[Endometriosis-related recurrent unilateral hemorrhagic pleural effusion: a case report].

Hemorrhagic pleural effusion (PE) is common in clinical practice. According to the guidelines, the etiological diagnosis of PE should focus on the identification of common diseases. In most cases, the etiology of PE can be determined by clinical history, physical examination, laboratory and imaging examinations, and pleural biopsy or video-assisted thoracic surgery (VAST). We reported a rare case of a 32-year-old woman with recurrent unilateral hemorrhagic pleural effusion (highly correlated with menstrual cycle) and chest pain that was diagnosed as thoracic endometriosis syndrome (TES) by pathological biopsy and immunohistochemistry. Later she underwent surgery combined with hormone therapy. During the follow-up, the right PE decreased, and she had no chest pain. Therefore, women of reproductive age with regular unilateral bloody pleural effusions should be alert to TES.

Artificial kagome lattices of Shockley surface states patterned by halogen hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks.

Artificial electronic kagome lattices may emerge from electronic potential landscapes using customized structures with exotic supersymmetries, benefiting from the confinement of Shockley surface-state electrons on coinage metals, which offers a flexible approach to realizing intriguing quantum phases of matter that are highly desired but scarce in available kagome materials. Here, we devise a general strategy to construct varieties of electronic kagome lattices by utilizing the on-surface synthesis of halogen hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (XHOFs). As a proof of concept, we demonstrate three XHOFs on Ag(111) and Au(111) surfaces, which correspondingly deliver regular, breathing, and chiral breathing diatomic-kagome lattices with patterned potential landscapes, showing evident topological edge states at the interfaces. The combination of scanning tunnelling microscopy and noncontact atomic force microscopy, complemented by density functional theory and tight-binding calculations, directly substantiates our method as a reliable and effective way to achieve electronic kagome lattices for engineering quantum states.

[Comparison of the anorectal function before and after neoadjuvant radiotherapy in mid-low rectal cancer: a retrospective observational study from single center].

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of neoadjuvant radiotherapy on anorectal function of patients with mid-low rectal cancer by means of high-resolution anorectal manometry. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted. Information on patients with mid-low rectal cancer was collected from the prospective registry database of Rectal Cancer at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) from June 2020 to April 2023. Anorectal functions were detected using three-dimensional high-resolution manometry system. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with the changed anorectal manometry. Results: A total of 45 patients with mid-low rectal cancer were included in the study. Thirty-two (71.1%) patients were male, 13 (28.9%) patients were female. The mean age was 60±11 years, and the mean BMI was 23.4±3.7 kg/m2. The mean distance between the lower edge of the tumor and the anal verge was 5.4±1.5 cm. The median size of the tumor was 3.4 (2.9-4.5) cm, and the median circumferential extent of the tumor was 66.0 (45.5-75.0) %. 41 (81.1%) patients were MRI T3-4 and 40 (88.9%) patients were MRI N positive. The resting pressure has a decreasing trend after neoadjuvant radiotherapy (55.3±32.0 mmHg vs. 48.0±28.5 mmHg, t=1.930, P=0.060). There was no significant change in maximum squeezing and the length of the high-pressure zone after neoadjuvant radiotherapy. All volumes describing rectal sensitivity (first sensation, desire to defecate, and maximum tolerance) were lower after neoadjuvant radiotherapy. And maximum tolerance was significantly lower (66.0 [49.0,88.0] ml vs. 52.0 [39.0,73.5] ml, Z=-2.481,P=0.013). Univariate analysis demonstrated that the downstage of N-stage was associated with the decrease in maximum tolerance (OR=6.533, 95%CI:1.254-34.051, P=0.026). Conclusion: Neoadjuvant radiotherapy damages anorectal function by decreasing the resting pressure and rectal sensory threshold of patients. The N-stage downstaging was associated with a decrease in maximum tolerance.

[Application value of CT examination of lymph node short diameter in evaluating cardia-left gastric lymph node metastasis in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma].

Objective: To investigate the application value of computed tomography (CT) examination of lymph node short diameter in evaluating cardia-left gastric lymph node metastasis in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods: A total of 477 patients with primary thoracic ESCC who underwent surgical treatment in the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2013 to December 2017 were collected. All of them underwent McKeown esophagectomy plus complete two-field or three-field lymph node dissection. Picture archiving and communication system were used to measure the largest cardia-left gastric lymph node short diameter in preoperative CT images. The postoperative pathological diagnosis results of cardia-left gastric lymph node were used as the gold standard. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the efficacy of CT lymph node short diameter in detecting the metastasis of cardia-left gastric lymph node in thoracic ESCC, and determine the optimal cut-off value. Results: The median short diameter of the largest cardia-left gastric lymph node was 4.1 mm in 477 patients, and the largest cardia-left gastric lymph node short diameter was less than 3 mm in 155 cases (32.5%). Sixty-eight patients had cardia-left gastric lymph node metastases, of which 38 had paracardial node metastases and 41 had left gastric node metastases. The lymph node ratios of paracardial node and left gastric node were 4.0% (60/1 511) and 3.3% (62/1 887), respectively. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of CT lymph node short diameter for evaluating cardia-left gastric lymph node metastasis was 0.941 (95% CI: 0.904-0.977; P<0.05). The optimal cut-off value of CT examination of the cardia-left gastric lymph node short diameter was 6 mm, and the corresponding sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 85.3%, 91.7%, and 90.8%, respectively. Conclusion: CT examination of lymph node short diameter can be a good evaluation of cardia-left gastric lymph node metastasis in thoracic ESCC, and the optimal cut-off value is 6 mm.

Identifying topological corner states in two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks.

Due to the diversity of molecular building blocks, the two-dimensional (2D) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are ideal platforms to realize exotic lattice models in condensed matter theory. In this work, we demonstrate the universal existence of topological corner states in 2D MOFs with a star lattice configuration, and confirm the intriguing higher-order nontrivial topology in the energy window between two Kagome-bands, or between Dirac-band and four-band. Furthermore, combining first-principles calculations and scanning tunneling microscopy measurements, the unique topological corner state is directly identified in monolayer Ni3(HITP)2 (HITP = 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexaiminotriphenylene) grown on the Au(111) substrate. Our results not only illustrate the first organic topological state in the experiments, but also offer an exciting opportunity to study higher-order topology in 2D MOFs with the large insulating band gap.

[The comparison between endoscopic and surgical treatment of delayed iatrogenic bile duct injury by propensity score matching].

Objective: To compare the safety and clinical efficacy of endoscopic and surgical treatment of patients with delayed iatrogenic bile duct injury (DBDI) with severity (SG) grade 1 to 2. Methods: The clinical data of 129 patients with SG grade 1 to 2 DBDI who received endoscopic or surgical treatment in the First Hospital of Lanzhou University from November 2007 to November 2021 were retrospectively collected. There were 46 males and 83 females,aged (M(IQR)) 54(22)years(range: 21 to 82 years). The baseline data of the two groups were matched 1∶1 by propensity score matching(caliper value was 0.2). Independent sample t test,rank sum test,χ2 test or Fisher exact probability test were used to analyze the data of the two matched groups. Results: There were 48 patients in each of the endoscopic treatment and surgical groups after matching,and there was no difference in general information between the two groups(both P>0.05). The bile duct injury-repair interval and intraoperative anesthesia complications were not statistically significant between the two groups after matching(all P>0.05). Compared with the surgical group, patients in the endoscopic treatment group had significantly shorter operative time(50 (30) minutes vs. 185 (100) minutes, Z=7.675,P<0.01) and postoperative hospital stay(5 (5) days vs. 12 (7) days, Z=5.848, P<0.01).For safety,there was no statistical difference in the incidence of immediate postoperative complications between the two groups with Clavien-Dindo classification of surgical complications<Ⅲ;the incidence of serious postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo classification of surgical complications≥Ⅲ) was significantly higher in the surgical group than in the endoscopic treatment group(P=0.012). The incidence of long-term postoperative complications was not statistically different between the two groups(28.1% vs. 20.7%,P=0.562). In terms of efficacy,the postoperative liver function indexes of patients in both groups improved significantly compared with the preoperative period and returned to normal or near normal levels; the postoperative infection indexes of both groups showed an increasing trend,but were within the normal range. Of the 96 patients in both groups,61 obtained follow-up,and the follow-up time was (89.4±48.0)months(range: 3 to 165 months),and there was no statistical difference between the two groups(P=0.079). The probability of excellent long-term follow-up (78.1% vs. 86.2%) was not statistically different between the two groups(P=0.412).In patients with Strasberg-Bismuth type E1,the probability of excellent long-term follow-up was higher in the endoscopic treatment group compared with the surgical group(13/14 vs. 2/5,P=0.037). Conclusions: For DBDI patients with SG grade 1 to 2 and bile duct continuity,endoscopy can be used as the first deterministic treatment. The advantages of endoscopic therapy compared to surgery are the lower incidence of postoperative serious complications,and the shorter duration of surgery and postoperative hospital stay.

[Comparison between laparoscopic-assisted natural orifice specimen extraction surgery and conventional laparoscopic surgery for left colorectal cancer: 5-year follow-up results of a randomized controlled study].

Objective: To evaluate the long-term efficacy of laparoscopic-assisted natural orifice specimen extraction surgery (NOSES) colectomy using Cai tube for treating left-sided colorectal cancer. Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial. Inclusion criteria were as follows: preoperative pathological diagnosis of left-sided colorectal adenocarcinoma (rectal, sigmoid colon, descending colon, or left transverse colon cancer with the caudad margin ≥8 cm from the anal margin); preoperative abdominal and pelvic computed tomography (or magnetic resonance imaging) showing maximum tumor diameter <4.5 cm; and BMI <30 kg/m2. Patients with synchronous multiple primary cancers or recurrent cancers, a history of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, preoperative evidence of significant local infiltration, distant metastasis, or complications such as intestinal obstruction and intestinal perforation, or who were not otherwise considered suitable for laparoscopic surgery were excluded. A random number table was used to randomize sequential patients to NOSES surgery using Cai tube (non-assisted incision anal sleeve: patent number ZL201410168748.2) (NOSES group) or traditional laparoscopic-assisted surgery (CLS group). Relevant clinical data of the two groups of patients were analyzed, the main outcomes being disease-free survival, overall survival, overall recurrence rate, and local recurrence rate 5 years after surgery. Results: Patients in both study groups completed the surgery successfully with no requirement for additional surgery. After mean 70 (7-83) months postoperative follow-up, the 5-year overall postoperative survival in the NOSES and CLS groups was 90.0% and 83.3%, respectively (P=0.455); disease free survival was 90.0% and 83.3%, respectively (P=0.455); overall recurrence rate 6.6% and 10.0%, respectively (P=0.625); and local recurrence rate both were 3.3% (P=0.990), respectively. None of these differences was statistically significant. Conclusions: NOSES and CLS have similar long-term efficacy, and NOSES deserves to be used in clinical practice.

[Specimen extraction through natural orifices with Cai tubes in gastrointestinal surgery: a single-institute series of 234 cases].

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of Cai tube-assisted natural orifice specimen extraction surgery (NOSES) in gastrointestinal surgery. Methods: This was a descriptive case-series study. Inclusion criteria: (1) colorectal or gastric cancer diagnosed by preoperative pathological examination or redundant sigmoid or transverse colon detected by barium enema; (2) indications for laparoscopic surgery; (3) body mass index <30 kg/m2 (transanal surgery) and 35 kg/m2 (transvaginal surgery); (4) no vaginal stenosis or adhesions in female patients undergoing transvaginal specimen extraction; and (5) patients with redundant colon aged 18-70 years and a history of intractable constipation for more than 10 years. Exclusion criteria: (1) colorectal cancer with intestinal perforation or obstruction, or gastric cancer with gastric perforation, gastric hemorrhage, or pyloric obstruction; (2) simultaneous resection of lung, bone, or liver metastases ; (3) history of major abdominal surgery or intestinal adhesions; and (4) incomplete clinical data. From January 2014 to October 2022, 209 patients with gastrointestinal tumors and 25 with redundant colons who met the above criteria were treated by NOSES utilizing a Cai tube (China invention patent number:ZL201410168748.2) in the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University. The procedures included eversion and pull-out NOSES radical resection in 14 patients with middle and low rectal cancer, NOSES radical left hemicolectomy in 171 patients with left-sided colorectal cancer, NOSES radical right hemicolectomy in 12 patients with right-sided colon cancer, NOSES systematic mesogastric resection in 12 patients with gastric cancer, and NOSES subtotal colectomy in 25 patients with redundant colons. All specimens were collected by using an in-house-made anal cannula (Cai tube) with no auxiliary incisions. The primary outcomes included 1-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) and postoperative complications. Results: Among 234 patients, 116 were male and 118 were female. The mean age was (56.6±10.9) years. NOSES was successfully completed in all patients without conversion to open surgery or procedure-related death. The negative rate of circumferential resection margin was 98.8% (169/171) with both two positive cases having left-sided colorectal cancer. Postoperative complications occurred in 37 patients (15.8%), including 11 cases (4.7%) of anastomotic leakage, 3 cases(1.3%) of anastomotic bleeding, 2 cases (0.9%) of intraperitoneal bleeding, 4 cases (1.7%) of abdominal infection, and 8 cases (3.4%) of pulmonary infection. Reoperations were required in 7 patients (3.0%), all of whom consented to creation of an ileostomy after anastomotic leakage. The total readmission rate within 30 days after surgery was 0.9% (2/234). After a follow-up of (18.3±3.6) months, the 1-year RFS was 94.7%. Five of 209 patients (2.4%) with gastrointestinal tumors had local recurrence, all of which was anastomotic recurrence. Sixteen patients (7.7%) developed distant metastases, including liver metastases(n=8), lung metastases(n=6), and bone metastases (n=2). Conclusion: NOSES assisted by Cai tube is feasible and safe in radical resection of gastrointestinal tumors and subtotal colectomy for redundant colon.

[Comparison between laparoscopic-assisted natural orifice specimen extraction surgery and conventional laparoscopic surgery for left colorectal cancer: a randomized controlled study with 3-year follow-up results].

Objective: To evaluate the mid-term efficacy of laparoscopic-assisted natural orifice specimen extraction surgery (NOSES) colectomy using the Cai tube in the treatment of left colorectal cancer. Methods: A prospective randomized control trial (China Clinical Trials Registration Number: ChiCTR-OOR-15007060) was performed. Sixty patients with left colorectal cancer at Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery of Zhongshan Hospital from September 2015 to August 2017 were prospectively enrolled. Case inclusion criteria: (1) left colorectal adenocarcinoma (rectal cancer with distance ≥ 8 cm from tumor low margin to anal edge, sigmoid colon cancer, descending colon cancer and left transverse colon cancer) confirmed by preoperative pathology; (2) satisfactory conditions of conventional laparoscopic surgery; (3) maximum diameter of the tumor < 4.5 cm confirmed by preoperative abdominal and pelvic CT or MRI; (4) BMI < 30 kg/m2. Case exclusion criteria: (1) benign lesions, mucinous adenocarcinoma, signet-ring cell carcinoma and other special pathological types of tumors confirmed by preoperative pathological examination; (2) multiple or recurrent cancers; (3) with a history of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy; (4) obvious regional infiltration or distant metastasis indicated by preoperative imaging examination; (5) intestinal obstruction, intestinal perforation, etc. Participants were randomly assigned to NOSES group (using the Cai tube) and conventional laparoscopy (CL) group by random number table method. Clinical data between two groups were compared and analyzed, including perioperative conditions, tumor exfoliation cell detection and bacterial culture results of intraperitoneal lavage fluid, postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo grading), postoperative pain [visual simulation scoring (VAS) assessment], anal function (Kirwan anal function grading assessment), and postoperative 3-year disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), overall recurrence rate, and local recurrence rate. Results: A total of 60 patients were enrolled, with 30 in the NOSES group and 30 in the CL group. All the patients in the NOSES group successfully completed operation with Cai tube. Baseline data between the two groups were not significantly different (all P>0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between two groups in conversion rate to open surgery, number of lymph node harivested, proximal and distal resection margin of tumor, negative rate of circumferential margin, operation time, blood loss, inflammatory indexes, postoperative anal function, postoperative hospital stay, hospitalization cost, morbidity of postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo grade II or above) (all P>0.05). Compared to the CL group, the NOSES group had lower maximum postoperative VAS score (2.5±0.3 vs. 5.1±0.4, t=3.187, P<0.01), and fewer use of additional postoperative analgesia [6.7% (2/30) vs. 33.3% (10/30),χ2=6.670, P=0.02]. The postoperative time to gas passage was shorter in the NOSES group [(2.2±1.4) days vs. (3.1±1.2) days,P=0.026]. No tumor cells and bacterial contamination were found in abdominal lavage fluid before and after operation in either group. The anal function at postoperative 3-month of all the patients in the NOSES group was Kirwan grade I to II, while in the CL group, anal function of 2 cases (6.7%) was Kirwan grade III, and of 28 cases was also Kirwan grade I to II, whose difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). In the NOSES group and the CL group, 3-year DFS was 96.7% and 83.3% (P=0.090), OS was 100% and 90% (P=0.096), overall recurrence rate was 3.3% and 10.0% (P=0.166), and local recurrence rate was 3.3% and 3.3% (P=0.999), respectively, whose differences were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). Conclusions: In the treatment of left colorectal cancer, compared with conventional laparoscopic colectomy, NOSES colectomy using Cai tube exhibits less scar, less postoperative pain, shorter recovery of gastrointestinal function, and similar mid-term outcomes. Given proper surgical indications, the surgical procedure is safe and feasible.

Spatial epidemiological characteristics and exponential smoothing model application of tuberculosis in Qinghai Plateau, China.

The epidemic of tuberculosis has posed a serious burden in Qinghai province, it is necessary to clarify the epidemiological characteristics and spatial-temporal distribution of TB for future prevention and control measures. We used descriptive epidemiological methods and spatial statistical analysis including spatial correlation and spatial-temporal analysis in this study. Furthermore, we applied an exponential smoothing model for TB epidemiological trend forecasting. Of 43 859 TB cases, the sex ratio was 1.27:1 (M:F), and the average annual TB registered incidence was 70.00/100 000 of 2009-2019. More cases were reported in March and April, and the worst TB stricken regions were the prefectures of Golog and Yushu. High TB registered incidences were seen in males, farmers and herdsmen, Tibetans, or elderly people. 7132 cases were intractable, which were recurrent, drug resistant, or co-infected with other infections. Three likely cases clusters with significant high risk were found by spatial-temporal scan on data of 2009-2019. The exponential smoothing winters' additive model was selected as the best-fitting model to forecast monthly TB cases in the future. This research indicated that TB in Qinghai is still a serious threaten to the local residents' health. Multi-departmental collaboration and funds special for TB treatments and control are still needed, and the exponential smoothing model is promising which could be applied for forecasting of TB epidemic trend in this high-altitude province.

Gentiana straminea supplementation improves feed intake, nitrogen and energy utilization, and methane emission of Simmental calves in northwest China.

OBJECTIVE: Native plants can be used as additives to replace antibiotics to improve ruminant feed utilization and animal health. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of Gentiana straminea (GS) on nutrient digestibility, methane emissions, and energy metabolism of Simmental calves. METHODS: Thirty-two (5-week-old) male Simmental clves, with initial body weight (BW) of 155±12 kg were fed the same basal diet of concentrates (26%), alfalfa hay (37%), and oat hay (37%) and were randomly separated into four treatment groups according to the amount of GS that was added to their basal diet. The four different groups received different amounts of GS as a supplement to their basal diet during whole experiment: (0 GS) 0 mg/kg BW, the control; (100 GS) 100 mg/kg BW; (200 GS) 200 mg/kg BW; and (300 GS) 300 mg/kg BW. RESULTS: For calves in the 200 GS and 300 GS treatment groups, there was a significant increase in dry matter (DM) intake (p<0.01), average daily gain (ADG) (p<0.05), organic matter intake (p<0.05), DM digestibility (p<0.05), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) digestibility (p<0.05), and acid detergent fibre (ADF) digestibility (p<0.05). Dietary GS supplementation result in quadratic increases of DM intake (p<0.01), ADG (p<0.05), NDF intake (p<0.05), and ADF intake (p<0.05). Supplementing the basal diet with GS significantly increased nitrogen (N) retention (p<0.001) and the ratio of retention N to N intake (p<0.001). Supplementing the basal diet with GS significantly decreased methane (CH4) emissions (p<0.01), CH4/BW0.75 (p<0.05) and CH4 energy (CH4-E) (p<0.05). Dietary GS supplementation result in quadratic increases of CH4 (p<0.01) and CH4/DM intake (p<0.01). Compared with 0 GS, GS-supplemented diets significantly improved their gross energy intake (p<0.05). The metabolizable energy and digestive energy intake were significantly greater for calves in the 100 GS and 200 GS calves than for 0 GS calves (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: From this study, we conclude that supplementing calf diets with GS could improve utilization of feed, energy, and N, and may reduce CH4 emissions without having any negative effects on animal health.

[Analysis of the diagnostic performance of MRI Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2018 for intrahepatic parenchymal substantial lesions ≤3.0 cm].

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic performance of MRI Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2018 in high-risk hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with intrahepatic parenchymal substantial lesions ≤3.0 cm. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted in hospitals between September 2014 to April 2020. 131 pathologically confirmed non-HCC cases with lesions ≤3.0 cm in diameter were randomly matched with 131 cases with lesions ≤3.0 cm in diameter and divided into benign (56 cases), other hepatic malignant tumor (OM, 75 cases), and HCC group (131 cases) in a 1:1 ratio. MRI features of the lesions were analyzed and classified according to LI-RADS v2018 criteria (tie-break rule was applied to lesions with both HCC and LR-M features). Taking the pathological results as the gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of the LI-RADS v2018 classification criteria and the more stringent LR-5 criteria (with three main signs of HCC at the same time) were calculated for HCC, OM or benign lesions diagnosis. Mann -Whitney U test was used to compare the classification results. Results: The number of cases classified as LR-M, LR-1, LR-2, LR-3, LR-4, and LR-5 in HCC group after applying the tie-break rule were 14, 0, 0, 12, 28, and 77, respectively. There were 40, 0, 0, 4, 17, 14 and 8, 5, 1, 26, 13, 3 cases in benign and OM group, respectively. There were 41 (41/77), 4 (4/14) and 1 (1/3) lesion case in the HCC, OM and benign group, respectively, that met the more stringent LR-5 criteria. The sensitivity of LR-4 combined with LR-5 (LR-4/5) criteria, LR-5 criteria and more stringent LR-5 criteria for HCC diagnosis were 80.2% (105/131), 58.8% (77/131) and 31.3% (41/131), respectively, and the specificity were 64.1% (84/131), 87.0% (114/131) and 96.2% (126/131), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of LR-M were 53.3% (40/75) and 88.2% (165/187), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity using LR-1 combined with LR-2 (LR-1/2) criteria for the diagnosis of benign liver lesions were 10.7% (6/56) and 100% (206/206), respectively. Conclusions: LR-1/2, LR-5, and LR-M criteria have high diagnostic specificity for intrahepatic lesions with a diameter of ≤3.0 cm. Lesions classified as LR-3 are more likely to be benign. The specificity of LR-4/5 criteria is low, while the more stringent LR-5 criteria has a high specificity for HCC diagnosis.

[The enlightenment of foreign MD-MPH double degree program to the cultivation of high-level applied public health talents in China].

Objective: To understand the current status of foreign dual-degree programs of Medical Doctor (MD) and Master of Public Health (MPH) and provide evidence-based decision-making reference for promoting the education of high-level applied public health talents in China. Methods: The list of involved institutions and information of foreign MD-MPH dual-degree programs was collected through literature retrieval, online information searching, and additional survey of key figures. We extracted the details of each project regarding professional fields, core competence, length of schooling, teaching and learning arrangement, internship eligibility, and graduation assessment. Python 3.8.0 was used for data cleaning, and the occurrence frequency of related items in each dimension was calculated. Results: A total of 99 MD-MPH programs from 104 foreign institutions were included, among which 97.1% of them were implemented in universities from the United States. The School of Public Health provided 42.4% (42/99) of the programs. Epidemiology was the major discipline set up among most programs, accounting for 12.0% (29/241) of all the specialties involved. Epidemiological research methods, health policy management and practice, and public health practice were the top 3 core competencies to be mastered. Of the 99 programs, 87 gave information on the length of the program, of which 74.7% (65/87) were five years, 6.9% (6/87) were four years, and 18.4% (16/87) included both 4-year and 5-year programs. Conclusions: The international MD-MPH programs were sophisticated and mainly organized by the School of Public Health alone or in conjunction with the School of Medicine. Epidemiology is the core course and competence objective, with a length of 4-5 years. Through learning experience from international MD-MPH programs and the Chinese unique medical development background, China should optimize its medical education system to develop a suitable talent training strategy for MD-MPH dual-degree programs in the new era.

[Effect of platelet reactivity on clinical events in patients using bivalirudin in selective percutaneous coronary intervention].

Objective: To investigate the effect of platelet reactivity and other clinical factors on the postoperative 1-year adverse clinical events in patients who underwent selective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) anticoagulated with bivalirudin. Methods: This is a multicenter, retrospective and observational study, enrolling 632 patients at high risk of bleeding adjudicated by operators who underwent selective PCI anticoagulated with bivalirudin and had preoperative thrombelastography (TEG) test results in Fuwai Hospital, Northern Theater General Hospital and Xinxiang Central Hospital between January 2017 and August 2018. Platelet reactivity was tested by TEG and adenosine-induced maximal amplitude (MAADP) was recorded. According to MAADP patients were divided into three groups: low on-treatment platelet reactivity (LTPR) group (MAADP<31 mm, n=229), normal on-treatment platelet reactivity (NTPR) group (31 mm≤MAADP≤47 mm, n=207) and high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR) group (MAADP>47 mm, n=196). The endpoints consisted of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and bleeding events. The definition of MACCE was the composite of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, intrastent thrombosis, stroke and revascularization. Bleeding events were defined by bleeding academic research consortium (BARC) type 2, 3 and 5 bleeding. Using multivariate Cox regression to analyze the factors of MACCE and bleeding events in patients underwent selective PCI anticoagulated with bivalirudin. Results: A total of 632 patients were finally enrolled in the study with age of (68.3±10.0) years and there were 423 (66.9%) males. All of 632 patients finished one-year follow-up, and 48 (7.6%) patients occurred MACCE and 11 (1.7%) patients occurred bleeding events. There was not statistically significant difference in the incidence of MACCE (8.3% (19/229) vs. 6.3% (13/207) vs.8.2% (16/196), P=0.68) and bleeding events (1.8% (4/229) vs. 2.9% (6/207) vs. 0.5% (1/196), P=0.17) in LTPR, NTPR and HTPR group. Multivariate Cox regression showed that HTPR was not the independent factor of MACCE (HR=1.25, 95%CI 0.67-2.30, P=0.49), and the history of peripheral vessel disease was the independent risk factor of MACCE (HR=2.47, 95%CI 1.19-5.11, P=0.02). LTPR was not the independent factor of bleeding events (HR=1.35, 95%CI 0.39-4.66, P=0.64), and the independent factors of bleeding events were history of peripheral vessel disease (HR=3.95, 95%CI 1.03-15.22, P=0.05) and hemoglobin (HR=0.96, 95%CI 0.93-0.99, P=0.01). Conclusions: In patients undergoing selective PCI anticoagulated with bivalirudin, there is no significant association between platelet reactivity and postoperative 1-year MACCE or bleeding events. History of peripheral vessel disease is an independent risk factor of MACCE, and history of peripheral vessel disease and decreased hemoglobin are independent risk factors of bleeding events.

[The effect of visualized saphenous nerve block through minimally invasive far medial-subvastus approach on the analgesia after total knee arthroplasty].

Objective: To report a method of visualized saphenous nerve block (VSNB) through minimally invasive far medial-subvastus approach distal to the adductor canal in total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and investigate the effect of VSNB in this way on postoperative pain relief. Methods: A total of 100 patients with knee osteoarthritis were prospectively included from June 2018 to October 2019, 29 males and 71 females, aged 50-87(70±8) years. All patients undergoing TKA through minimally invasive far medial-subvastus approach were randomized to visualized saphenous nerve block combined with periarticular infiltration analgesia group (Group VSNB+PIA) or only periarticular infiltration analgesia group (Group PIA),50 cases in each group. The visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the pain degree of patients. Furthermore, the scores of VAS in resting and active state at 4, 8, 12, 24, 48, 72 hours after operation and the proportion of patients receiving parecoxib within 72 hours after operation were compared between the two groups. Results: There was statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of VAS scores in resting state after surgery(F=15.295,P<0.05).The postoperative VAS scores of Group VSNB+PIA at 4, 8, 12, 24 hours at resting state were 1.3±0.8, 1.4±0.7, 1.7±0.8, 3.1±0.8 respectively, which were all significantly lower than those of Group PIA (1.6±0.9, 1.8±0.8, 2.3±0.9, 3.6±0.8) (P<0.05). The overall difference in terms of VAS scores at active state after surgery was statistically significant between the two groups(F=18.532, P<0.05). The postoperative VAS scores of Group VSNB+PIA at 4, 8, 12, 24 hours at active state were 2.0±0.8, 2.2±0.7, 2.7±0.6, 3.7±0.7 respectively, which were all significantly lower than those of Group PIA (2.3±0.8, 2.7±0.7, 3.3±0.8, 4.4±0.7)(P<0.05). Fourteen percent of patients (7/50) in VSNB+PIA group accepted parecoxib within 72 hours after surgery, which was significantly lower than that in PIA group (34%, 17/50) (P<0.05). Conclusions: It is easy to expose the saphenous nerve beyond the adductor canal through minimally invasive far medial-subvastus approach. The Combination therapy of VSNB+PIA is more effective than the simple per-articular infiltration analgesia in providing pain relief after total knee arthroplasty.

[Characteristics of esophageal motility and clinical presentation in gastroesophageal reflux disease patients of different age groups].

Objective: To explore the characteristics of esophageal motility and clinical presentation in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients of different age groups. Methods: This was a case-control study. Confirmed GERD patients in the Department of Gastroenterology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2015 to September 2018 were enrolled and divided into two groups: elderly group (≥60 years old) and young and middle-aged group (<60 years old). Characteristics of gender, disease course, clinical symptoms, esophageal motility, gastroscopic manifestations and esophageal hiatus function of patients in the two groups were analyzed. Results: A total of 250 patients met the inclusion criteria, with 61 patients in elderly group and 189 in young and middle-aged group. There were no significant differences in gender ((male/female: 24/37 vs 78/111, P>0.05) and disease course((4.9±4.2) years vs(4.5±3.8)years, P>0.05) between the two groups. However, there were significant differences in typical symptoms (acid regurgitation and heartburn) and atypical symptoms (chest pain, cough, foreign body sensation in pharynx, etc.) (typical/atypical symptoms: 35/26 vs 146/43, P<0.01) between the two groups. Compared with young and middle-aged group, upper esophageal sphincter (UES) resting pressure was lower ((65±28) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa)vs (74±28) mmHg, P<0.05), but the percentage of ineffective esophageal motility (IEM) (78.7%(48/61) vs 65.1%(123/189),P<0.05) and DeMeester score (16.3(6.0,36.3) vs 6.4(2.5,18.0), P<0.05) were higher in elderly group. There were no significant differences in lower esophageal sphincter (LES) resting pressure and distal contractile integral (DCI) between the two groups. Higher proportion of grade C and D reflux esophagitis,and grade C and D reflux esophagitis complicated with esophageal hiatus dysfunction was observed in elderly group compared with young and middle-aged group (2.04%(8/49) vs 0.65%(1/155); 14.29%(7/49) vs 0(0/155); both P<0.01). Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was a negative correlation between UES resting pressure and age(r=-0.145, P<0.05), while there was a positive correlation between the LES length and age (r=0.129, P<0.05). Conclusion: Compared with young and middle-aged GERD patients, the atypical symptoms, lower LES resting pressure, increased incidence of ineffective esophageal motility and acid exposure were more prominent in the elderly. Considering that anti-reflux function was weakened, long-term acid suppressants may be needed in elderly patients.

[Epidemiological characteristics and outcome analysis of inhalation injury patients combined with burn area less than 30% total body surface area in a single center from 2008 to 2016].

Objective: To explore the epidemiological characteristics and treatment outcomes of inhalation injury patients combined with burn area less than 30% total body surface area (TBSA) admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University. Methods: Retrospective observational study with performed on medical records of 266 inhalation injury patients combined with burn area less than 30% TBSA who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University from January 2008 to September 2016 and met the inclusion criteria. The gender, age, injured site, injurious factors of inhalation injury, degree of inhalation injury, combined total burn area, way of tracheotomy, time of tracheotomy, whether conducted mechanical ventilation or not, whether in intensive care unit (ICU) or not, microbial culture results of bronchoalveolar lavage, total hospitalization days, ICU days, mechanical ventilation days, and whether respiratory infections occurred or not. Single factor and multivariate linear regression analysis was used to screen out the risk factors impacting the total hospitalization days, ICU days, and mechanical ventilation days of patients. Single factor and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to screen out the risk factors impacting respiratory infections of patients. Results: The 266 patients included 190 males and 76 females, with the majority age of above and equal to 21 and below 65 years (217 patients). Confined space was the major injured site. Hot air was the major factor of inhalation injury. Mild and moderate inhalation injuries were commonly seen in patients. The combined total burn area was 9.00 (3.25, 18.00) %TBSA. In 111 patients who were conducted with tracheotomy, the most were conducted before admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University. The total hospitalization days of patients were 27 (10, 55) days. The ICU days of 160 patients were 15.5 (6.0, 40.0) days. The mechanical ventilation days of 109 patients were 6.0 (1.3, 11.5) days. A total of 119 patients were diagnosed with respiratory infections, with 548 strains including 35 types of pathogens were isolated, mainly of Gram-negative bacteria. Single factor linear regression analysis showed age, injurious factors of inhalation injury, combined total burn area, degree of inhalation injury, way of tracheotomy, whether conducted mechanical ventilation or not, and whether respiratory infections occurred or not were the risk factors impacting the total hospitalization days of patients (95% confidence interval (CI)=-0.397－0.001, -0.395－-0.053, 0.015－0.028, 0.009－0.263, 0.008－0.319, -0.419－-0.176, 0.242－0.471, 0.340－0.555, P<0.1). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed smoke inhalation, mechanical ventilation, and respiratory infections were the independent risk factors impacting the total hospitalization days of patients (95% CI=-0.384－0.082, 0.022－0.271, 0.261－0.506, P<0.05 or P<0.01). Single factor linear regression analysis showed injurious factors of inhalation injury, combined total burn area, degree of inhalation injury, way of tracheotomy, whether conducted mechanical ventilation or not, and whether respiratory infections occurred or not were the risk factors impacting the ICU days of patients (95% CI=0.053－0.502, 0.006－0.010, -0.018－0.457, -0.022－0.428, -0.575－-0.241, -0.687－-0.018, 0.132－0.486, 0.369－0.678, P<0.1). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that no tracheotomy and respiratory infections were the independent risk factors impacting the ICU days of patients (95% CI=-0.414－-0.084, 0.278－0.601, P<0.01). Single factor linear regression analysis showed injured site, injurious factors of inhalation injury, combined total burn area, degree of inhalation injury, way of tracheotomy, and whether respiratory infections occurred or not were the risk factors impacting mechanical ventilation days of patients (95% CI=-0.565－-0.034, 0.145－0.946, 0.051－1.188, 0.001－0.009, 0.127－0.847, 0.436－1.162, -1.243－-0.229, 0.005－0.605, P<0.1). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed open space inhalation, smoke inhalation, severe inhalation injury, no tracheotomy, prophylactic tracheotomy, and respiratory infections were the independent risk factors impacting mechanical ventilation days of patients (95% CI=-0.588－-0.127, 0.138－0.560, 0.143－0.848, -0.909－-0.330, -1.008－-0.015, 0.007－0.519, P<0.05 or P<0.01). Single factor logistic regression analysis showed age, injured site, degree of inhalation injury, combined total burn area, way of tracheotomy, and whether conducted mechanical ventilation or not were the risk factors impacting respiratory infections of patients (95% CI=0.840－1.362, 0.641－1.044, 1.122－1.526, 1.028－1.661, 1.344－2.405, 1.460－2.612, 0.744－1.320, 0.241－0.424, 2.331－4.090, P<0.1). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed prophylactic tracheotomy, no tracheotomy, and mechanical ventilation were the independent risk factors impacting respiratory infections of patient (95% CI=0.430－0.641, 0.290－0.511, 2.152－8.624, P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusions: The inhalation injury patients combined with burn area less than 30% TBSA are mainly young and middle-aged males. Confined space, smoke inhalation, mechanical ventilation, respiratory infection, and way of tracheotomy are influencing factors of the outcomes in hospital of inhalation injury patients combined with burn area less than 30% TBSA. Additionally, prophylactic tracheotomy shows its potential role in avoiding respiratory infection for patients with moderate or severe degree of inhalation injury.

Higher-Order Band Topology in Twisted Moiré Superlattice.

The two-dimensional (2D) twisted bilayer materials with van der Waals coupling have ignited great research interests, paving a new way to explore the emergent quantum phenomena by twist degree of freedom. Generally, with the decreasing of twist angle, the enhanced interlayer coupling will gradually flatten the low-energy bands and isolate them by two high-energy gaps at zero and full filling, respectively. Although the correlation and topological physics in the low-energy flat bands have been intensively studied, little information is available for these two emerging gaps. In this Letter, we predict a 2D second-order topological insulator (SOTI) for twisted bilayer graphene and twisted bilayer boron nitride in both zero and full filling gaps. Employing a tight-binding Hamiltonian based on first-principles calculations, three unique fingerprints of 2D SOTI are identified, that is, nonzero bulk topological index, gapped topological edge state, and in-gap topological corner state. Most remarkably, the 2D SOTI exists in a wide range of commensurate twist angles, which is robust to microscopic structure disorder and twist center, greatly facilitating the possible experimental measurement. Our results not only extend the higher-order band topology to massless and massive twisted moiré superlattice, but also demonstrate the importance of high-energy bands for fully understanding the nontrivial electronics.

[Impact of femoral or radial approach on acute renal injury induced by repeated contrast medium in patients with coronary heart disease].

Objective: To investigate the effects of femoral approach versus radial approach on the incidence of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) in patients with coronary heart disease, who received twice contrast agents within a short interval. Methods: A total of 322 patients with coronary heart disease, who admitted to the General Hospital of Northern Theater Command from January 2010 to January 2015, were included in this retrospective analysis. All patients exposed to contrast agents twice within 30 days. The patients were divided into two groups according to the approach of interventional operation: radial artery group (n=235) and femoral artery group (n=87). Serum creatinine (SCr) values were detected at 48 and 72 hours post procedure. Endpoint events were CI-AKI, which was defined as SCr increased>0.5 mg/dl (44.2 µmol/L) or relative ratio ((postoperative SCr-preoperative SCr)/preoperative SCr×100%>25%) within 72 hours after contrast agent use after excluding other causes. Clinical characteristics and the incidence of CI-AKI were compared between the two groups, multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to detect the risk factors of postoperative CI-AKI in these patients. Results: The proportion of smoking, PCI history, STEMI patients and levels of fibrinogen, fasting blood glucose, troponin T was significantly higher in femoral artery group than in radial artery group (all P<0.05). The interval between two procedure sessions was significantly longer in the femoral artery group than in the radial artery group (P=0.001). The incidence of CI-AKI tended to be higher in femoral artery group than in radial artery group after the first operation (18.6% (16/87) vs. 11.9% (28/235), P=0.133). CI-AKI incidence after the second operation was similar between the two groups (P>0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that interventional approach was not an independent risk factor for postoperative CI-AKI in patients with coronary heart disease undergoing interventional procedures twice within 30 days (P>0.05);STEMI (OR=2.854, 95%CI 1.100-7.404, P=0.031) and diuretics use (OR=4.002, 95%CI 1.470-10.893, P=0.007) were independent risk factors for CI-AKI after the first operation. Conclusion: There is no correlation between the risk of CI-AKI and interventional approaches in patients with coronary heart disease who undergo interventional surgery twice within 30 days.