Objective:To investigate the current status of endoscopic treatment for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension in China, and to provide supporting data and reference for the development of endoscopic treatment.Methods:In this study, initiated by the Liver Health Consortium in China (CHESS), a questionnaire was designed and distributed online to investigate the basic condition of endoscopic treatment for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension in 2022 in China. Questions included annual number and indication of endoscopic procedures, adherence to guideline for preventing esophagogastric variceal bleeding (EGVB), management and timing of emergent EGVB, management of gastric and isolated varices, and improvement of endoscopic treatment. Proportions of hospitals concerning therapeutic choices to all participant hospitals were calculated. Guideline adherence between secondary and tertiary hospitals were compared by using Chi-square test.Results:A total of 836 hospitals from 31 provinces (anotomous regions and municipalities) participated in the survey. According to the survey, the control of acute EGVB (49.3%, 412/836) and the prevention of recurrent bleeding (38.3%, 320/836) were major indications of endoscopic treatment. For primary [non-selective β-blocker (NSBB) or endoscopic therapies] and secondary prophylaxis (NSBB and endoscopic therapies) of EGVB, adherence to domestic guideline was 72.5% (606/836) and 39.2% (328/836), respectively. There were significant differences in the adherence between secondary and tertiary hospitals in primary prophylaxis of EGVB [71.0% (495/697) VS 79.9% (111/139), χ2=4.11, P=0.033] and secondary prophylaxis of EGVB [41.6% (290/697) VS 27.3% (38/139), χ2=9.31, P=0.002]. A total of 78.2% (654/836) hospitals preferred endoscopic therapies treating acute EGVB, and endoscopic therapy was more likely to be the first choice for treating acute EGVB in tertiary hospitals (82.6%, 576/697) than secondary hospitals [56.1% (78/139), χ2=46.33, P<0.001]. The optimal timing was usually within 12 hours (48.5%, 317/654) and 12-24 hours (36.9%, 241/654) after the bleeding. Regarding the management of gastroesophageal varices type 2 and isolated gastric varices type 1, most hospitals used cyanoacrylate injection in combination with sclerotherapy [48.2% (403/836) and 29.9% (250/836), respectively], but substantial proportions of hospitals preferred clip-assisted therapies [12.4% (104/836) and 26.4% (221/836), respectively]. Improving the skills of endoscopic doctors (84.2%, 704/836), and enhancing the precision of pre-procedure evaluation and quality of multidisciplinary team (78.9%, 660/836) were considered urgent needs in the development of endoscopic treatment. Conclusion:A variety of endoscopic treatments for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension are implemented nationwide. Participant hospitals are active to perform emergent endoscopy for acute EGVB, but are inadequate in following recommendations regarding primary and secondary prophylaxis of EGVB. Moreover, the selection of endoscopic procedures for gastric varices differs greatly among hospitals.

Objective:To investigate the current situation of the use of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) for portal hypertension, which should aid the development of TIPS in China.Methods:The China Portal Hypertension Alliance (CHESS) initiated this study that comprehensively investigated the basic situation of TIPS for portal hypertension in China through network research. The survey included the following: the number of surgical cases, main indications, the development of Early-TIPS, TIPS for portal vein cavernous transformation, collateral circulation embolization, intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurement, commonly used stent types, conventional anticoagulation and time, postoperative follow-up, obstacles, and the application of domestic instruments.Results:According to the survey, a total of 13 527 TIPS operations were carried out in 545 hospitals participating in the survey in 2021, and 94.1% of the hospital had the habit of routine follow-up after TIPS. Most hospitals believed that the main indications of TIPS were the control of acute bleeding (42.6%) and the prevention of rebleeding (40.7%). 48.1% of the teams carried out early or priority TIPS, 53.0% of the teams carried out TIPS for the cavernous transformation of the portal vein, and 81.0% chose routine embolization of collateral circulation during operation. Most of them used coils and biological glue as embolic materials, and 78.5% of the team routinely performed intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurements. In selecting TIPS stents, 57.1% of the hospitals woulel choose Viator-specific stents, 57.2% woulel choose conventional anticoagulation after TIPS, and the duration of anticoagulation was between 3-6 months (55.4%). The limitation of TIPS surgery was mainly due to cost (72.3%) and insufficient understanding of doctors in related departments (77.4%). Most teams accepted the domestic instruments used in TIPS (92.7%).Conclusions:This survey shows that TIPS treatment is an essential part of treating portal hypertension in China. The total number of TIPS cases is far from that of patients with portal hypertension. In the future, it is still necessary to popularize TIPS technology and further standardize surgical indications, routine operations, and instrument application.

Hepatitis B virus infection is a serious threat to human life and health. The approved anti-HBV drugs including interferons and nucleos(t)ide analogues have serious adverse effect, rebound phenomena after drug withdrawal, and drug resistance. And the cccDNA cannot be completely eliminated by both of them, which is the reason why a complete cure for hepatitis B cannot be achieved. Therefore, developing anti-HBV drugs directly targeting protein or nucleic acid of HBV remains a current public health priority. Based on the analysis of representative literature from the last decade, this article reviews recent developments in small molecule inhibitors directly targeting HBV from a medicinal chemistry perspective.

This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of astragaloside Ⅳ in mice with ulcerative colitis(UC) and its effect on the percentage of peripheral blood T helper(Th17) cells. Following the establishment of UC mouse model with 2% sodium dextran sulfate(DSS), mice in the positive control group and low-and high-dose astragaloside Ⅳ groups were treated with corresponding drugs by gavage. Disease activity index(DAI) was calculated, and serum interleukin-17(IL-17), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), and transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β) levels were assayed by ELISA. The pathological changes in colon tissue were observed by HE staining, and Th17/regulatory T cells(Treg) ratio in the peripheral blood was determined by flow cytometry. Western blot was conducted for detecting the relative protein expression levels of forkhead box protein P3(Foxp3) and retinoic acid-related orphan nuclear receptor γT(ROR-γt). The findings demonstrated that in normal mice, the colonic structure was intact. The goblet cells were not reduced and the glands were neatly arranged, with no mucosal erosion, bleeding, or positive cell infiltration. In the model group, the colonic mucosal structure was seriously damaged, manifested as disordered arrangement or missing of glands, vascular dilatation, congestion, and massive inflammatory cell infiltration. The pathological injury of colon tissue was alleviated to varying degrees in drug treatment groups. Compared with the normal group, the model group exhibited elevated percentage of Th17 cells, increased IL-17 and TNF-α content, up-regulated relative ROR-γt protein expression, lowered TGF-β, reduced percentage of Treg cells, and down-regulated relative Foxp3 protein expression. The comparison with the model group showed that DAI score, pathological score, percentage of Th17 cells, IL-17 and TNF-α content, and relative ROR-γt protein expression in the positive control group, low-dose astragaloside Ⅳ group, and high-dose astragaloside Ⅳ group were decreased, while TGF-β content, percentage of Treg cells, and relative Foxp3 protein expression were increased. The DAI score, pathological score, percentage of Th17 cells, IL-17 and TNF-α content, and relative ROR-γt protein expression in the low-dose astragaloside Ⅳ group were higher than those in the positive control group, whereas the content of TGF-β, percentage of Treg cells, and relative Foxp3 protein expression were lower. DAI score, pathological score, percentage of Th17 cells, IL-17 and TNF-α content, relative ROR-γt protein expression in the high-dose astragaloside Ⅳ group declined in contrast to those in the low-dose astragaloside Ⅳ group, while the TGF-β content, percentage of Treg cells, and relative Foxp3 protein expression rose. There was no significant difference between the positive control group and the high-dose astragaloside Ⅳ group. Astragaloside Ⅳ is able to inhibit inflammatory response and diminish the percentage of Th17 cells in mice with UC.
Animals ; Colitis, Ulcerative/metabolism* ; Mice ; Saponins/pharmacology* ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; Th17 Cells ; Triterpenes/pharmacology*

Objective To investigate the independent risk factors for acute severe cholangitis and related protective factors, and to construct a risk prediction scoring model for acute severe cholangitis. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 381 patients with acute cholangitis who were admitted to Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The 940th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of Chinese People's Liberation Army, from January 2016 to July 2021, among whom there were 273 patients with non-severe cholangitis and 108 patients with severe cholangitis. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to screen out the independent risk factors for acute severe cholangitis and related protective factors, and then a logistic regression model was established. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the discriminatory ability of the model, the calibration curve was used to evaluate the prediction accuracy of the model, and decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the clinical value of the model. Moreover, the enhanced Bootstrap method was used to perform internal validation of the model and evaluate the performance of the model in internal validation. The model was visualized by the construction of Web calculator, nomogram, and scoring system. The two-independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. Results The univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that total bilirubin (TBil) (odds ratio [ OR ]=1.014, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 1.009-1.020, P < 0.001), percentage of neutrophils ( OR =1.128, 95% CI : 1.088-1.175, P < 0.001), and age ( OR =1.053, 95% CI : 1.027-1.082, P < 0.001) were independent risk factors, and albumin (Alb) ( OR =0.871, 95% CI : 0.817-0.924, P < 0.001) was a protective factor. The above independent risk factors and protective factor were included in the logistic regression analysis for model fitting, and the predictive model obtained had an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.925 (95% CI : 0.897-0.952), with a specificity of 0.817 and a sensitivity of 0.935 at the optimal cut-off value of 0.245. The calibration curve showed that the predicted probability of the model was approximately equal to the actual probability, with a Brier value of 0.098, and the decision curve analysis showed that the model had a higher net income within the threshold probability interval of 0.1-0.9. Internal validation showed an AUC internal validation of 0.915 and a Brier value internal verification of 0.106. Conclusion TBil, percentage of neutrophils, and age are independent risk factors for acute severe cholangitis, while Alb is a protective factor. The established risk prediction scoring model has good discriminatory ability, calibration, and clinical value and can identify patients with acute severe cholangitis at an early stage, which provides a reference for subsequent diagnosis and treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of Tiaohe Yinyang acupotomy (acupotomy for regulating and harmonizing yin and yang) for knee osteoarthritis (KOA). METHODS: A total of 88 patients with KOA were randomized into a acupotomy group and a sham-acupotomy group, 44 cases in each group. In the acupotomy group, acupotomy was applied at yin side (4-5 high stress points i.e. pes anserinus and terminal of popliteus) and yang side (1-2 high stress points i.e. stimulation point of infrapatellar ligament and suprapatellar bursa) of knee joint. In the sham-acupotomy group, sham-acupotomy was applied at the same points as the acupotomy group. The treatment was given once a week for 2 weeks in the two groups. Before and after treatment, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities arthritis index (WOMAC) score, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, thickness of medial and lateral collateral ligaments of knee joint, motion range of knee joint and plantar pressure distribution were observed in the two groups. In the follow-up of 3 months after treatment, the WOMAC and VAS scores were recorded in the acupotomy group. RESULTS: After treatment, the sub item scores (pain, stiffness and function) and total scores of WOMAC and VAS scores were decreased in the both groups (P<0.05), pain score, function score and total score of WOMAC and VAS score in the acupotomy group were lower than those in the sham-acupotomy group (P<0.05). Before and after treatment, there were no statistical differences in thickness of medial and lateral collateral ligaments of knee joint and motion range of knee joint between the two groups (P>0.05). After treatment, the plantar medial pressure was increased while the plantar lateral pressure was decreased (P<0.05), and the plantar force line moved medially in the acupotomy group. In the follow-up, the sub item scores and total score of WOMAC and VAS score were lower than those before and after treatment in the acupotomy group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Tiaohe Yinyang acupotomy can improve the clinical symptoms of knee joint in patients with KOA by changing the local biological stress.
Humans ; Social Group ; Pain

OBJECTIVE: To explore surgical methods and clinical effects of three different types of mini skin flap transplantation for repairing finger soft tissue with bone defect. METHODS: Thirty-three patients with finger soft tissue or bone defect were treated from December 2014 to October 2016, including 24 males and 9 females aged from 21 to 52 years old with an average of (36.42±5.70) years old, and soft tissue defect area ranged from 1.3 cm×1.8 cm to 2.3 cm×4.2 cm. According to damage degree, nature and patients' options, 15 finger of 15 cases were adopted retrograde dorsal metacarpal artery perforators fascia flap, 10 fingers of 9 cases were treated with free foot artery descending branch wrist skin flap, 9 fingers of 9 cases were treated with free the second toe details phalanges compound flap. Survival rate, postoperative complications and finger function assessed by Dargan functional criteria at the latest follow up were observed. RESULTS: All flaps were survived, both of donor site and recipient site were without deep infected. The donor site of one patient occurred necrotic, and the distal donor site of one patient occurred surface necrotic, then healed by active dressing change. All patients were followed up from 6 to 16 months with an average of(8.34±1.28) months. Two points of finger recognition were restored between 8 and 12 mm with an average of (8.84±0.43) mm, and the appearance, texture and sensory functions of skin flap were restored. No obvious complications were observed on the donor site. According to Dargan function evaluation of finger joints, 18 patients got excellent results, 14 moderate and 1 good. CONCLUSIONS Three kinds of mini skin flap could receive good results in repairing soft tissue of finger or bone defect. Reverse dorsal metacarpal artery perforator fascia flap is not necessary with anastomosing blood vessels and has advantages of safe, simple and high survival rate. Descending branch of superior cutaneous branch of free ulnar artery could cut multiple other perforator flaps simultaneously, and the scar is small and hidden. Dissociated the second toe combined metatarsal phalangeal flap could repair shape and function of finger to the maximum extent and donor site is hidden.
Adult ; Female ; Finger Injuries ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; Skin ; Skin Transplantation ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

Objective To systematically investigate the clinical efficiency and safety of ligation of inter sphincteric fistula tract versus incision-thread-drawing procedure for complicated anal fistula.Methods Searched PubMed,The Cochrane Library,CNKI,WanFang Data,and VIP from inception to May 2016,to collect randomized controlled trials of ligation of inter sphincteric fistula tract versus incision-thread-drawing procedure for complicated anal fistula.Search term included ligation of inter sphincteric fistula tract,fistula,incision-thread-drawing procedure,randomized controlled trial.The literatures were screened according to inclusive criteria,data were extracted and the quality of included studies was evaluated,and then meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.2 soft ware.A total of 5 randomized controlled trials including 305 patients were included.Results The results of meta-analysis showed that compared with incision-thread-drawing procedure,ligation of inter sphincteric fistula tract had a significant difference in amount of bleeding during surgery (MD =-18.30,95％ CI:-19.91 ～-16.69,P ＜ 0.000 01),the duration of pain (MD =-4.38,95％ CI:-4.69 ～-4.08,P ＜ 0.000 01),healing time (MD =-10.28,95％ CI:-15.71 ～-4.86,P =0.0002),hospital stay (MD =-7.44,95％CI:-10.87～-4.02,P＜0.000 1),recurrence rate (OR=0.31,95％CI:0.10～0.91,P=0.03).There was no significant difference in Operation time (MD =-5.83,95 ％ CI:-7.64 ～-4.02,P ＜ 0.000 01),effective percentage (OR =4.35,95％ CI:0.89 ～ 21.32,P =0.07) between both groups.Conclusion Compared with incision-thread-drawing procedure,ligation of inter sphincteric fistula tract shows significant advantage in cure rate,postoperative healing time,reducing post-operation pain,anal function protection and recurrence rate.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the diagnostic value of (18)F-FDG PET-CT imaging in primary extranodal lymphoma.

METHODSA retrospective analysis of 139 clinically suspected primary extranodal lymphoma patients examined by PET-CT and confirmed by biopsies was performed. Considering the pathological diagnosis as the gold standard, PET-CT imaging of all patients was compared with CT and PET to evaluate the efficacy of 18F-FDG PET-CT in detection of primary extranodal lymphoma. The maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax) from primary extranodal lymphoma patients was compared, and the data were analyzed by χ² test.

RESULTSOf the total 139 analyzed cases, 128 patients were confirmed to have primary extranodal lymphoma. The sensitivity, specificity and positive rate of PET-CT were 82.8%, 81.8% and 82.7%, respectively, that of CT were 65.6%, 72.7% and 66.2%, and that of PET were 78.9%, 36.4% and 82.0%, respectively. The sensitivity and accuracy of PET-CT were better than that of CT (χ²=9.881, 10.006; P=0.003, 0.002). The specificity of PET-CT were better than that of PET (χ²=4.487, P=0.034). In the gastrointestinal lymphoma, the sensitivity of PET-CT were better than that of CT (χ²=5.110, P=0.024). In the head and neck lymphoma, the sensitivity of PET-CT were better than that of CT (χ²=5.278, P=0.022). In the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, the sensitivity of PET-CT were better than that of CT (χ²=8.711, P=0.003). The SUV max of mucosa-associated lymphoma was significantly different from that of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (7.4±4.6 vs 15.8±10.6, P=0.032; 7.4±4.6 vs 13.6±7.1, P=0.046), respectively.

CONCLUSION18F-FDG PET-CT imaging is important in the diagnosis of primary extranodal lymphoma, but the differential diagnosis with other disease is important, and the result should be combined with multiple biopsies.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Humans ; Lymphoma ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDDouble plate osteosynthesis is the standard treatment for intra-articular fractures of the distal humerus. However, there is still controversy concerning dual plate positions in terms of providing optimal stability. The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare the clinical outcomes in patients with type C intra-articular distal humeral fractures using perpendicular and parallel plating methods.

METHODSBetween March 2008 and June 2011, a total of 45 patients with type C distal humerus fractures were treated using two different dual plating methods. Of them, 24 patients were treated by perpendicular plating (group I) and 21 patients were treated by parallel plating (group II). The surgical time, blood loss, and union time were compared between the two groups. The flexion-extension arc, the total range of flexion and extension at the end of follow-up were compared between the two groups. The Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS) was used to determine the elbow functional results.

RESULTSAll patients were followed up. The mean duration of follow-up was 16 months (range 12 - 25 months) in group I and 15.5 months in group II (range 12 - 25 months). There were no significant differences in the surgical time, blood loss, and the bone union time between the two groups. In group I, the mean elbow flexion-extension arc was 101° and the mean MEPS was 85 points. The rate of excellent and good results was 87.5%. In group II, the mean flexion-extension arc was 100° and the mean MEPS was 86.1 points. The rate of excellent and good results was 90.5%. There were no significant differences in the MEPS, flexion-extension arc, and the total range of flexion and extension between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONSPerpendicular and parallel plate configurations with the appropriate surgical techniques can provide anatomical reconstruction and stable fixation of type C intra-articular distal humeral fractures and allow early mobilization of the elbow after an operation. The occurrence of post-operative elbow stiffness can be reduced and good outcomes can be obtained.

Adult ; Aged ; Bone Plates ; Female ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; methods ; Humans ; Humeral Fractures ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies