Background Heavy metals may play an important role in environmental risk factors associated disorders of activities of daily living (ADL) in older adults. Objective To investigate the associations between plasma levels of six heavy metals (zinc, arsenic, cadmium, lead, manganese, and copper) and ADL disorders in older adults. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted from 2018 to 2019 among 1412 rural elderly people in Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The plasma metal concentrations were detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and subsequently classified into three groups (T1-T3) based on tertiles, with the T1 group as the reference. The samples were assessed for ADL disorders using the ADL scale. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline model (RCS) were used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to assess the associations between heavy metals and the prevalence of reporting ADL disorders. Results The mean age of the study population was (68.52 ± 5.92) years, 825 (58.4%) female and 587 (41.6%) male. Of these, 372 (26.34%) subjects reported ADL disorders, and most of them were female (74.30%). The results of logistic regression showed that the participants in the cadmium T2 group (0.15-0.25 µg·L⁻¹) had a higher risk of ADL disorders compared to the T1 group (≤0.15 μg·L⁻¹) (OR=1.552, 95%CI: 1.086, 2.134). After stratification by sex, the relative risk of ADL disorders was lower in the plasma copper T3 group (>1019.58 µg·L⁻¹) compared to the T1 group (≤868.12 μg·L⁻¹) in men (OR=0.481, 95%CI: 0.232, 0.998). The relative risk of ADL disorders was higher in the plasma cadmium T2 group (0.15-0.25 µg·L⁻¹) compared to the T1 group (≤0.15 μg·L⁻¹) in women (OR=1.758, 95%CI: 1.182, 2.616). The RCS results showed that the risk of ADL disorders in men was nonlinearly associated with copper (P_nonlinear=0.011, P_overall<0.05). Conclusion High levels of cadmium are positively associated with the risk of reporting ADL disorders, while high levels of copper are negatively associated with the risk of reporting ADL disorders in men.

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of arthroscopic irrigation combined with surgical debridement in the treatment of shoulder infection after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Methods: Data of 4 post-operative infected patients [(male 3 cases, female 1 case; 55 years (51-61 years)] after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair who underwent arthroscopic irrigation combined with surgical debridement from January 2016 to June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Less than 1 month after surgery, swelling, pain in the surgical area occurred and all patients had fever, abscess and sinus. Hematology and radiology were conducted immediately after admission. Antibiotic treatment was applied, and adjusted according to the culture results timely. All patients underwent arthroscopic irrigation combined with surgical debridement. Antibiotics continued accordingly after the operation. Blood routine, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, X-ray, etc. were rechecked regularly to evaluate the symptomatic relief of the infection and prognosis. Visual analogue scale (VAS) and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score were used to evaluate shoulder function during the pre-operative and post-operative follow-up period. Results: The surgery was successfully completed in all 4 patients. One was treated with VSD for vacuum suction and the wound was closed one week later. The results of microbial culture showed that 2 cases were Mycobacterium tuberculosis positive, 1 case Pseudomonas aeruginosa positive, and 1 case was Staphylococcus aureus positive. After treatment, the shoulder sinuses of all patients were healed, without swelling, pain, etc. The follow-up time was 3, 4, 32, and 33 months, respectively. There was no recurrence of infection until the latest follow-up. The joint mobility and scores were better than the situation of preoperative. The VAS score and ASES score of 2 patients with early debridement (< 1 month duration of infected symptoms) were respectively improved significantly from 5 and 40, 6 and 23 before operation to 1 and 80, 1 and 73 respectively at the latest follow up. The VAS score and ASES score of other 2 patients (> 6 months duration of infected symptoms) were respectively improved from 6 and 28, 6 and 32 to 1 and 62, 2 and 65 respectively. All patients were satisfied with the results. Conclusion Early arthroscopic irrigation combined with surgical debridement is an effective method to treat the post-operative infections after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.

Objective To evaluate the effect of an inverse planning simulated annealing (IPSA) in the treatment of cervical cancer with combined intracavitary and interstitial three-dimensional brachytherapy.Methods A total of 60 patients with locally advanced cervical cancer who received both external beam radiotherapy and combined intracavitary and interstitial brachytherapy in our hospital from October 2016 to July 2018 were enrolled.Patients were divided into four groups with 15 patients each according to the number of needles applied (1,2,3,and 4 needles,respectively).Dosimetric distributions were optimized with both Graphical optimization (GRO) and IPSA.Paired t-test was applied to compare the dosimetric differences between plans optimized with GRO and IPSA.Results The Dg0 and V100 of IPSA plans were higher than those of GRO (t=-4.742,-4.823,P＜0.05),while the conformity index (CI) and conformal index (COIN) were slightly lower than those of GRO plans (t=9.642,8.783,P＜0.05).No significant difference in the V150,V200,V300 between IPSA and GRO (P＞0.05) was observed.There was also no significant difference in the D2cm3 of bladder and rectum between IPSA and GRO (P＞0.05).The difference of Dg0 between IPSA and GRO was increased as the number of implanted needles increased,which increased from 4 cGy to 14 cGy as the number of needle increased from 1 to 4.The difference of V100 between GRO and IPSA was also increased as the number of needle increased.Conclusions In the treatment of cervical cancer with combined intracavitary and interstitial threedimensional brachytherapy,IPSA plan could improve the target coverage(D90,V100)without increasing the dose to the OARs and high dose region in the target compared with GRO.With the numbers of needles increased,the advantage of IPSA increased in terms of target coverage.

Objective To study the diagnostic value of endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) combined with the new category of papanicolaou society of cytopathology in solid pancreatic lesions (SPL) rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE).Methods From February 2011 to October 2014,225 patients with SPL who underwent EUS-FNA and obtained the cytological diagnosis were enrolled.The lesions were finally diagnosed according to pathological results,imaging and follow-up data,and then the sensitivity,specificity,and accuracy of EUS-FNA in the diagnosis of SPL were calculated based on the new papanicolaou society of cytopathology terminology.Logistic stepwise regression analysis was performed to analyze the risk factors.Results Among 225 patients with SPL,96 cases (42.7％)had uncertain cytological diagnosis,17.3％ (39/225) could not be diagnosed,8.0％ (18/225) were atypical lesions,and 17.3％ (39/225) were suspicious malignant carcinomas.Among 129 cases (57.3％)with certain cytological diagnosis,15.1％ (34/225) were benign lesions,14.7％ (33/225) were tumors (benign or others) and 27.6％ (62/225) were malignant tumors.When atypical lesions were added into non-tumor lesions or tumor lesions,the sensitivity,specificity and accuracy of diagnosis were 87.3 ％,91.7％,88.2％,and 94.7％,72.2％,90.3％,respectively.Serum CA125≥14 kU/L (odds ratio (OR) =7.13,95％ confidence interval (CI) 2.02 to 25.22,P=0.002) and history of biliary disease (OR=3.85,95％CI 1.22 to 12.51,P=0.022) were two independent risk factors of pancreatic tumors.Conclusions Despite of a high percentage of uncertain cytological diagnosis,EUS-FNA still has high diagnostic value in SPL when combined with the new papanicolaou society of cytopathology terminology.Furthermore,serum CA125≥14 kU/L and history of biliary disease may help to diagnose pancreatic tumors.

Objective To evaluate the prevalence of full thickness rotator cuff tear in patients with proximal humeral fractures,and the relationships between different risk factors.Methods Data of 113 patients with proximal humeral fractures from January 2014 to January 2016 who underwent surgical treatment were retrospectively analyzed.The general characteristics of patients (age,sex,cause of injury) were recorded and the rotator cuff was evaluated preoperatively on MRI and explored intra-operatively.We calculated and compared the incidence rate of age,sex in patients with and without rotator cuff tear.And the incidence rate of rotator cuff tear in different types of fracture according to Neer classification was calculated.Results The full thickness ro tator cuff tear were indentified in 28 patients (24.8％),and 21 of them had been confirmed by MRI preoperatively.Statistical significant difference was found between patients with rotator cuff tear group (average of 75.11± 10.89 years old) and without rotator cuff tear group (64.68± 13.43) for the age of the patient.Full thickness rotator cuff tear was most common in Neer 3 GT fracture (33.3％,8/54),followed by Neer 2 GT (26.67％,4/15) and Neer 2 SN (17.65,6/34),however,no full thickness rotator was found in Neer 4 type fracture.There were 4 patients with total rotator cuff tear who had symptom of shoulder before the operation.The other 24 patients had no symptom of shoulder.Conclusion Patient age was found as a risk factor for full thickness rotator cuff tear in humeral proximal fractures with the rate of 24.8％.Full thickness rotator cuff tear was most common in Neer 3 GT fracture.

Objective To compare the diagnostic yield of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) for solid pancreatic masses performed with three different needle types through the cytological results.Methods All patients with solid pancreatic masses larger than 2cm from December 2010 to May 2011 were enrolled,and divided into two groups according to different access of EUS-FNA,trans-gastric approach with 19-,22-and 25-gauge needles (n =42) and trans-duodenal approach with 22-and 25-gauge needles (n =10).In both groups,EUS-FNA was performed with randomization of needle types.During the puncture,the suction,the number of movements,and the depth of insertion were fixed.At the end of the puncture,a liquid-based cytological (LBC) preparation was used to fix the specimen.One cytopathologists was assigned to make the diagnosis and comparison.Results Technical success was 100％ and no procedure related complications occurred.No statistically significant differences were observed in different needles in terms of all cytological parameters between two groups (P ＞ 0.05).However,the 25-gauge needle showed a trend towards a higher sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value and accuracy.Conclusion There is no significant difference in yield of cytological results between different needle types,although 25-gauge needle shows a relative superiority.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) in combination with flow cytometry (FCM) in lymphoma.Methods From January 2011 to December 2011,the cases of suspicious lymphoma with EUS-FNA examination at Shanghai Ruijin Hospital were retrospectively analyzed.The final diagnosis was according to pathological diagnosis of specimen from the surgery and follow up results.The sensitivity,specificity and accuracy of EUS-FNA combined with FCM in lymphoma diagnosis were initially analyzed.Results A total of 14 suspicious lymphoma patients were collected,eight cases were diagnosed as lymphoma by pathological examination of specimen from the surgery or.tissue from aspiration,four cases were non-lymphoma lesions and two cases still had no final diagnosis.The sensitivity and specificity of FCM alone in lymphoma diagnosis were 4/8 and 4/4 respectively.Six cases of lymphoma were detected by EUS-FNA with FCM.The sensitivity,specificity and accuracy of EUS FNA combined with FCM were 6/8,6/6 and 10/12 respectively.Conclusion EUS-FNA combined with FCM has better diagnostic value in lymphoma,especially for gastrointestinal lymphoma and those surrounding deep lesions.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the accuracy of EUS,EUS-guided fine needle aspiration ( EUSFNA) and targeted biopsy in the diagnosis of wall-thickened gastric lesions with negative malignant results ofendoscopic biopsies.MethodsA retrospective study was carried out in 57 patients who were found with thickened gastric wall of negative malignant endoscopic biopsies and underwent EUS from January 2008 to December 2010 in our hospital.Compared the EUS findings with the surgical results and follow-up status.The diagnostic yield of EUS was characterized by the disappearance of the layers or the changes of thickness of gastric wall,the characteristics of echo imaging,and the results of EUS-FNA or EUS targeted biopsy were recorded to evaluate the value of EUS.ResultsOf 57 cases,gastric cancer was confirmed in 19,lymphoma in 10,dysplasia in 1,Menetrier's disease in 1 and inflammatory changes in 26.EUS could clearly demonstrate the changes of gastric wall including the thickness and the changes of layers,with the accuracy rate of 73.07％ ( 14/19 ) on gastric cancer.EUS diagnosed gastric cancer in 26 cases,in which 14 (53.8％) were confirmed by pathology.Gastric lymphoma was suspected by EUS in 20 cases,in which 10 (50.0％ ) were proved.EUS-FNA was conducted in 19 cases,with positive result in 9 (accuracy rate 50％ ).EUS-guided targeted deep biopsy or piece-meal biopsy were performed in 10 cases,with 8 malignant results.ConclusionEUS with/without EUS-FNA is not a golden standard for the diagnosis of gastric lesions in thickened gastric wall,yet it still has some significance.

Objective To evaluate the accuracy and clinical application of endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) in diagnosis of occupying lesions in upper digestive tract and its pe-ripheral areas. Methods The data of 64 patients who underwent EUS-FNA for occupying lesions in upper di-gestive tract, between July 2006 and December 2007, were retrospectively analyzed. Results EUS-FNA was successfully performed on 62 patients, with a success rate of 96.88%. The overall diagnostic accuracy, sensi-tivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of EUS-FNA for occupying lesions in upper digestive tract and its peripheral areas were 88.71%, 86.54%, 100.00%, 100.00%, and 58.82%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the foei larger and smaller than 3cm (P > 0.05), re-garding the diagnostic accuracy and average puncture numbers. Diagnostic accuracy of those with real-time cy-tolngical evaluation was significantly higher than those without (P=0.029), and the puncture numbers were less (P=0.001). Among the total 99 punctures, the positive diagnostic accuracy of those with 5ml negative pressure suction was significantly higher than those of 10 ml (P = 0.044). Conclusion EUS-FNA is a safe and applicable approach to diagnosis of occupying lesions in upper digestive tract and its peripheral areas with higher diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value. Moreover, the real-time cyto-logical evaluation and adequate negative pressure might facilitate the diagnosis accuracy.

Mimecan belongs to a family of leucine-rich proteoglycans that are secreted into the extracellular matrix. In order to investigate the function of mimecan, the coding region of mimecan was amplifed from a human pituitary cDNA by PCR and the recombinant prokaryotic expression vector pGEX-M was constructed. The vactor was transformed into E.coli BL21(DE3)and the GST-M fusion protein of 38 Kd was ecpressed in the bacteria under induction of IPTG. After purification, the fusion protein was infucted into New Zealand rabbits to prepare polyclonal antibody. The antibody was tested by Western blotting for their specificity and sensitivity. Using the antibody it was found the mimecan was expressed highly in certain types of human pituitary tumor tissues. These results make it possible for studying the biological function of mimecan.