Hepatitis C virus infection is a global public health issue， and the emergence of direct-acting antiviral agents has brought revolutionary breakthroughs in the treatment of hepatitis C patients. Although direct-acting antiviral agents have a marked therapeutic effect in adult patients， there are still many challenges in the treatment of special populations such as pregnant women， infants， young children， and adolescents. This article reviews the current status of antiviral therapy for these special populations with hepatitis C and the problems that need to be solved， in order to provide reference and guidance for clinical workers.

Objective:To analyze and compare the clinical efficacy of robot-assisted and conventional navigation-assisted percutaneous minimally invasive pedicle screw placement in the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures and to provide reference for clinical treatment decisions.Methods:A literature search was performed in China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),VIP,Wanfang and English databases PubMed and Web of science by using the keywords"vertebral pedicle screws,"and"robot"in Chinese and"robot"and"pedicle screws"in English.The search time in both Chinese and English was from the establishment of the database to December 2022.The relevant clinical studies on robot-assisted and traditional navigation-assisted percutaneous minimally invasive pedicle screw placement for the treatment of thoracolumbar cone fractures were collected.Cochrane Scale and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale(NOS)were used to evaluate the quality of literatures and meta-analysis was carried out.The clinical effects of robot-assisted and traditional navigation-assisted surgery was compared.Results:A total of 15 articles were included in the study.Compared with traditional navigation-assisted percutaneous minimally invasive pedicle screw placement,robotic-assisted surgery resulted in shorter operative time[WMD=-11.45,95% CI(-18.94～-3.95),P＜0.05],less intraoperative bleeding[WMD=-19.11,95% CI(-27.51～-10.70),P<0.001],higher screw placement accuracy[number of grade A nails:RR=1.20,95% CI(1.16～1.25),P<0.001;number of grade A+B nails:RR=1.09,95% CI(1.07～1.11),P<0.001],and fewer complications[RR=0.35,95% CI(0.13～0.93),P＜0.05].The difference in hospitalization time was not statistically significant(P>0.05).Conclusion:In percutaneous minimally invasive pedicle screw placement for the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures,robot-assisted surgery has advantages over navigation-assisted surgery in terms of operative time,intraoperative bleeding,placement accuracy and complications.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of first-episode and recurrent acute hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis (HTGP).Methods:The retrospective cohort study was con-ducted. The clinical data of 313 patients with HTGP admitted to 26 medical centers in China in the Chinese Acute Pancreatitis Clinical Research Group (CAPCTG)-PERFORM database from November 2020 to December 2021 were collected. There were 219 males and 94 females, aged 38(32,44)years. Of the 313 patients, 193 patients with first-episode HTGP were allocated into the first-episode group and 120 patients with recurrent HTGP were allocated into the recurrent group. Observation indica-tors: (1) propensity score matching and comparison of general data of patients between the two groups after matching; (2) comparison of severity and prognosis in the course of disease within 14 days between the two groups; (3) the association between recurrent HTGP and the risk of persistent organ failure (POF); (4) follow-up. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the independent sample t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. Count data were expressed as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test. Comparison of ordinal data was conducted using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot the cumulative recurrence rate curve and Log-Rank test was used for survival analysis. The Logistic regression model was used for multivariate analysis, and continuous variables were converted into categorical variables according to the mean value or common criteria. Propensity score matching was performed by 1∶1 nearest neighbor matching method, with caliper value of 0.02. Paired t test or Wilcoxon rank sum test and McNemar′s test were used for comparison between matched groups. Results:(1) Propensity score matching and comparison of general data of patients between the two groups after matching. Of the 313 patients,208 cases were successfully matched, including 104 cases in the first-episode group and 104 cases in the recurrent group. After propensity score matching, there was no significant difference in demographic characteristics, severity of illness scores and laboratory test between the two groups ( P>0.05). The elimination of gender, acute physiology and chornic health evaluation (APACHE) Ⅱ score, computed tomography severity index score, systemic inflammatory response syndrome score, sequential organ failure assessment score, apolipoprotein E, C-reactive protein, creatinine, lactic acid dehydrogenase, procal-citonin confounding bias ensured comparability between the two groups. (2) Comparison of severity and prognosis in the course of disease within 14 days between the two groups. There were signifi-cant differences in POF and local complications between the first-episode group and the recurrent group ( P<0.05). (3) The association between recurrent HTGP and the risk of POF. Results of uncor-rected univariate analysis showed that there was no association between recurrent HTGP and the risk of POF ( odds ratio=0.78, 95% confidence interval as 0.46-1.30, P>0.05). Results of multivariate analysis after adjusting for covariates such as gender, age, APACHE Ⅱ score, C-reactive protein, triglyceride and total cholesterol showed that compared with first-episode HTGP, recurrent HTGP was associated with a higher risk of POF ( odds ratio=2.22, 95% confidence interval as 1.05-4.71, P<0.05). Results of subgroup analysis showed that age<40 years was associated with an increased risk of POF ( odds ratio=3.31, 95% confidence interval as 1.09-10.08, P<0.05). (4) Follow-up. Twelve of the 313 patients died during hospitalization, including 9 cases in the first-episode group and 3 cases in the recurrent group. The rest of 301 surviving patients, including 184 cases in the first-episode group and 117 cases in the recurrent group, were followed up for 19.2(15.5, 21.9)months. Results of follow-up showed that for 184 survived patients of the first-episode group, 164 cases were followed up and 24 cases experienced recurrence, for 117 survived patients of the recurrent group,29 cases experienced recurrence, showing a significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=4.67, P<0.05). Conclusion:Compared with first-episode HTGP, patients with recurrent HTGP are more prone to POF and local complications, and are more prone to recurrence after discharge. The risk of POF in recurrent HTGP patients is 2.22 times that of those with first-episode, and the risk is higher in patients with age <40 years.

ObjectiveBy exploring the volatile components， polysaccharide composition and changes in the contents of five carbohydrate components of Polygonatum cyrtonema rhizoma before and after processing， and then the effect of yellow rice wine on the odour formation of P. cyrtonema rhizoma was investigated. MethodThe volatile components of P. cyrtonema rhizoma before and after processing were detected by headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（HS-GC-MS）， and sample data were subjected to principal component analysis（PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） using SIMCA 14.1， then the differences between these components of P. cyrtonema rhizoma before and after processing were screened according to the principle of variable importance in the projection（VIP） value>1. Crude carbohydrate components in raw and wine-processed P. cyrtonema rhizoma were subjected to oxime and silylation， the carbohydrate components were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（GC-MS/MS）， and the relative contents of various components were calculated by peak area normalization， then quantitative analysis of four carbohydrate components was also carried out. ResultA total of 23 volatile components were identified from the raw products and the wine-processed products， including 15 components in raw products and 20 components in wine-processed products. Among them， 2-methylbutyraldehyde and isovaleraldehyde had a sweet odor and their contents increased after processing， but the contents of hexanal and caproic acid decreased， new components such as 2-acetylfuran and 5-methylfuranal were produced after processing. PCA and OPLS-DA results showed that there were significant differences between raw products and the wine-processed products， a total of 13 differential compounds were screened out， of which 7 showed an upward trend in relative content and 6 showed a downward trend. A total of 7 carbohydrate components， including 5 monosaccharides and 2 disaccharides， were identified in raw products and the wine-processed products. The results of determination showed that the contents of fructose， glucose， mannose and sucrose in P. cyrtonema rhizoma increased after wine-processing， and their increases were 4.54， 1.51， 2.93， 3.66 times， respectively. ConclusionAfter processing， the increase of aromatic flavor of P. cyrtonema rhizoma may be related to the increase of the contents of aldehydes such as 2-methylbutyraldehyde and isovaleraldehyde， while the decrease of raw flavor may be related to the decrease of the contents of volatile components such as hexanal and hexanoic acid， the increase of sweet flavor may be related to the increase of the contents of monosaccharides and oligosaccharides such as fructose and sucrose.

【Objective】 To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ureteroscope or flexible ureteroscope combined with balloon dilatation in the treatment of ureteral stricture with renal calculi in transplanted kidney. 【Methods】 The clinical data of 9 patients treated in our hospital during 2016 and 2022 were reviewed. The changes of the width of hydronephrosis, levels of creatinine and urea nitrogen, reoperation, and re-dwelling of stents were analyzed. 【Results】 One patient failed the operation because the guide wire could not be inserted, and the other 8 patients successfully completed the surgery. The stents were removed 6 to 8 weeks after surgery. During the follow-up of 8 to 48 months, no recurrence of renal calculi occurred; 5 patients had no recurrence of ureteral stricture; 3 patients (cases 4, 6, 9) underwent regular ureteral stent replacement due to hydronephrosis; the width of hydronephrosis, creatinine and urea nitrogen levels of 8 patients were significantly improved (P<0.05). 【Conclusion】 Ureteroscope/flexible with balloon dilatation is safe and effective in the treatment of transplanted kidney with ureteral stricture and kidney stones.

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in the perioperative period of pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). Methods Chinese and English databases were searched for controlled clinical trials on the application of ERAS in PD published from 2000 to 2021. Screening, quality assessment, and data extraction were performed for the articles, and RevMan5.3 software was used for meta-analysis. This study was registered on PROSPERO with a registration number of CRD42021287931. Results A total of 22 controlled clinical trials were included, with 3531 patients in total. The results showed that the implementation of ERAS in the perioperative period of PD reduced the incidence rates of total complications (odds ratio [ OR ]=0.63, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 0.48-0.83, P =0.001), abdominal infection ( OR =0.65, 95% CI : 0.47-0.88, P =0.005), pulmonary complications ( OR =0.57, 95% CI : 0.42-0.78, P =0.000 5), pancreatic leakage ( OR =0.80, 95% CI : 0.67-0.97, P =0.02), and delayed gastric emptying ( OR =0.58, 95% CI : 0.48-0.71, P < 0.001) and effectively shortened the length of postoperative hospital stay (mean difference=-2.76, 95% CI : -3.36 to -2.16, P < 0.001). However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in mortality rate, incision infection, postoperative bleeding rate, reoperation, and rehospitalization (all P > 0.05). Conclusion ERAS has good efficacy and safety in the perioperative period of PD and can significantly reduce the incidence rates of postoperative complications and shorten the length of postoperative hospital stay. Therefore, it holds promise for clinical application.

Optimizing the drug price management mechanism and improving the availability and affordability of drugs are important in deepening the medical and health reform. The price of drugs in the United States has always been higher than the world average. The price of drugs, the total expenditure on drugs and the personal burden of patients have shown an increasing trend. By exploring the causes of high drug prices in the United States, the author found that there were four main reasons for the current situation of drug prices in the United States, including the interests of enterprises, the limited competition mechanism of the US drug market, relatively insufficient market bargaining power of the US payers, and opaque mechanism of price formation.Firstly, pharmaceutical companies try to achieve their interests by raising drug prices. Secondly, the price formation mechanism of the United States drug market is affected by the price strategy of pharmaceutical companies, and government policies also indirectly affect the role of the market. Thirdly, the payers in the United States are relatively scattered, so that the market bargaining power is relatively insufficient.Fourthly, due to the numerous drug circulation links and stakeholders, the drug price formation mechanism is opaque and lacks supervision. Therefore, when strengthening drug price management in China, we should build a coordination mechanism between the government and the market on the basis of the existing basic economic system and drug management mechanism, establish the strategic purchase and negotiation position of medical insurance for drugs, enhance the transparency of drug circulation and trading, and establish a scientific pricing system. It is also important to promote drug innovation and ensure drug quality.

Objective:To evaluate the value of the crescent sign for predicting the invasiveness of lung adenocarcinoma presenting as pure ground-glass nodule (pGGN).Methods:The clinical, pathological and imaging data of 316 patients (320 pGGNs) confirmed lung adenocarcinoma by surgery and pathology from July 2013 to June 2018 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. All pGGNs were divided into preinvasive group (148 pGGNs) and invasive group (172 pGGNs) according to histopathology. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the risk factors for invasiveness of pGGN, and the ROC curve analysis was performed on each risk factor.Results:Crescent sign was found in 24 cases (16.2%) in the preinvasive group and 49 (28.5%) in the invasive group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (χ2=6.804 ,P=0.009).There were statistically significant differences in patient′s age, lesion size, shape, lobulation sign, and vascular stretch sign between the two groups ( P<0.05). The ROC curve showed that with the lesion size 10.5 mm as the optimal cut off value, the sensitivity for differential diagnosis of preinvasive and invasive lesions was 65.7%, the specificity was 61.5%, and the area under the curve was 0.666. Logistic regression analysis showed that maximum diameter of the lesion ≥10.5 mm, irregular shape, crescent sign and vascular stretch were independent risk factors of invasiveness of pGGN, and the OR value (95%CI) were 3.192 (1.981-5.144), 3.672 (1.545-8.725), 1.972 (1.104-3.521), and 2.026 (1.087-3.777), respectively. A logistic model was established based on the above four independent risk factors, and the area under curve was 0.711 (95%CI 0.655-0.768). Conclusion:Crescent sign can effectively reflect the invasiveness of pGGN. Maximum diameter of the lesion ≥10.5 mm, irregular shape, crescent sign and vascular stretch sign are independent risk factors of invasiveness of pGGN.

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infected with Delta variant, so as to provide further references for clinical diagnosis and treatment.Methods:A real-world study was conducted to analyze the characteristics of 166 COVID-19 patients infected with Delta variant at Guangzhou Eighth People’s Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University.Results:The study enrolled 5 asymptomatic cases, 123 non-severe cases (mild and moderate type), and 38 severe cases (severe and critical type). Among these patients, 69 (41.6%) were male and 97 (58.4%) were female, with a mean age of 47.0±23.5 years. Thirty-nine cases (23.5%) had received 1 or 2 doses of inactivated vaccine. The incidence of severe COVID-19 cases was 7.7% in 2-doses vaccinated patients, which was lower than that of 11.5% in 1-dose and 26.8% in unvaccinated patients. The proportion of severe cases in 2 dose-vaccinated patients was 7.7%, which was lower than that of 11.5% in 1-dose vaccinated patients and 26.8% in unvaccinated patients, but the difference was not significant ( P>0.05). The most common clinical symptom was fever (134 cases, 83.2%), and 39.1% of cases presented with high-grade fever (≥39 °C); other symptoms were cough, sputum, fatigue, and xerostomia. The proportion of fever in severe cases was significantly higher than that of non-severe cases (97.4% vs. 76.4%, P<0.01). Similarly, the proportion of severe cases with high peak temperature (≥39 ℃) () was also higher than that of non-severe cases (65.8% vs. 30.9%, P<0.01). The median minimal Cycle threshold (Ct) values of viral nucleic acid N gene and ORFlab gene were 20.3 and 21.5, respectively, and the minimum Ct values were 11.9 and 13.5, respectively. Within 48 h of admission, 9.0% of cases presented with decreased white blood cell counts, and 52.4% with decreased lymphocyte counts. The proportions of increased C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, interleukin 6, and interleukin 10 were 32.5%, 57.4%, 65.3%, and 35.7%, respectively. The proportions of elevated C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A and interleukin-6 in severe cases were significantly higher than those in non-severe cases ( P<0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that older age and higher peak temperature were associated with a higher likelihood of severe cases ( OR>3, 95% CI: 2-7, P<0.01). In terms of treatment, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was used in 97.6% of non-severe cases and 100% in severe cases. Other treatments included respiratory and nutritional support, immunotherapy (such as neutralizing antibodies and plasma of recovered patients). The median times from admission to progression to severe cases, of fever clearance, and of nucleic acid conversion were 5 days, 6 days and 19 days, respectively. No deaths were reported within 28 days. Conclusions:The symptoms of Delta variant infection in Guangzhou are characterized by a high proportion of fever, high peak temperature, long duration of fever, high viral load, a long time to nucleic acid conversion, and a high incidence of severe cases. The severe cases exhibit a higher percentage of elderly patients, a longer duration of fever and have a higher fever rate and a higher hyperthermia rate than non-severe cases. Age and hyperthermia are independent risk factors for progression to severe disease. The combination of TCM and Western medicine can control the progression of the disease effectively.

Objective:To analyze the differences in information needs of doctors, middle managers, and hospital leaders in tertiary public hospitals in the process of new technology access.Methods:From January to October 2018, 1 200 doctors and hospital administrators from 30 tertiary public hospitals in 8 provinces were selected. The importance scores of different positions for decision-making information demand of new technology introduction were collected through questionnaire survey, and the scores were analyzed by SPSS 25.0 software. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed.Results:1 032 valid questionnaires were obtained. Hospital-level leaders, middle-level managers, and doctors scored higher on the clinical application, safety, and effectiveness of technology at home and abroad(more than 4 points, maximum 5 points). Hospital-level leaders and middle-level managers had higher scores on effectiveness, evidence quality, possibility of being covered by medical insurance, ethics and relevant indicators of strategic level, while doctors had higher scores on health economics and organizational indicators.Conclusions:There are some differences in the information demand for new technology access among different positions in tertiary public hospitals. Understanding the decision-making needs of different positions is conducive to promoting the actual implementation of hospital-based health technology assessment standards in China′s public hospitals.