Single-cell data analysis of malignant epithelial cell heterogeneity in lung adenocarcinoma for patient classification and prognosis prediction.

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death. Most advanced lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients have poor survival because of drug resistance and relapse. Neglecting intratumoral heterogeneity might be one of the reasons for treatment insensitivity, while single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies can provide transcriptome information at the single-cell level. Herein, we combined scRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq data of LUAD and identified a novel cluster of malignant epithelial cells - KRT81+ malignant epithelial cells - associated with worse prognoses. Further analysis revealed that the hypoxia and EMT pathways of these cells were activated to predispose them to differentiate into metastatic lung adenocarcinoma cells. Finally, we also studied the role of these tumor cells in the immune microenvironment and their role in the classification and prognosis prediction of lung adenocarcinoma patients.

Robot-assisted segmentectomy with improved modified inflation-deflation combined with the intravenous indocyanine green method.

To investigate the perioperative outcomes of patients who underwent robot-assisted thoracoscopic (RATS) segmentectomy for identifying the intersegmental plane (ISP) by improved modified inflation-deflation (MID) combined with near-infrared fluorescence imaging with the intravenous indocyanine green (ICG) method and to assess the feasibility of this method in a large-scale cohort according to the type of segmentectomy performed. We retrospectively analysed the perioperative data of a total of 155 consecutive patients who underwent RATS segmentectomy between April 2020 and December 2021. Data from the operation, including the demarcation status of the intersegmental plane, were analysed retrospectively. The mean operative time and estimated blood loss were 125.56 ± 36.32 min and 41.81 ± 49.18 mL, respectively. Good demarcation of the intersegmental plane was observed in 150 (96.77%) patients, with no correlation with the type of resected segments or the surgical method. Postoperative complications of Clavien-Dindo classification grade 3 or more were observed in 4 patients (2.58%), and no ICG-related adverse events were noted. Demarcation of the intersegmental plane by improved MID combined with ICG is feasible regardless of the type of segmentectomy and can be commonly applied in robot-assisted segmentectomy.

The clinical efficacy of all-port robotic versus thoracoscopic lobectomy in stageⅠA non-small cell lung cancer: A retrospective cohort study / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To investigate the perioperative efficacy and safety of all-port robotic lobectomy versus thoracoscopic lobectomy in stageⅠA non-small cell lung cancer. Methods    The clinical data of patients with stageⅠA non-small cell lung cancer who underwent lobectomy with lymph node dissection performed by the same operator in our center from June 2019 to June 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into a robotic group and a thoracoscopic group according to different procedures. We compared the relevant indexes such as operation time, intraoperative bleeding, number of lymph node dissection stations, number of lymph node dissection, postoperative tube time, postoperative hospitalization time, closed chest drainage volume, postoperative pain, postoperative complications and hospitalization cost between the two groups. Results    There were 83 patients in the robotic group, including 34 males and 49 females with a median age of 60.0 (53.0, 67.0) years, and 94 patients in the thoracoscopic group, including 36 males and 58 females with a median age of 60.5 (54.0, 65.3) years. There was no conversion to thoractomy or death in postoperative 90 days in both groups. No statistical difference was seen in the operation time, total postoperative drainage volume and postoperative complication rates between the two groups (P>0.05). Patients in the robotic group had less intraoperative bleeding (P<0.001), more lymph node dissection stations (P=0.002) and numbers (P=0.005), less postoperative pain (P=0.002), and shorter postoperative time with tubes (P=0.031) and hospital stay (P<0.001). However, the surgery was more expensive in the robotic group (P<0.001). Conclusion    All-port robotic surgery is safe and effective for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer with less intraoperative bleeding, more lymph node dissection, less postoperative pain, and shorter hospital stay compared with the thoracoscopic surgery.

Robot-assisted thoracic surgery for lung cancer patients with incomplete fissure.

BACKGROUND: Robot-assisted thoracic surgery has gradually been accepted as an alternative treatment for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) owing to its advantages. However, severe incomplete interlobar fissure may lead to a high rate of conversion and postoperative morbidity. This retrospective study was conducted to assess the safety and efficiency of robot-assisted lung resection for patients with incomplete fissures (IFs). METHODS: A retrospective review of medical records was performed in our institution from March 2021 to November 2021, and 207 patients with NSCLC who underwent robot-assisted anatomic lung resection were included in this study. Patients were divided into the IF group and the complete fissure (CF) group according to the level of fissure, which was determined based on the anatomical classification of pulmonary fissures. RESULTS: The number of patients in the IF and CF groups was 87 and 120, respectively. In univariate analysis, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of operative time (p = 0.66), intraoperative blood loss (p = 0.26), chest tube duration (p = 0.41), incidence of prolonged air leakage (PAL, p = 0.49), or length of postoperative hospital stay (p = 0.25). No patients experienced bronchopleural fistula, pneumonia, or cardiovascular complications. The total cost in the IF group was higher than that in the CF group (¥83,655 ± 13,314 versus ¥78,211 ± 11,980, p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: IF does not increase the difficulty of lung cancer surgery with robotic platforms. Robot-assisted anatomic lung resection using the tunnel technique is an effective and safe method for IF patients.

Comparison of short-term outcomes between full-port robotic and thoracoscopic mediastinal tumor resection: A propensity score matching study / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To analyze and compare the perioperative efficacy difference between full-port Da Vinci robotic surgery and thoracoscopic surgery in patients with mediastinal tumor resection. Methods    The data of 232 patients with mediastinal tumors treated by the same operator in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University were included. There were 103 (44.4%) males and 129 (55.6%) females, with an average age of 49.7 years. According to the surgical methods, they were divided into a robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) group (n=113) and a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) group (n=119). After 1 : 1 propensity score matching, 57 patients in the RATS group and 57 patients in the VATS group were obtained. Results    The RATS group was better than the VATS group in the visual analogue scale pain score on the first day after the surgery [3.0 (2.0, 4.0) points vs. 4.0 (3.0, 5.0) points], postoperative hospital stay time [4.0 (3.0, 5.5) d vs. 6.0 (5.0, 7.0) d] and postoperative catheterization time [2.0 (2.0, 3.0) d vs. 3.0 (3.0, 4.0) d] (all P<0.05). There was no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of intraoperative blood loss, postoperative complications, postoperative thoracic closed drainage catheter placement rate or postoperative total drainage volume (all P>0.05). The total hospitalization costs [51 271.0 (44 166.0, 57 152.0) yuan vs. 35 814.0 (33 418.0, 39 312.0) yuan], operation costs [37 659.0 (32 217.0, 41 511.0) yuan vs. 19 640.0 (17 008.0, 21 421.0) yuan], anesthesia costs [3 307.0 (2 530.0, 3 823.0) yuan vs. 2 059.0 (1 577.0, 2 887.0) yuan] and drug and examination costs [9 241.0 (7 987.0, 12 332.0) yuan vs. 14 143.0 (11 620.0, 16 750.0) yuan] in the RATS group was higher than those in the VATS group (all P<0.05). Conclusion    Robotic surgery and thoracoscopic surgery can be done safely and effectively. Compared with thoracoscopic surgery, robotic surgery has less postoperative pain, shorter tube-carrying time, and less postoperative hospital stay, which can significantly speed up the postoperative recovery of patients. However, the cost of robotic surgery is higher than that of thoracoscopic surgery, which increases the economic burden of patients and is also one of the main reasons for preventing the popularization of robotic surgery.

Chinese thoracic surgery experts consensus on postoperative follow-up plans for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Resection is one of the most important treatments for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and routine postoperative follow-up is an effective method for early detection and treatment of recurrent metastases, which can improve patients' quality of life and prognosis. This consensus aims to provide a reference for colleagues responsible for postoperative follow-up of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients in China, and further improve the standardization of the diagnosis and treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Feasibility study of removal of gastric tube for gastrointestinal decompression after minimally invasive esophageal cancer surgery / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To explore the feasibility of decompression without gastric tube after minimally invasive esophageal cancer surgery. Methods    Seventy-two patients who underwent minimally invasive esophageal cancer resection at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University from 2016 to 2018 were selected as a trial group including 68 males and 4 females with an average age of 58.5±7.9 years, who did not use gastric tube for gastrointestinal decompression after surgery. Seventy patients who underwent the same operation from 2013 to 2015 were selected as the control group, including 68 males and 2 females, with an average age of 59.1±6.9 years, who were indwelled with gastric tube for decompression after surgery. We observed and compared the intraoperative and postoperative indicators and complications of the two groups. Results    There were no significant differences between the two groups in operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative level of serum albumin, postoperative nasal jejunal nutrition, whether to enter the ICU postoperatively, death within 30 days after surgery, anastomotic leakage, lung infection, vomiting, bloating or hoarseness (P>0.05). No gastroparesis occurred in either group. Compared with the control group, the recovery time of the bowel sounds and the first exhaust time after the indwelling in the trial group were significantly shorter, and the total hospitalization cost, the incidence of nausea, sore throat, cough, foreign body sensation and sputum difficulty were significantly lower (P<0.05). Conclusion    It is feasible to remove the gastric tube for gastrointestinal decompression after minimally invasive esophageal cancer surgery, which will not increase the incidence of postoperative complications, instead, accelerate the postoperative recovery of patients.

Surgical Treatment of Bronchiectasis: 5 Years of Experience at a Single Institution.

Objective: The aim of this retrospective study was to present our surgical experience in patients with bronchiectasis who underwent thoracoscopy and to compare the results with those of patients who underwent thoracotomy. Methods: We analyzed the medical records of patients who underwent lung resection to treat bronchiectasis through video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) or open lung resection between November 2012 and November 2017. Results: In total, 99 patients were enrolled. Forty-nine patients with bronchiectasis underwent VATS lung resection and 50 patients underwent thoracotomy. The patients in the VATS group were older (P = .025), but no difference was observed in blood loss (P = .62) or morbidity (P = .67) between the two groups. The patients in the VATS group had a shorter duration of chest tube placement (P = .01) and length of hospital stay (P = .04) but a longer operative time (P = .01). No significant difference was found in symptom improvement between the two groups (P = .694). Conclusions: Surgical resection for bronchiectasis can be performed with acceptable morbidity and can lead to significant relief of symptoms. Video-assisted thoracoscopic lung resection for localized bronchiectasis is a safe and efficient procedure that results in good recovery.

Progress in the relationship between zinc metabolism and esophageal cancer / 国际外科学杂志

Esophageal cancer is one of the common malignant tumors in China.Although it is currently treated by multidisciplinary treatment,esophageal cancer's prognosis is still poor.The occurrence of esophageal cancer is closely related to the metabolism of trace element zinc.Zinc deficiency can induce the development of esophageal cancer by inducing inflammatory reaction and microRNAs imbalance.Zinc ion can play an important role in esophageal cancer by regulating the activity of ion channel.The formed zinc finger protein can function as an oncogene or a tumor suppressor gene in esophageal cancer.Zinc metabolism is accompanied by complex biological changes in the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer,and multiple mechanisms interact and are closely linked.The article reviews the research results of recent years on the mechanism of zinc deficiency,zinc ion-regulated ion channel and zinc finger protein in the development of esophageal cancer.

Diagnosis and Treatment Strategy of Pulmonary Embolism after Video-assisted Thoracic Lobectomy / 中国肺癌杂志

BACKGROUND@#To summarize the clinical features of patients with pulmonary embolism after lobectomy and to explore the methods of diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary embolism after lobectomy.@*METHODS@#The clinical data of 6 patients with pulmonary embolism after lobectomy between July 2007 and July 2017 were retrospectively analyzed.@*RESULTS@#Of the 6 patients, 3 died within 24 h of onset and 3 patients were cured and discharged.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Pulmonary embolism after lobectomy is a rare postoperative complication in thoracic surgery. It is difficult to diagnose and has a high mortality rate. Preoperative thromboembolic risk assessment and postoperative prevention are important.

Super-minimally invasive bilateral thoracoscopic extended thymectomy / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective To present the technique of super-minimally invasive bilateral thoracoscopic extended thymectomy,and evaluate the early clinical results by using of this technique.Methods Twenty-three patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) with thymoma underwent with super-minimally invasive bilateral thoracoscopic extended thymectomy in our institution between July 2014 and January 2016.Two operate-poles are 5mm trocar,one is three intercostal space at the anterior axillary line,and the other is four intercostal space at the midclavicular line.A 10 mm trocar is inserted through the 6th intercostal space in the mid axillary line.The perioperative variables and outcomes were collected and analysed retrospectively.Results In the 23 patients who underwent Super-Minimally invasive bilateral thoracoscopic extended thymectomy,the mean operation time was (163.2 ± 14.4) min and the average blood loss was (148.2 ± 39.5) ml.The chest tube duration was (4.14 ± 0.27) days.There were no mortalities.Conclusion Our preliminary report showed that Super-Minimally invasive bilateral thoracoscopic extended thymectomy for mediastinal tumour resection was a promising and safe technique with regard to short-term clinical outcome.

Progress of minimally invasive esophagectomy / 国际外科学杂志

Traditional open esophagectomy is associated with significant mortality and morbidity.Some researches have suggested that the incidence of the complications may be decreased with minimally invasive esophagectomy which has equivalent survival rate compared with open esophagectomy.It may become a tendency of esophageal surgery.This article reviewed the progress of minimally invasive esophagectomy.

Study on the isolation and phenotype of peripheral blood pDC_1 and pDC_2 in rhesus monkey / 中华器官移植杂志

Objective To study the isolation and phenotype of peripheral blood pDC 1 and pDC 2 in rhesus monkey.Methods Peripheral blood monoclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from healthy, SIV-negative rhesus monkeys (M.mulatta) using Ficoll-Hypaque density separation. DC precursors were identified and were sorted by 3 color rare-event cytometric flow analysis using human monoclonal antibodies cross reactive with rhesus monkey. Results DC subsets were identified within the lineage- HLA-DR+ fraction of PBMCs and maintained activities. Myeloid DC (pDC 1) showed the phenotype lineage-, HLA-DR+ and BDCA 1+; Lymphoid DC (pDC 2)showed the phenotype lineage-, HLA-DR+ and CD123+ (IL-3R?+).Conclusions We have identified the rhesus monkey pDC 1 and pDC 2 similar to those from human beings. Identification of pDC 1 and pDC 2 is an important first step towards testing of these important immunomodulatory APC in the therapy of allograft rejection in non-human primates.