Perioperative outcomes of transvaginal specimen extraction laparoscopic total gastrectomy and conventional laparoscopic-assisted total gastrectomy.

BACKGROUND: Natural orifice specimen extraction surgery (NOSES) has emerged as a promising alternative compared to conventional laparoscopic-assisted total gastrectomy (LATG) for treating gastric cancer (GC). However, evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of NOSES for GC surgery is limited. This study aimed to compare the safety and feasibility, in addition to postoperative complications of NOSES and LATG. AIM: To discuss the postoperative effects of two different surgical methods in patients with GC. METHODS: Dual circular staplers were used in Roux-en-Y digestive tract reconstruction for transvaginal specimen extraction LATG, and its outcomes were compared with LATG in a cohort of 51 GC patients with tumor size ≤ 5 cm. The study was conducted from May 2018 to September 2020, and patients were categorized into the NOSES group (n = 22) and LATG group (n = 29). Perioperative parameters were compared and analyzed, including patient and tumor characteristics, postoperative outcomes, and anastomosis-related complications, postoperative hospital stay, the length of abdominal incision, difference in tumor type, postoperative complications, and postoperative survival. RESULTS: Postoperative exhaust time, operation duration, mean postoperative hospital stay, length of abdominal incision, number of specific staplers used, and Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire score were significant in both groups (P < 0.01). In the NOSES group, the postoperative time to first flatus, mean postoperative hospital stay, and length of abdominal incision were significantly shorter than those in the LATG group. Patients in the NOSES group had faster postoperative recovery, and achieved abdominal minimally invasive incision that met aesthetic requirements. There were no significant differences in gender, age, tumor type, postoperative complications, and postoperative survival between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The application of dual circular staplers in Roux-en-Y digestive tract reconstruction combined with NOSES gastrectomy is safe and convenient. This approach offers better short-term outcomes compared to LATG, while long-term survival rates are comparable to those of conventional laparoscopic surgery.

Downregulation of salusins alleviates hypertrophic cardiomyopathy via attenuating oxidative stress and autophagy.

INTRODUCTION: Salusins, which are translated from the alternatively spliced mRNA of torsin family 2 member A (TOR2A), play a vital role in regulation of various cardiovascular diseases. However, it remains unclear precisely regarding their roles in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Therefore, this study was conducted to explore therapeutic effect and the underlying mechanisms of salusins on HCM. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In vivo experiments, Sprague-Dawley rats were used to induce HCM model by angiotensin (Ang) II infusion for 4 weeks. The rats were randomly divided into four groups, namely, Saline + Control shRNA (n = 7), Ang II + Control shRNA (n = 8), Saline + TOR2A shRNA (n = 7), and Ang II + TOR2A shRNA groups (n = 8). After HCM induction, doppler echocardiography is recommended to evaluate heart function. In vitro experiments, primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) and cardiac fibroblasts (NRCFs) were obtained from newborn rats, and were treated with Ang II (10-6 M) for 24 h. RESULTS: After treatment with Ang II, levels of salusin-α and salusin-ß were elevated in serum and cardiac tissues of rats and in the neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and cardiac fibroblasts. Downregulation of salusins alleviated the Ang II-induced cardiac hypertrophy by suppressing the increased atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and beta-myosin heavy chain (ß-MHC) and cardiac fibrosis by blocking collagen I, collagen III and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß), and it also attenuated oxidative stress by suppressing the increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and reversing the decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and autophagy by inhibiting the increased microtubule-associated protein light chain 3B (LC3B), Beclin1, autophagy related gene (Atg) 3 and Atg5 in the cardiac tissues of Ang II-infused rats and in the Ang II-treated NRCMs. CONCLUSIONS: All these findings suggest that the levels of salusins were elevated in the HCM, and targeting of salusins contributes to alleviation of cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis probably via attenuating oxidative stress and autophagy. Accordingly, targeting of salusins may be a strategy for HCM therapy.

Development and future perspectives of natural orifice specimen extraction surgery for gastric cancer.

In recent years, natural orifice specimen extraction surgery (NOSES), a novel minimally invasive surgical technique, has become a focus in the surgical field, and has been initially applied in gastric surgery in many national medical centers worldwide. In addition, this new surgical technique was launched in major hospitals in China. With an increasing number of patients who have accepted this new surgical technique, NOSES has provided new prospects for the treatment of gastric cancer (GC), which may achieve a better outcome for both patients and surgeons. More and more experts and scholars from different countries and regions are currently paying close attention to NOSES for the treatment of GC. However, there are only a few reports of its use in GC. This review focuses on the research progress in NOSES for radical gastrectomy in recent years. We also discuss the challenges and prospects of NOSES in clinical practice.

Short linear shadows connecting pulmonary segmental arteries to oblique fissures in volumetric thin-section CT images: comparing CT, micro-CT and histopathology.

OBJECTIVES: To retrospectively evaluate short linear shadows connecting pulmonary segmental arteries to oblique fissures in thin-section CT images and determine their anatomical basis. METHODS: CT scanning was performed on 108 patients and 11 lung specimens with no lung diseases around the oblique fissures or hila. Two radiologists evaluated the imaging. The parameters included length, thickness of short linear shadows, pulmonary segmental artery variations, and traction interlobar fissures, etc. RESULTS: The short linear shadows were not related to sex, age, or smoking history. The lengths of the short linear shadows were generally within 10 mm. The thicknesses of the short linear shadows ranged from 1 to 2 mm. Of the patients, 26.9 % showed pulmonary segmental artery variations; 66.7 % of short linear shadows pulled oblique fissures. In three-dimensional images, the short linear shadows appeared as arc planes, with one side edge connected to the oblique fissure, one side edge connected to a pulmonary segmental artery. On the tissue slices, the short linear shadow exhibited a band structure composed of connective tissues, small blood vessels, and small lymphatic vessels. CONCLUSIONS: Short linear shadows are a type of normal intrapulmonary membranes and can maintain the integrity of the oblique fissures and hilar structure. KEY POINTS: • Volumetric thin-section CT scanning is commonly used to study lung anatomy. • Short linear shadows are a common intrapulmonary structure in thin-section CT. • Short linear shadows correlate with band structures on the correlative tissue slices.

Volumetric thin-section CT: evaluation of pulmonaryinterlobar fissures.

PURPOSE: We aimed to perform an imaging analysis of interlobar fissures and their variations using thin-section computed tomography (CT). METHODS: Volumetric thin-section CT scanning was performed in 208 subjects. Interlobar fissures were observed on axial images, and reconstructed coronal and sagittal images were observed by multiplanar reformatting (MPR). The vessel distributions were verified by maximal intensity projection (MIP). On the axial images, the interlobar fissures were characterized by lines of hyperattenuation, bands of hyperattenuation, avascular zones, and mixed imaging. The interlobar fissures were divided into seven grades according to the percentage of defects over the entire fissure. RESULTS: On the axial images, of all interlobar fissures without avascular zones, 70.2% of the right oblique fissures (ROFs) and 94.2% of the left oblique fissures (LOFs) appeared as lines, and 83.2% of the horizontal fissures (HFs) appeared as bands. All of the interlobar fissures appeared as lines on the coronal and sagittal images. Of all cases, 17.8% showed fully complete interlobar fissures for all three fissures. Incomplete fissures included 41.3% of ROFs, 58.2% of HFs, and 45.2% of LOFs. In ROFs and LOFs, discontinuity was most frequently below 20%, while in HFs discontinuity was most frequently 41%-60%. The most common classification of incomplete interlobar fissures was a discontinuous avascular zone. CONCLUSION: Incomplete interlobar fissures are common variations of interlobar fissures. Techniques including volumetric thin-section CT, MPR, and MIP can assist in the diagnosis of incomplete interlobar fissures.

Combining automatic tube current modulation with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction for low-dose chest CT screening.

OBJECTIVE: To reduce radiation dose while maintaining image quality in low-dose chest computed tomography (CT) by combining adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) and automatic tube current modulation (ATCM). METHODS: Patients undergoing cancer screening (n = 200) were subjected to 64-slice multidetector chest CT scanning with ASIR and ATCM. Patients were divided into groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 (n = 50 each), with a noise index (NI) of 15, 20, 30, and 40, respectively. Each image set was reconstructed with 4 ASIR levels (0% ASIR, 30% ASIR, 50% ASIR, and 80% ASIR) in each group. Two radiologists assessed subjective image noise, image artifacts, and visibility of the anatomical structures. Objective image noise and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were measured, and effective dose (ED) was recorded. RESULTS: Increased NI was associated with increased subjective and objective image noise results (P<0.001), and SNR decreased with increasing NI (P<0.001). These values improved with increased ASIR levels (P<0.001). Images from all 4 groups were clinically diagnosable. Images with NI = 30 and 50% ASIR had average subjective image noise scores and nearly average anatomical structure visibility scores, with a mean objective image noise of 23.42 HU. The EDs for groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 were 2.79 ± 1.17, 1.69 ± 0.59, 0.74 ± 0.29, and 0.37 ± 0.22 mSv, respectively. Compared to group 1 (NI = 15), the ED reductions were 39.43%, 73.48%, and 86.74% for groups 2, 3, and 4, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Using NI = 30 with 50% ASIR in the chest CT protocol, we obtained average or above-average image quality but a reduced ED.

Improving image quality in portal venography with spectral CT imaging.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of energy spectral CT on the image quality of CT portal venography in cirrhosis patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 30 portal hypertension patients underwent spectral CT examination using a single-tube, fast dual tube voltage switching technique. 101 sets of monochromatic images were generated from 40keV to 140keV. Image noise and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) for portal veins from the monochromatic images were measured. An optimal monochromatic image set was selected for obtaining the best CNR for portal veins. The image noise and CNR of the intra-hepatic portal vein and extra-hepatic main stem at the selected monochromatic level were compared with those from the conventional polychromatic images. Image quality was also assessed and compared. RESULTS: The monochromatic images at 51keV were found to provide the best CNR for both the intra-hepatic and extra-hepatic portal veins. At this energy level, the monochromatic images had about 100% higher CNR than the polychromatic images with a moderate 30% noise increase. The qualitative image quality assessment was also statistically higher with monochromatic images at 51keV. CONCLUSION: Monochromatic images at 51keV for CT portal venography could improve CNR for displaying hepatic portal veins and improve the overall image quality.

[Prospective clinical study on serum immunity in IgG-antibodies positive patients convalescent from severe acute respiratory syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the serum immunological characteristics in patients convalescent from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). METHODS: In the 1 st, 3 rd, 6 th month after their discharge, eg. SARS-IgG, T cell subsets, blood routine, and the blood biochemistry were systemically determined in SARS convalescent patients. RESULTS: The SARS-antibodies could be used as the diagnostic evidence. During the 6 months after discharge, the titers of SARS-antibodies were high, but they lowered along with passage of time. At the first recheck, the CD4(+) lymphocyte count was lower than normal level in 55.9% of patients, the CD3(+) lymphocyte count was lower than normal level in 31.2% of patients, and the CD8(+) lymphocyte count was lower than normal level in 14.0% of patients. At the second recheck, the levels of T cell subsets recovered to normal level in the most patients. CONCLUSION: T cell subsets, and the number of leukocyte are abnormal in some patients convalescent from SARS. All the indexes examined recover to normal levels half year after discharge. Therefore, it is necessary to follow up the changes in the levels of SARS-antibodies.