Endonasopharyngeal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging features of recurrent retropharyngeal nodes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients: A radiologic-histopathologic study.

BACKGROUND: The imaging criteria of malignant retropharyngeal lymph node (RLN) in nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) have yet to be fully elucidated. This study aimed to establish predictive models based on ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance (MR) characteristics for identifying malignant RLN in NPC patients after radiotherapy. METHODS: 81 post-radiotherapy NPC patients with abnormal enlargement of RLN underwent endonasopharyngeal ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspirations (EPUS-FNA) to access the nature of RLN. The following features were assessed on US and MR: size, margin, vascular signal, echogenicity, enhancement signal and accompany with suspicious cervical nodes or not. A multivariate analysis was performed to screen out high-risk imaging features for recurrent RLN (RRLN), and models for the diagnosis of RRLN was constructed and tested with internal verification. We evaluated the clinical usefulness of the models through comparison of C-index and decision curve analysis. RESULTS: High-risk features of RRLN were heterogeneous echo (p < 0.01), vascular signal (p < 0.01) on EPUS, heterogeneous enhancement (p < 0.01) and minimum axis diameter > 10 mm (p < 0.01) on MR. The models based on the US and MR features showed good discrimination (AUC of 0.76 in the US model, 0.74 in the MR model and 0.77 in the US + MR model) and good net benefit in the validation group. CONCLUSION: Prediction models based on the US and MR features show good diagnostic performance for RRLN after radiotherapy in NPC patients. The combination of EPUS and MR may be constructed to provide prompt and reliable guidance to manage RLN.

Recurrence risk stratification based on Epstein-Barr virus DNA to identify enlarged retropharyngeal lymph nodes of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A model-histopathologic correlation study.

Background: Accurate assessment of the nature of enlarged retropharyngeal lymph nodes (RLN) of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients after radiotherapy is related to selecting appropriate treatments and avoiding unnecessary therapy. This study aimed to develop a non-invasive and effective model for predicting the recurrence of RLN (RRLN) in NPC. Materials and methods: The data of post-radiotherapy NPC patients (N = 76) with abnormal enlargement of RLN who underwent endonasopharyngeal ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspirations (EPUS-FNA) were examined. They were randomly divided into a discovery (n = 53) and validation (n = 23) cohort. Univariate logistic regression was used to assess the association between variables (magnetic resonance imaging characteristics, EBV DNA) and RRLN. Multiple logistic regression was used to construct a prediction model. The accuracy of the model was assessed by discrimination and calibration, and decision curves were used to assess the clinical reliability of the model for the identification of high risk RLNs for possible recurrence. Results: Abnormal enhancement, minimum axis diameter (MAD) and EBV-DNA were identified as independent risk factors for RRLN and could stratify NPC patients into three risk groups. The probability of RRLN in the low-, medium-, and high-risk groups were 37.5, 82.4, and 100%, respectively. The AUC of the final predictive model was 0.882 (95% CI: 0.782-0.982) in the discovery cohort and 0.926 (95% CI, 0.827-1.000) in the validation cohort, demonstrating good clinical accuracy for predicting the RRLN of NPC patients. The favorable performance of the model was confirmed by the calibration plot and decision curve analysis. Conclusion: The nomogram model constructed in the study could be reliable in predicting the risk of RRLN after radiotherapy for NPC patients.

Study of preoperative diagnostic modalities in Chinese patients with superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) and magnifying endoscopy (ME) reliably determine indications for endoscopic resection in patients with superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SESCC). ME is widely accepted for predicting the invasion depth of superficial esophageal cancer with satisfying accuracy. However, the addition of EUS is controversial. AIM: To evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of ME vs EUS for invasion depth prediction and investigate the influencing factors in patients with SESCC to determine the best diagnostic model in China. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed patients with suspected SESCC who completed both ME and EUS and then underwent endoscopic or surgical resection at Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center between January 2018 and December 2021. We evaluated and compared the diagnostic efficiency of EUS and ME according to histological results, and investigated the influencing factors. RESULTS: We included 152 lesions from 144 patients in this study. The diagnostic accuracies of ME and EUS in differentiating invasion depth were not significantly different (73.0% and 66.4%, P = 0.24); both demonstrated moderate consistency with the pathological results (ME: kappa = 0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.48-0.68, P < 0.01; EUS: kappa = 0.46, 95%CI: 0.34-0.57, P < 0.01). ME was significantly more accurate in the diagnosis of high-grade intraepithelial (HGIN) or carcinoma in situ (odds ratio [OR] = 3.62, 95%CI: 1.43-9.16, P = 0.007) subgroups. Using a miniature probe rather than conventional EUS can improve the accuracy of lesion depth determination (82.3% vs 49.3%, P < 0.01). Less than a quarter of circumferential occupation and application of a miniature probe were independent risk factors for the accuracy of tumor invasion depth as assessed by EUS (< 1/4 circumferential occupation: OR = 3.07, 95%CI: 1.04-9.10; application of a miniature probe: OR = 5.28, 95%CI: 2.41-11.59, P < 0.01). Of the 41 lesions (41/152, 27.0%) that were misdiagnosed by ME, 24 were corrected by EUS (24/41, 58.5%). CONCLUSION: Preoperative diagnosis of SESCC should be conducted endoscopically using white light and magnification. In China, EUS can be added after obtaining patient consent. Use of a high-frequency miniature probe or miniature probe combined with conventional EUS is preferable.

Intraoperative ventilation strategies to prevent postoperative pulmonary complications: a network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: The debate on lung-protective ventilation strategies for surgical patients is ongoing. Evidence suggests that the use of low tidal volume VT improves clinical outcomes. However, the optimal levels of PEEP and recruitment manoeuvre (RM) strategies incorporated into low VT ventilation remain unclear. METHODS: Several electronic databases were searched to identify RCTs that focused on comparison between low VT strategy and conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV), or between two different low VT strategies in surgical patients. The primary outcome was postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). The secondary outcomes were atelectasis, pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and short-term mortality. Bayesian network meta-analyses were performed using WinBUGS. The odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% credible intervals (CrIs) were estimated. RESULTS: Compared with CMV, low VT ventilation with moderate-to-high PEEP reduced the risk of PPCs (moderate PEEP [5-8 cm H2O]: OR 0.50 [95% CrI: 0.28, 0.89]; moderate PEEP+RMs: 0.39 [0.19, 0.78]; and high PEEP [≥9 cm H2O]+RMs: 0.34 [0.14, 0.79]). Low VT ventilation with moderate-to-high PEEP and RMs also specifically reduced the risk of atelectasis compared with CMV (moderate PEEP+RMs: OR 0.36 [95% CrI: 0.16, 0.87]; and high PEEP+RMs: 0.41 [0.15, 0.97]), whilst low VT ventilation with moderate PEEP was superior to CMV in reducing the risk of pneumonia (OR 0.46 [95% CrI: 0.15, 0.94]). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of low VT ventilation and moderate-to-high PEEP (≥5 cm H2O) seems to confer lung protection in surgical patients undergoing general anaesthesia. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO (CRD42019144561).

Investigation into the synthesis conditions of CuMoO4 by an in situ method and its photocatalytic properties under visible light irradiation.

A kind of molybdenum and copper compound, CuMoO4, was prepared by a hydrothermal method. The construction and photocatalytic properties of CuMoO4 have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-visible spectrometry and comprehensive thermal analysis. XRD analysis showed that samples which were synthesized under different hydrothermal time conditions were consistent, but the crystallinities of the samples were different. In another situation, disparate hydrothermal temperatures during the synthesis of CuMoO4 would lead to the appearance of different samples. The band gap of CuMoO4 was estimated to be 1.97 eV. It could be found from the results that CuMoO4 was an indirect band gap semiconductor by simulating its band structure. The photocatalytic activities of CuMoO4 were studied by means of monitoring the abilities of these compounds to degrade rhodamine B or 1H-benzotriazole in liquid media under visible light irradiation. Under different synthesis conditions, the hydrothermal time for obtaining the optimal degradation efficiency was 10 h, and the hydrothermal temperature was 180 °C. The results showed that CuMoO4 had excellent degradation performance for rhodamine B or 1H-benzotriazole. CuMoO4 showed excellent mineralization efficiency for rhodamine B compared with N-doped TiO2 based on the reduction of total organic carbon (TOC) during the photocatalytic process. The photocatalytic degradation rate of rhodamine B by CuMoO4 was 1.39 times that by N-doped TiO2, and the degradation rate of TOC by CuMoO4 was 1.53 times that by N-doped TiO2. Based on the intermediate products which were detected by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS), the possible degradation pathway of rhodamine B was derived.

Real-time artificial intelligence for detection of upper gastrointestinal cancer by endoscopy: a multicentre, case-control, diagnostic study.

BACKGROUND: Upper gastrointestinal cancers (including oesophageal cancer and gastric cancer) are the most common cancers worldwide. Artificial intelligence platforms using deep learning algorithms have made remarkable progress in medical imaging but their application in upper gastrointestinal cancers has been limited. We aimed to develop and validate the Gastrointestinal Artificial Intelligence Diagnostic System (GRAIDS) for the diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal cancers through analysis of imaging data from clinical endoscopies. METHODS: This multicentre, case-control, diagnostic study was done in six hospitals of different tiers (ie, municipal, provincial, and national) in China. The images of consecutive participants, aged 18 years or older, who had not had a previous endoscopy were retrieved from all participating hospitals. All patients with upper gastrointestinal cancer lesions (including oesophageal cancer and gastric cancer) that were histologically proven malignancies were eligible for this study. Only images with standard white light were deemed eligible. The images from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center were randomly assigned (8:1:1) to the training and intrinsic verification datasets for developing GRAIDS, and the internal validation dataset for evaluating the performance of GRAIDS. Its diagnostic performance was evaluated using an internal and prospective validation set from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (a national hospital) and additional external validation sets from five primary care hospitals. The performance of GRAIDS was also compared with endoscopists with three degrees of expertise: expert, competent, and trainee. The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of GRAIDS and endoscopists for the identification of cancerous lesions were evaluated by calculating the 95% CIs using the Clopper-Pearson method. FINDINGS: 1 036 496 endoscopy images from 84 424 individuals were used to develop and test GRAIDS. The diagnostic accuracy in identifying upper gastrointestinal cancers was 0·955 (95% CI 0·952-0·957) in the internal validation set, 0·927 (0·925-0·929) in the prospective set, and ranged from 0·915 (0·913-0·917) to 0·977 (0·977-0·978) in the five external validation sets. GRAIDS achieved diagnostic sensitivity similar to that of the expert endoscopist (0·942 [95% CI 0·924-0·957] vs 0·945 [0·927-0·959]; p=0·692) and superior sensitivity compared with competent (0·858 [0·832-0·880], p<0·0001) and trainee (0·722 [0·691-0·752], p<0·0001) endoscopists. The positive predictive value was 0·814 (95% CI 0·788-0·838) for GRAIDS, 0·932 (0·913-0·948) for the expert endoscopist, 0·974 (0·960-0·984) for the competent endoscopist, and 0·824 (0·795-0·850) for the trainee endoscopist. The negative predictive value was 0·978 (95% CI 0·971-0·984) for GRAIDS, 0·980 (0·974-0·985) for the expert endoscopist, 0·951 (0·942-0·959) for the competent endoscopist, and 0·904 (0·893-0·916) for the trainee endoscopist. INTERPRETATION: GRAIDS achieved high diagnostic accuracy in detecting upper gastrointestinal cancers, with sensitivity similar to that of expert endoscopists and was superior to that of non-expert endoscopists. This system could assist community-based hospitals in improving their effectiveness in upper gastrointestinal cancer diagnoses. FUNDING: The National Key R&D Program of China, the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, the Science and Technology Program of Guangdong, the Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou, and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.

Comparison of microwave ablation and radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Microwave ablation (MWA) has several advantages over radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of MWA with those of RFA for HCC from the perspectives of percutaneous and laparoscopic approaches. METHODS: PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane library, and China Biology Medicine databases were searched. Studies comparing the efficacy and safety of MWA with those of RFA in patients with HCC were considered eligible. Complete ablation (CA), local recurrence (LR), disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and the major complication rate were compared between MWA and RFA. RESULTS: Four randomized controlled trials and 10 cohort studies were included. For percutaneous ablation, no significant difference was found between MWA and RFA regarding CA, LR, DFS, OS, and the major complication rate. A subgroup analysis of tumors measuring ≥3 cm revealed no difference in CA and LR for percutaneous ablation. For laparoscopic ablation, a significantly lower LR rate and a non-significant trend toward a higher major complication rate were observed for the MWA group (odds ratio [OR] 2.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16-4.02, p = .01 for LR; OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.04-1.03, p = .05 for major complication rate). CA, DFS, and OS were similar between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous (P)-MWA had similar therapeutic effects compared with P-RFA for HCC. Patients undergoing laparoscopic MWA had a lower LR rate; however, their major complication rate appeared to be higher. The superiority of MWA over RFA remains unclear and needs to be confirmed by high-quality evidence.

Is goal-directed fluid therapy based on dynamic variables alone sufficient to improve clinical outcomes among patients undergoing surgery? A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Whether goal-directed fluid therapy based on dynamic predictors of fluid responsiveness (GDFTdyn) alone improves clinical outcomes in comparison with standard fluid therapy among patients undergoing surgery remains unclear. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for relevant studies. Studies comparing the effects of GDFTdyn with that of standard fluid therapy on clinical outcomes among adult patients undergoing surgery were considered eligible. Two analyses were performed separately: GDFTdyn alone versus standard fluid therapy and GDFTdyn with other optimization goals versus standard fluid therapy. The primary outcomes were short-term mortality and overall morbidity, while the secondary outcomes were serum lactate concentration, organ-specific morbidity, and length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in hospital. RESULTS: We included 37 studies with 2910 patients. Although GDFTdyn alone lowered serum lactate concentration (mean difference (MD) - 0.21 mmol/L, 95% confidence interval (CI) (- 0.39, - 0.03), P = 0.02), no significant difference was found between groups in short-term mortality (odds ratio (OR) 0.85, 95% CI (0.32, 2.24), P = 0.74), overall morbidity (OR 1.03, 95% CI (0.31, 3.37), P = 0.97), organ-specific morbidity, or length of stay in the ICU and in hospital. Analysis of trials involving the combination of GDFTdyn and other optimization goals (mainly cardiac output (CO) or cardiac index (CIx)) showed a significant reduction in short-term mortality (OR 0.45, 95% CI (0.24, 0.85), P = 0.01), overall morbidity (OR 0.41, 95% CI (0.28, 0.58), P < 0.00001), serum lactate concentration (MD - 0.60 mmol/L, 95% CI (- 1.04, - 0.15), P = 0.009), cardiopulmonary complications (cardiac arrhythmia (OR 0.58, 95% CI (0.37, 0.92), P = 0.02), myocardial infarction (OR 0.35, 95% CI (0.16, 0.76), P = 0.008), heart failure/cardiovascular dysfunction (OR 0.31, 95% CI (0.14, 0.67), P = 0.003), acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (OR 0.13, 95% CI (0.02, 0.74), P = 0.02), pneumonia (OR 0.4, 95% CI (0.24, 0.65), P = 0.0002)), length of stay in the ICU (MD - 0.77 days, 95% CI (- 1.07, - 0.46), P < 0.00001) and in hospital (MD - 1.18 days, 95% CI (- 1.90, - 0.46), P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: It was not the optimization of fluid responsiveness by GDFTdyn alone but rather the optimization of tissue and organ perfusion by GDFTdyn and other optimization goals that benefited patients undergoing surgery. Patients managed with the combination of GDFTdyn and CO/CI goals might derive most benefit.

Risk factors for postoperative acute mesenteric ischemia among adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: We aimed to seek risk factors for AMI among adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched electronic bibliographic databases for studies reporting risk factors for AMI among adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Pooled odds ratios (OR) and standard mean differences (SMD or MD) for risk factors between AMI and control group were estimated. RESULTS: 11 studies with 67,195 patients met the inclusion criteria. 14 risk factors were found to be statistically significant: preoperative factors including age (MD 4.62years, 95% CI (1.97,7.27)), cardiac shock (OR 5.17, (1.17,22.81)), peripheral vascular disease (OR 3.53, (2.05,6.09)), need for intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) (OR 5.89, (3.26,10.65)), emergency surgery (OR 3.75, (1.69,8.33)), and postoperative factors including atrial fibrillation (OR 2.41, (1.79,3.24)), CK-MB level (SMD 1.06, (0.62 to 1.50)), serum creatinine >200µmol/L (OR 23.39, (11.61,47.12)), blood loss (MD 358.32mL, (53.56,663.07)), prolonged ventilation (OR 9.04, (5.24,15.62)), need for IABP (OR 6.32, (3.19,12.54)), inotropic treatment (OR 8.40, (3.19,22.14)), blood transfusion (OR 9.15, (4.79,17.48)), reoperation (OR 3.30, (1.55,7.04)). CONCLUSIONS: 14 risk factors were associated with an increased risk of AMI, which indicated that AMI might occur via stenosis or occlusion of mesenteric vessels, reduced blood volume or maldistribution of blood flow.

Immobilization of PDMS-SiO2-TiO2 composite for the photocatalytic degradation of dye AO-7.

Crack-free PDMS-SiO2-TiO2 composite as photocatalyst was prepared for degrading dyes by using thin-film fixed bed reactor. The hydrophobic surface of the photocatalyst loaded with PDMS-SiO2-TiO2 composite could be considered as an extractant for organic pollutants. The effect of different supports including pumice stone, medicinal stone, and fiberglass for photocatalytic efficiency were compared. Under the same condition, it was found that the photocatalytic degradation effect of dyes was best when PDMS-SiO2-TiO2 composite was fixed on pumice stone rather than medicinal stone or fiberglass. Furthermore, when pumice stone was used as the support for PDMS-SiO2-TiO2 composite, the photocatalytic degradation effect of dyes hardly decreased after five cycles.