Objective:To compare the surgical outcomes of robotic natural orifice specimen extraction surgery (NOSES) and robotic-assisted radical resection for rectal cancer.Methods:A retrospective analysis using propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted on 547 patients who had undergone radical resection of rectal cancer at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from June 2018 to March 2024. The study cohort comprised 157 patients in the robotic NOSES group and 390 in the robotic-assisted group. PSM was used in a 1:1 manner to match relevant general clinical preoperative data of the study patients (age, sex, body mass index, preoperative comorbidities, abnormal preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (>6.5 μg/L) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels (>27 kU/L), preoperative American Society of Anesthesiologists score, tumor diameter, tumor distance from the anal margin, and TNM stage), with a clamp value of 0.05. After performing PSM to match the general clinical data of the two groups of patients, 77 patients in each of the robotic NOSES and robotic-assisted groups were included in the analysis. We found no statistically significant difference in preoperative general clinical data between the robot NOSES and robot-assisted groups ( P>0.05). We compared the surgical outcomes, postoperative recovery, postoperative pathological data, and incidence of complications between the robotic NOSES and robot-assisted groups. Results:Compared with the robot-assisted groups. the robot NOSES group had a significantly shorter time to first postoperative passage of flatus (48 [38, 50] hours vs. 56 [50, 60] hours, Z=-7.513, P<0.001), time to taking a liquid diet (60 [54,63] hours vs. 66 [62, 72] hours, Z=-6.303, P<0.001), lower pain scores (3 [3, 4] vs. 4 [4, 5], Z=-5.237, P<0.001), and lower incision infection rates (0 vs. 5 [6.5%], χ 2=5.237, P=0.028) within 24 hours after surgery ( P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative anastomotic complications, or incidence of other complications between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion:Robotic NOSES surgery is a safe and feasible procedure for resecting rectal cancer and postoperative recovery is faster after robotic NOSES than after standard robot-assisted surgery.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) related to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data of 11 children with MIS-C, who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics of Peking University First Hospital from December 2022 to January 2023. Clinical characteristics, treatment, and follow-up of MIS-C were summarized in this study.Results:The 11 cases contained 7 boys and 4 girls, with an age of 4.4 (2.0, 5.5) years on admission. All the patients had fever, with a duration of 7(5, 9) days. Other clinical manifestations included rash in 7 cases, conjunctival hyperemia in 5 cases, red lips and raspberry tongue in 3 cases, lymphadenopathy in 3 cases, and swollen fingers and toes in 2 cases. There were 8 cases of digestive symptoms, 8 cases of respiratory symptoms, and 3 cases of nervous system symptoms. Eight patients had multi-system injuries, and one of them had shock presentation. All 11 patients were infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BF.7 variant. The laboratory examination results showed that all cases had elevated inflammatory indicators, abnormal coagulation function and myocardial damage. Six patients had elevated white blood cell counts, 5 cases had liver function abnormalities, 3 cases had kidney function abnormalities, and 8 cases had coronary artery involvement. All 11 patients received anti-infection treatment, of which 3 cases received only 2 g/kg intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), while the remaining 8 cases received a combination of IVIG and 2 mg/(kg·d) methylprednisolone. Among the 8 cases with coronary artery disease, 6 cases received low molecular weight heparin anticoagulation therapy. All patients were followed up in 2 weeks after being discharged, and their inflammatory markers had returned to normal by that time. The 8 cases with coronary artery disease and 3 cases with pneumonia showed significant improvement or back to normal at the 4-week follow-up. All patients had no new complications or comorbidities during follow-up of more than 3 months.Conclusions:MIS-C may present with Kawasaki disease-like symptoms, with or without gastrointestinal, neurological, or respiratory symptoms. Elevated inflammatory markers, abnormal coagulation function, and cardiac injury contribute to the diagnosis of MIS-C. IVIG and methylprednisolone were the primary treatments for MIS-C, and a favorable short-term prognosis was observed during a follow-up period of more than 3 months.

Objective:To compare the surgical outcomes of robotic natural orifice specimen extraction surgery (NOSES) and robotic-assisted radical resection for rectal cancer.Methods:A retrospective analysis using propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted on 547 patients who had undergone radical resection of rectal cancer at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from June 2018 to March 2024. The study cohort comprised 157 patients in the robotic NOSES group and 390 in the robotic-assisted group. PSM was used in a 1:1 manner to match relevant general clinical preoperative data of the study patients (age, sex, body mass index, preoperative comorbidities, abnormal preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (>6.5 μg/L) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels (>27 kU/L), preoperative American Society of Anesthesiologists score, tumor diameter, tumor distance from the anal margin, and TNM stage), with a clamp value of 0.05. After performing PSM to match the general clinical data of the two groups of patients, 77 patients in each of the robotic NOSES and robotic-assisted groups were included in the analysis. We found no statistically significant difference in preoperative general clinical data between the robot NOSES and robot-assisted groups ( P>0.05). We compared the surgical outcomes, postoperative recovery, postoperative pathological data, and incidence of complications between the robotic NOSES and robot-assisted groups. Results:Compared with the robot-assisted groups. the robot NOSES group had a significantly shorter time to first postoperative passage of flatus (48 [38, 50] hours vs. 56 [50, 60] hours, Z=-7.513, P<0.001), time to taking a liquid diet (60 [54,63] hours vs. 66 [62, 72] hours, Z=-6.303, P<0.001), lower pain scores (3 [3, 4] vs. 4 [4, 5], Z=-5.237, P<0.001), and lower incision infection rates (0 vs. 5 [6.5%], χ 2=5.237, P=0.028) within 24 hours after surgery ( P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative anastomotic complications, or incidence of other complications between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion:Robotic NOSES surgery is a safe and feasible procedure for resecting rectal cancer and postoperative recovery is faster after robotic NOSES than after standard robot-assisted surgery.

Objective:To investigate the influencing factors for the number of lymph node harvested after Da Vinci robotic and laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer.Methods:The retrospective case-control study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 1 396 patients who underwent Da Vinci robotic or laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from December 2014 to July 2019 were collected. There were 991 males and 405 females, aged (60±11) years. Surgery using Da Vinci robotic system or laparoscopic system was completed according to patients' wishes. Cases with early gastric cancer underwent D 1+ lymphadenectomy and cases with advanced gastric cancer underwent standard D 2 lymphadenectomy. Observation indicators: (1) intraoperative situations; (2) postoperative situations; (3) influencing factors for the number of lymph node harvested after radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer; (4) follow-up and survival. Follow-up using outpatient examination or telephone interview was performed to detect survival of patients up to October 2020. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD. Univariate analysis was done using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Multivariate analysis was performed using Logistic regression model. The survival rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method. Results:(1) Intraoperative situations: all the 1 396 patients underwent radical gastrectomy, including 415 cases undergoing Da Vinci robotic radical gastrectomy and 981 cases undergoing laparoscopic radical gastrectomy. Thirty-five of the 1 396 patients were converted to open surgery, including 5 cases undergoing Da Vinci robotic radical gastrectomy and 30 cases undergoing laparoscopic radical gastrectomy. Of the 1 396 patients, 983 cases underwent distal gastrectomy, 400 cases underwent total gastrectomy and 13 cases underwent proximal gastrectomy, among which 597 cases underwent Billroth Ⅰ anastomosis, 385 cases underwent Billroth Ⅱ anastomosis, 401 cases underwent Roux-en-Y anastomosis and 13 cases underwent residual stomach-esophagus anastomosis. The operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss and cases with intraoperative blood transfusion were (221±51)minutes, (201±81)mL, 24 of 415 cases undergoing Da Vinci robotic radical gastrectomy, and (196±42)minutes, (232±76)mL, 75 of 981 cases undergoing laparoscopic radical gastrectomy, respectively. (2) Postoperative situations: the time to postoperative first flatus, time to postoperative initial liquid food intake and duration of postoperative hospital stay of the 1 396 patients were (3.0±1.0) days, (4.2±1.5) days and (9.0±3.8) days, respectively. Two hundred and ten of the 1 396 patients had postoperative complications including 170 cases with grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ complications and 40 cases with grade Ⅲ-Ⅴ complications. Eight of the 210 patients with postoperative complications died of serious complica-tions and the other 202 cases were cured after symptomatic treatment. Results of postoperative histopathological examination showed that there were 958 cases of adenocarcinoma, 220 cases of mucinous adenocarcinoma, and 218 cases of signet ring cell carcinoma. The number of lymph node harvested and the number of positive lymph node of the 1 396 patients were 26.0±8.3 and 3.6±0.9, respectively, and cases with the number of lymph node harvested ≥16 or <16 were 1 312 and 84. (3) Influencing factors for the number of lymph node harvested after radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer: results of univariate analysis showed that the operating surgeon, operation method, range of gastric resection, nerve invasion, degree of tumor invasion and tumor pathological N stage were related factors influencing the number of lymph node harvested after Da Vinci robotic and laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer ( χ2=13.167, 6.029, 15.686, 5.573, 9.402, 17.139, P<0.05). Results of multivariate analysis showed that the operating surgeon, operation method, range of gastric resection and tumor pathological N stage were independent factors influencing the number of lymph node harvested after Da Vinci robotic and laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer ( odds ratio=1.589, 2.018, 1.787, 0.267, 95% confidence interval as 1.221?2.068, 1.140?3.570, 1.066?2.994, 0.103?0.689, P<0.05). (4) Follow-up and survival: of the 1 396 patients, 1 256 cases were followed up for 2 to 70 months, with a median follow-up time of 27 months. The 3-year cumulative survival rate of the 1 256 cases was 70.2%. Conclusion:The operating surgeon, operation method, range of gastric resection and tumor pathological N stage are independent factors influencing the number of lymph node harvested after Da Vinci robotic and laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis(ABPA) with eosinophilic granulomatous with polyvasculitis(EGPA) as a comorbidity.Methods:We collected the clinical data of a patient with EGPA who sought treatment with ABPA as a comorbidity. We summarized the diagnosis and treatment process of the patient, and reviewed the literature. After that, we discussed the relationship between the pathogenesis of ABPA and EGPA and the diagnosis and treatment experience.Results:A 61-year-old male patient suffered from repeated coughing, expectoration, hemoptysis, wheezing. His blood eosinophils count and immunoglobulin (Ig)E level were elevated. He was tested positive for aspergillus fumigatus. His Computer Tomography (CT) showed pulmonary nodules and bronchiectasis. He was diagnosed as ABPA. He also suffered limb numbness, sinusitis, and renal dysfunction and was diagnosed as EGPA. His condition improved after treatment with glucocorticoids, immunosuppressants and antifungal agents. We reviewed the relevant literature and retrieved 10 case reports, of which 5 cases were diagnosed as ABPA first and then EGPA, 3 cases were diagnosed as EGPA first and then ABPA, 2 cases were diagnosed simultaneously. We found that there was a certain correlation between them in the pathogenesis, and the main treatment is glucocorticoids, immunosuppressants and antifungal drugs.Conclusion:ABPA with EGPA as a comorbidity is rarely reported, which reminds us that when diagnosing one of the diseases in clinical work, we should be alert to the coexistence of another disease to avoid misdiagnosis.

Objective:To investigate the application value of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in totally Da Vinci robotic total gastrectomy.Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 97 patients with gastric cancer who underwent totally Da Vinci robotic total gastrectomy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University between January 2016 and February 2019 were collected.There were 57 males and 40 females, aged (59±10)years, with a range from 35 to 60 years. Of the 97 patients, 52 receiving perioperative management using ERAS were allocated into ERAS group, and 45 receiving traditional perioperative management were allocated into traditional group. Observation indicators: (1) intraoperative situations; (2) postoperative situations. Measurement data with normal distribution were expressed as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the t test. Count data were described as absolute numbers, and the chi-square test was used for comparison between groups. Repeated measurement data were analyzed by ANOVA. Comparison of ordinal datas was analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results:(1) Intraoperative situations: patients in the ERAS group and traditional group underwent totally Da Vinci robotic total gastrectomy for gastric cancer successfully. Cases with Roux-en-Y anastomosis or uncut Roux-en-Y anastomosis (methods of digestive reconstruction), operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss for the ERAS group were 25, 27, (205±28)minutes, (176±80)mL, respectively, versus 21, 24, (199±31)minutes, (182±81)mL for the traditional group, showing no significant difference in the above indicators between the two groups ( χ2=0.02, t=1.00, 0.37, P>0.05). (2) Postoperative situations: time to first out-of-bed activities, time to first anal flatus, time to initial liquid food intake, time to abdominal drainage tube removal, cases with postoperative complications, the number of lymph node dissected, cases in stage Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ of postoperative tumor staging, duration of postoperative hospital stay, hospitalization expenses were (1.85±0.29)days, (2.90±0.47)days, (2.53±0.28)days, (5.72±0.95)days, 6, 28±8, 4, 25, 23, (6.43±0.52)days, (60 222±3 888)yuan in the ERAS group and (3.04±0.39)days, (3.82±0.36)days, (4.24±0.30)days, (6.75±0.48)days, 5, (27±6)days, 3, 20, 22, (8.47±0.69)days, (64 197±3 369)yuan in the traditional group, respectively. There were significant differences in the time to first out-of-bed activities, time to first anal flatus, time to initial liquid food intake, time to abdominal drainage tube removal, duration of postoperative hospital stay and hospitalization expenses between the two groups ( t=17.19, 10.69, 29.02, 6.58, 16.57, 5.34, P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the postoperative complications, the number of lymph node dissected, or postoperative tumor staging between the two groups ( χ2=0.01, t=0.68, Z=-0.46, P>0.05). From 2 hours after anesthesia awakening to 48 hours after surgery, the visual analog pain scores were changed from 3.06±0.29 to 2.13±0.32 in the ERAS group, and from 4.11±0.74 to 3.26±0.42 in the traditional group, respectively, showing a significant difference in the changing trend between the two groups ( F=264.45, P<0.05). There was no death or readmission in the postoperative 30 days. Conclusions:ERAS applied in the totally Da Vinci robotic total gastrectomy is safe and effective, which is associated with faster gastrointestinal function recovery, shorter hospital stay, better pain control, and quicker recovery afer surgery.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of Da Vinci robotic and laparoscopic distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer.Methods The propensity score matching and retrospective cohort study was conducted.The clinicopathological data of 171 patients with gastric cancer who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from January 2015 to October 2016 were collected.There were 110 males and 61 females,aged from 38 to 81 years,with a median age of 57 years.Of 171 patients,70 undergoing Da Vinci robotic distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer and 101 undergoing laparoscopic distal gastrectomy were allocated into the robotic group and laparoscopic group,respectively.Observation indicators:(1) the propensity score matching conditions and comparison of general data between the two groups after the propensity score matching;(2) intraoperative and postoperative situations;(3) situations of pathological examination;(4) follow-up.Patients were followed up by outpatient examination and telephone interview to detect severe complications and survival after discharge up to October 2018.The overall survival time was from the operation data to end of follow-up or time of death.The propensity score matching was used to perform 1 ∶ 1 matching by Empower Stats.Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean ± SD,and comparison between groups was done using the t test.Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M (range),and comparison between groups was done using the Mann-Whitney U test.Count data were represented as absolute number,and comparison between groups was analyzed using the chi-square test and comparison of ordinal data between groups was analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test.The survival rate and curve were respectively calculated and drawn by the Kaplan-Meier method,and Log-rank test was used for survival analysis.Results (1) The propensity score matching conditions and comparison of general data between the two groups after the propensity score matching:124 of 171 patients had successful matching,including 62 in each group.The body mass index (BMI) and tumor diameter before matching were (24.2±2.4)kg/m2 and (50±13)mm in the robotic group,(25.1±2.1) kg/m2 and (45±14) mm in the laparoscopic group,showing statistically significant differences between the two groups (t =-2.676,2.045,P＜ 0.05).The BMI and tumor diameter after matching were (24.5 ± 2.3) kg/m2 and (49 ± 14) mm in the robotic group,(24.4 ± 2.2) kg/m2 and (48 ± 12) mm in the laparoscopic group,showing no statistically significant difference between the two groups (t=0.110,0.524,P＞0.05).(2) Intraoperative and postoperative situations:the total operation time,volume of intraoperative blood loss,level of C-reactive protein at day 1 postoperatively,level of C-reactive protein at day 3 postoperatively,volume of totally abdominal drainage were (147±13) minutes,(115±12)mL,(52.2±7.2)mg/L,(33.7±11.9)mg/L,353.5 mL (range,267.0-1 350.0 mL) in the robotic group,and (140± 12) minutes,(131 ± 12) mL,(58.2±7.4) mg/L,(41.1 ± 16.9) rag/L,397.0 mL (range,255.0-1 600.0 mL) in the laparoscopic group,respectively,showing statistically significant differences in the above indexes between the two groups (t =3.163,-7.814,-4.631,-2.840,Z =-4.351,P＜0.05).(3) Situations of pathological examination:patients after matching in the two groups received R0 resection,with negative duodenal margin and gastric margin.The number of lymph nodes dissected in the robotic group and laparoscopic group were 22±4 and 20±4,respectively,with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (t=2.812,P＜0.05).(4) Follow-up:124 patients after propensity score matching were followed up for 6-37 months,with a median time of 25 months.During the follow-up,no severe surgery-related complications such as obstruction of input or output loop and dumping syndrome were found in the two groups within 3 months after operation.The 2-year overall survival rate was 82.1％ and 75.2％ in the robotic and laparoscopic group,with no statistically significant difference between the two groups (x2 =0.436,P＞0.05).Conclusions Compared with laparoscopic surgery,Da Vinci robotic distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer has advantages in postoperative recovery and minimally invasion.There are similar 2-year overall survival rates in the two groups.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the diagnostic value of salivary and plasma miR-21 in patients with esophageal cancer (EC).

METHODSTotal RNA was extracted from saliva and plasma samples from 50 stage I and 50 stage II patients with EC and 50 healthy controls for measurement of miR-21 levels using qPCR. The diagnostic values of salivary and plasma miR-21 levels were assessed for stage I, stage II, and stage I+II EC.

RESULTSSalivary and plasma miR-21 were significantly higher in the EC patients than in the control group. The diagnostic sensitivities of plasma miR-21 for stage I, stage II, and stage I+II EC were 96%, 64% and 97%, with specificities of 44%, 84%, and 56%, respectively; the sensitivities of salivary miR-21 were 90%, 88%, and 89%, respectively, with the same specificities of 64%. Regardless of EC staging, the expression of plasma miR-21 showed a significant positive correlation with that of salivary miR-21, and their diagnostic values were comparable.

CONCLUSIONBoth salivary and plasmatic miR-21 can be sensitive biomarkers for EC, and salivary miR-21 detection has the potential to replace plasma detection for EC diagnosis.

Biomarkers, Tumor ; blood ; chemistry ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; blood ; diagnosis ; Humans ; MicroRNAs ; blood ; Plasma ; chemistry ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Saliva ; chemistry ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of salivary and plasma miR-21 in patients with esophageal cancer (EC). Methods Total RNA was extracted from saliva and plasma samples from 50 stage I and 50 stage II patients with EC and 50 healthy controls for measurement of miR-21 levels using qPCR. The diagnostic values of salivary and plasma miR-21 levels were assessed for stage I, stage II, and stage I+II EC. Results Salivary and plasma miR-21 were significantly higher in the EC patients than in the control group. The diagnostic sensitivities of plasma miR-21 for stage I, stage II, and stage I+II EC were 96%, 64%and 97%, with specificities of 44%, 84%, and 56%, respectively;the sensitivities of salivary miR-21 were 90%, 88%, and 89%, respectively, with the same specificities of 64%. Regardless of EC staging, the expression of plasma miR-21 showed a significant positive correlation with that of salivary miR-21, and their diagnostic values were comparable. Conclusion Both salivary and plasmatic miR-21 can be sensitive biomarkers for EC, and salivary miR-21 detection has the potential to replace plasma detection for EC diagnosis.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of salivary and plasma miR-21 in patients with esophageal cancer (EC). Methods Total RNA was extracted from saliva and plasma samples from 50 stage I and 50 stage II patients with EC and 50 healthy controls for measurement of miR-21 levels using qPCR. The diagnostic values of salivary and plasma miR-21 levels were assessed for stage I, stage II, and stage I+II EC. Results Salivary and plasma miR-21 were significantly higher in the EC patients than in the control group. The diagnostic sensitivities of plasma miR-21 for stage I, stage II, and stage I+II EC were 96%, 64%and 97%, with specificities of 44%, 84%, and 56%, respectively;the sensitivities of salivary miR-21 were 90%, 88%, and 89%, respectively, with the same specificities of 64%. Regardless of EC staging, the expression of plasma miR-21 showed a significant positive correlation with that of salivary miR-21, and their diagnostic values were comparable. Conclusion Both salivary and plasmatic miR-21 can be sensitive biomarkers for EC, and salivary miR-21 detection has the potential to replace plasma detection for EC diagnosis.