diameter was 21.32±0.95 mm. Cardiopulmonary bypass time was 225.84±35.34 min, and aortic block time was 189.60±26.51 min. In-hospital time was 11.64±3.07 d, ICU stay time was 2.64±0.99 d, and mechanical ventilation time was 1.48±0.87 d. The follow-up time was 17.20±4.70 months, and no death or major complications occurred during the follow-up in all patients. The cardiac function of the patients significantly improved postoperatively (P≤0.05). Echocardiography suggested that 12 patients had no aortic regurgitation, 10 minor aortic regurgitation, 3 mild aortic regurgitation, and no patients with moderate or more severe regurgitation. The diameter of the aortic sinus, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter and volume decreased during the follow-up, compared to preoperative ones (P≤0.05). The maximum flow velocity of the aortic valve was 1.54±0.36 m/s, and the pressure difference was 5.17±2.38 mm Hg during the follow-up. Conclusion    Reimplantation technology has a good clinical effect for highly selective BAV patients. It can effectively avoid long-term postoperative anticoagulation, but the maximum flow rate after surgery is slightly increased, which may be related to the configuration of BAV itself. While compared with valve replacement, the effect is still worthy of recognition.

Objective:To summarize the publications in the field of neurofibroma and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor in the past 25 years, to illuminate the cooperation among countries, academic institutions and researchers, and to compare the research topics between Chinese and English databases, and to predict the research trend.Methods:Web of Science and CNKI databases were searched, and literature about neurofibroma and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor(MPNST) resection from January 1st, 1997 to September 2nd, 2021 were included. Excel 2017 was used for statistical analysis. VOSviewer 1.6.16 software was used for clustering and visualization of countries, institutions, authors, and keywords.Results:A total of 9 620 English articles and 957 Chinese articles were included. Over the past 25 years, Chinese and English publications have been increasing quickly. In terms of countries and institutions, most of the countries with a large number of documents published in English literature (top 10) are developed countries and the institutional cooperation between them is relatively close. In terms of keywords clustering, the result of English literature are more comprehensive, including the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of complications. The clustering result suggest that the potential research hotspots in the future may be the impact of tumor microenvironment on the development of neurofibroma and MPNST, molecular typing of neurofibroma, drug resistance mechanism of neurofibroma and so on. The clustering of Chinese literature can be summarized as the auxiliary diagnosis of neurofibroma and the treatment of complications.Conclusions:In the future, researchers may pay more attention to the role of tumor microenvironment in the development of neurofibroma, driving factors of neurofibroma and MPNST, molecular typing and drug resistance mechanism of neurofibroma.

Objective:To summarize the publications in the field of neurofibroma and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor in the past 25 years, to illuminate the cooperation among countries, academic institutions and researchers, and to compare the research topics between Chinese and English databases, and to predict the research trend.Methods:Web of Science and CNKI databases were searched, and literature about neurofibroma and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor(MPNST) resection from January 1st, 1997 to September 2nd, 2021 were included. Excel 2017 was used for statistical analysis. VOSviewer 1.6.16 software was used for clustering and visualization of countries, institutions, authors, and keywords.Results:A total of 9 620 English articles and 957 Chinese articles were included. Over the past 25 years, Chinese and English publications have been increasing quickly. In terms of countries and institutions, most of the countries with a large number of documents published in English literature (top 10) are developed countries and the institutional cooperation between them is relatively close. In terms of keywords clustering, the result of English literature are more comprehensive, including the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of complications. The clustering result suggest that the potential research hotspots in the future may be the impact of tumor microenvironment on the development of neurofibroma and MPNST, molecular typing of neurofibroma, drug resistance mechanism of neurofibroma and so on. The clustering of Chinese literature can be summarized as the auxiliary diagnosis of neurofibroma and the treatment of complications.Conclusions:In the future, researchers may pay more attention to the role of tumor microenvironment in the development of neurofibroma, driving factors of neurofibroma and MPNST, molecular typing and drug resistance mechanism of neurofibroma.

Objective:To explore the surgical method and clinical effect of forearm arterialized venous flap in repair of soft tissue defects of fingers.Methods:A total of 13 cases of finger soft tissue defects with exposure of deep tissue were repaired with forearm arterialized venous flap from January, 2013 to October, 2019. The flap was designed in the forearm, and 2 parallel superficial veins were selected, the diameter of vein was similar to that at recipient site. The long axis of the flap was the same as that of the vein, and the width of the flap was divided into 3 equal parts by the 2 superficial veins. The free flap was cut longitudinally in the middle between 2 vessels under microscope, and a width of about 2 mm of the subcutaneous tissue was removed to the subdermal vascular network. The communicating branch between 2 vessels was ligated, and the subcutaneous tissue between 2 vessels was cut completely. The flap was not inverted, and the cut area was 3.5 cm× 2.5 cm-7.0 cm×4.0 cm. The proximal ends of the 2 vessels in the flap were anastomosed with the arteries and veins of the recipient area.Results:Thirteen flaps survived, and 9 patient entered follow-up for an average of 11(3-23) months. The flaps were soft and had no effect on the joint movement, slightly bloated. The TPD of flaps was 9 - 18 mm, with an average of 13 mm.Conclusion:Forearm arterialized venous flap has the advantages of high survival rate, satisfactory function, finger pulp-type change, superficial location, easy harvest and no sacrifice of main artery. It is an ideal method for repairing finger soft tissue defects.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of Xuebijing injection on the improvement of pneumonia severity index (PSI) and prognosis in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Methods:A multicenter prospective cohort study was designed. Adult patients with COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of 28 designated COVID-19 hospitals in 15 provinces and cities of China from January to March 2020 were enrolled. All patients were treated according to the standard treatment plan of COVID-19 issued by the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China. They were divided into Xuebijing group and standard treatment group according to whether they received Xuebijing injection or not. In the standard treatment group, routine medical care measures such as antiviral, respiratory support, circulatory support and symptomatic treatment were taken. In the Xuebijing group, on the basis of standard treatment, Xuebijing was used within 12 hours of admission to the ICU, 100 mL each time, twice daily. The minimum duration of Xuebijing administration was 1 day. The improvement rate of PSI risk rating on the 8th day and clinical outcome on the 28th day were recorded.Results:A total of 276 COVID-19 patients were screened continuously, and the data of 144 severe patients who met PSI risk rating Ⅲ-Ⅴ were analyzed. Seventy-two cases were involved each in standard treatment group and Xuebijing group. The average age of the standard treatment group and Xuebijing group were (65.7±7.9) years old and (63.5±10.9) years old, and male accounted for 75.0% (54/72) and 70.8% (51/72), respectively. There were no significant differences in general conditions, comorbidities, PSI risk rating and score, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, oxygenation index (PaO 2/FiO 2), respiratory support mode and other baseline indicators between the two groups. Compared with the standard treatment group, the improvement rate of PSI risk rating in Xuebijing group on the 8th day after admission was significantly improved [56.9% (41/72) vs. 20.8% (15/72), between-group difference and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 36.1% (21.3% to 50.9%), P < 0.01], PSI score, SOFA score and PaO 2/FiO 2 were significantly improved [PSI score: 83.7±34.8 vs. 108.2±25.6, between-group difference (95% CI) was -24.5 (-34.9 to -14.1); SOFA score: 2.0 (1.0, 4.0) vs. 7.0 (4.0, 10.0), between-group difference (95% CI) was -3.5 (-5.0 to -2.0); PaO 2/FiO 2 (mmHg, 1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa): 289.4±111.6 vs. 188.5±98.1, between-group difference (95% CI) was 100.9 (65.3 to 136.5); all P < 0.01]. The 28-day discharge rate of Xuebijing group was 44.5% higher than that of standard treatment group [66.7% (48/72) vs. 22.2% (16/72), P < 0.01], and the 28-day survival rate was 9.8% [91.7% (66/72) vs. 81.9% (59/72), P < 0.01]. There was no significant difference in the combination of antiviral drugs, antibiotics, anticoagulants and vasopressor drugs between the two groups. There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the Xuebijing group and standard treatment group [41.7% (30/72) vs. 43.1% (31/72), P > 0.05], and no serious adverse events and adverse reactions of Xuebijing were reported. Conclusion:Standard treatment combined with Xuebijing injection can significantly improve the PSI risk score and clinical prognosis of patients with severe COVID-19 without increasing drug safety risk.