Clinical significance of UGT1A1 polymorphism and expression of ERCC1, BRCA1, TYMS, RRM1, TUBB3, STMN1 and TOP2A in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Individualized therapeutic regimen is a recently intensively pursued approach for targeting diseases, in which the search for biomarkers was considered the first and most important. Thus, the goal of this study was to investigate whether the UGT1A1, ERCC1, BRCA1, TYMS, RRM1, TUBB3, STMN1 and TOP2A genes are underlying biomarkers for gastric cancer, which, to our knowledge, has not been performed. METHODS: Ninety-eight tissue specimens were collected from gastric cancer patients between May 2012 and March 2015. A multiplex branched DNA liquidchip technology was used for measuring the mRNA expressions of ERCC1, BRCA1, TYMS, RRM1, TUBB3, STMN1 and TOP2A. Direct sequencing was performed for determination of UGT1A1 polymorphisms. Furthermore, correlations between gene expressions, polymorphisms and clinicopathological characteristics were investigated. RESULTS: The expressions of TYMS, TUBB3 and STMN1 were significantly associated with the clinicopathological characteristics of age, gender and family history of gastric cancer, but not with differentiation, growth patterns, metastasis and TNM staging in patients with gastric cancer. No clinical characteristics were correlated with the expressions of ERCC1, BRCA1, RRM1 and TOP2A. Additionally, patients carrying G allele at -211 of UGT1A1 were predisposed to developing tubular adenocarcinoma, while individuals carrying 6TAA or G allele respectively at *28 or -3156 of UGT1A1 tended to have a local invasion. CONCLUSIONS: The UGT1A1 polymorphism may be useful to screen the risk population of gastric cancer, while TYMS, TUBB3 and STMN1 may be potential biomarkers for prognosis and chemotherapy guidance.

Hand-assisted laparoscopic versus laparoscopy-assisted D2 radical gastrectomy: a prospective study.

BACKGROUD: The feasibility and safety of Hand-assisted laparoscopic D2 radical gastrectomy (HALG) have been seldom reported, also, benefits and outcomes are not defined. METHODS: We performed a comprehensive and in-depth comparative analysis of the general information, the intraoperative data and postoperative data in the Group HALG and the Group laparoscopy-assisted D2 radical gastrectomy (LAG). RESULTS: The general data of HALG and LAG were no differences (P > 0.05); the blood loss and unexpected injury were similar(P > 0.05); the operative time, the incision length, the number of lymph nodes recovered, the rate of procedure conversion, the amount of postoperative complications, and the length of postoperative hospital stay of Group HALG were prior to that of Group LAG(P < 0.05); there were no differences for the pain score after day 2, the recovery time of intestinal function, the rate of reoperation, the 30-day hospital and readmission rate(P > 0.05); and there were significant linear correlations between the length of postoperative hospital stay and the operative time for both groups(P = 0.00). CONCLUSION: Compared with LAG, HALG had similar features of being minimally invasive and radical in treating gastric cancers, and HALG was safer than LAG.

Therapeutic effect and mechanism of electroacupuncture at Zusanli on plasticity of interstitial cells of Cajal: a study of rat ileum.

BACKGROUND: Electroacupuncture (EA) is one of the techniques of acupuncture and is believed to be an effective alternative and complementary treatment in many disorders. The aims of this study were to investigate the effects and mechanisms of EA at acupoint Zusanli (ST36) on the plasticity of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) in partial bowel obstruction. METHODS: A Sprague Dawley rat model of partial bowel obstruction was established and EA was conducted at Zusanli (ST36) and Yinglingquan (SP9) in test and control groups, respectively. Experiments were performed to study the effects and mechanisms of EA at Zusanli on intestinal myoelectric activity, distribution and alteration of ICCs, expression of inflammatory mediators, and c-Kit expression. RESULTS: 1) EA at Zusanli somewhat improved slow wave amplitude and frequency in the partial obstruction rats. 2) EA at Zusanli significantly stimulated the recovery of ICC networks and numbers. 3) the pro-inflammatory mediator TNF-α and NO activity were significantly reduced after EA at Zusanli, However, no significant changes were observed in the anti-inflammatory mediator IL-10 activity. 4) EA at Zusanli re-expressed c-Kit protein. However, EA at the control acupoint, SP9, significantly improved slow wave frequency and amplitude, but had no effect on ICC or inflammatory mediators. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that EA at Zusanli might have a therapeutic effect on ICC plasticity, and that this effect might be mediated via a decrease in pro-inflammatory mediators and through the c-Kit signaling pathway, but that the relationship between EA at different acupoints and myoelectric activity needs further study.

The naïve effector cells of collagen type I during acute experimental pancreatitis are acinar cells and not pancreatic stellate cells.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of collagen type I and the mRNA level of its regulatory factor, TGF-ß1, in tissue samples of acute pancreatitis and to determine the significance of collagen type I in predisposition to pancreatic fibrosis during acute pancreatitis. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into an experimental group (30 rats) and a control group (12 rats). The rats in the experimental group were intraperitoneally injected with cerulein to induce acute pancreatitis. The distribution and expression of collagen type I in the pancreatic tissues were examined by immunohistochemical staining. The mRNA level of TGF-ß1 was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: (1) Collagen type I was localized in the cytoplasm of pancreatic acinar cells. With pancreatitis progressed, strong positive staining for collagen type I covered whole pancreatic lobules, whereas, the islet tissue, interlobular area, and pancreatic necrotic area were negative for collagen type I. (2) The level of TGF-ß1 mRNA in rats from the experimental group increased gradually the establishment of acute pancreatitis, and was significantly higher than that in the control group at every time point. CONCLUSIONS: (1) During acute pancreatitis, pancreatic acinar cells, not pancreatic stellate cells as traditionally believed, were the naïve effector cells of collagen type I. (2) TGF-ß1 played a key role in regulating collagen I expression during acute pancreatitis.

Development and Validation Nomogram for Predicting the Survival of Patients with Thrombocytopenia in Intensive Care Units.

Background: The number of patients with thrombocytopenia (TCP) is relatively high in intensive care units (ICUs). It is therefore necessary to evaluate the prognostic risk of such patients. Aim: This study investigated the risk factors affecting the survival of patients with TCP in the ICU. Using the findings of this investigation, we developed and validated a risk prediction model. Methods: We evaluated patients admitted to the ICU who presented with TCP. We used LASSO regression to identify important clinical indicators. Based on these indicators, we developed a prediction model complete with a nomogram for the development cohort set. We then evaluated the mode's accuracy using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA) in a validation cohort. Results: A total of 141 cases of ICU TCP were included in the sample, of which 47 involved death of the patient. Clinical results were as follows: N (HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.86-0.97, P=0.003); TBIL (HR 1.98, 95% CI 1.02-1.99, P=0.048); APACHE II (HR 1.94, 95% CI 1.39, 2.48, P=0.045); WPRN (HR 6.22, 95% CI 2.86-13.53, P<0.001); WTOST (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.21-1.46, P<0.001); and DMV [HR1.87, 95% CI 1.12-2.33]. The prediction model yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.918 (95% CI 0.863-0.974) in the development cohort and 0.926 (95% CI 0.849-0.994) in the validation cohort. Application of the nomogram in the validation cohort gave good discrimination (C-index 0.853, 95% CI 0.810-0.922) and good calibration. DCA indicated that the nomogram was clinically useful. Conclusion: The individualized nomogram developed through our analysis demonstrated effective prognostic prediction for patients with TCP in ICUs. Use of this prediction metric may reduce TCP-related morbidity and mortality in ICUs.

Establishment of risk nomogram prediction model for venous catheter thrombosis.

BACKGROUND: Venous catheters are widely used in clinical practice, but a drawback of their usage is the increased risk of thrombosis. AIMS: The current study explored the risk factors affecting the formation of thrombosis following venous catheterization and establishes a risk nomogram prediction model for catheter-related thrombosis. METHODS: Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out to identify the independent factors involved in venous catheter thrombosis. These factors were included in the construction of a nomogram. Finally, the C-index and calibration curves were used to validate the nomogram. RESULT: A total of 146 cases were included in the sample, of which 36 were cases of thrombosis. The results of the univariate logistic regression analysis showed that the following were significant factors: age, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation scoring system (APACHE II) score, white blood cell (WBC), hematocrit (HCT), international normalized ratio (INR), fibrinogen (FIB), and D-dimer. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed, which confirmed that the factors of age (AUC: 0.677, 95% CI: 0.564-0.790), APACHE II score (AUC: 0.746, 95% CI: 0.656-0.837), INR (AUC: 0.743, 95% CI: 0.636-0.849), and D-dimer (AUC: 0.826, 95% CI: 0.750-0.902) were independent variables. Next, a nomogram was constructed using these independent variables for predicting venous catheter thrombosis. Favorable results with C-indexes (0.816; 95% CI: 0.780-0.882) and calibration curves closer to ideal curves indicated the accurate predictive ability of this nomogram. CONCLUSION: The individualized nomogram demonstrated effective prognostic prediction for patients with venous thrombosis.

Traumatic injury mortality prediction (TRIMP-ICDX): A new comprehensive evaluation model according to the ICD-10-CM codes.

Various assessment methods based on the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM), such as ICD-10-CM Injury Severity Score (ICISS), trauma mortality prediction model (TMPM-ICD10), and injury mortality prediction (IMP-ICDX), are purely anatomic trauma assessment, which need to be further improved. Traumatic injury mortality prediction (TRIMP-ICDX) is a comprehensive assessment method based on anatomic injuries and incorporating available information to determine whether it is superior to Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) and IMP-ICDX in predicting trauma outcomes. This retrospective cohort study was based on data from 704,287 trauma patients admitted to 710 trauma centers in the National Trauma Data Bank of the United States in 2016. The TRIMP-ICDX was established using anatomical injury, physiological reserves, and physiological response indicators. Its performance was compared with the IMP-ICDX and TRISS by examining the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test, HL), and the Akaike information criterion (AIC). The TRIMP-ICDX showed significantly better discrimination (AUCTRIMP-ICDX 0.968; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.966-0.970, AUCTRISS 0.922; 95% CI, 0.918-0.925, and AUCIMP-ICDX 0.894; 95% CI, 0.890-0.899), better calibration (HLTRIMP-ICDX 5.6; 95% CI, 3.0-8.0, HLTRISS 72.7; 95% CI, 38.4-104.5, and HLIMP-ICDX 53.1; 95% CI, 26.6-77.8), and a lower AIC (AICTRIMP-ICDX 24,774, AICTRISS 30,753, and AICIMP-ICDX 32,780) compared with TRISS and IMP-ICDX. Similar results were found in statistical comparisons among different body regions. As a comprehensive evaluation method based on the ICD-10-CM lexicon TRIMP-ICDX is significantly better than IMP-ICDX and TRISS with respect to both discriminative power and calibration. The TRIMP-ICDX should become a research method for the comprehensive evaluation of trauma severity.

Metal Complexes of the Porphyrin-Functionalized Polybenzoxazine.

New porphyrin-functionalized benzoxazine (Por-BZ) in high purity and yield was synthesized in this study based on 1H and 13C NMR and FTIR spectroscopic analyses through the reduction of Schiff base formed from tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)porphyrin (TAPP) and salicylaldehyde and the subsequent reaction with CH2O. Thermal properties of the product formed through ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of Por-BZ were measured using DSC, TGA and FTIR spectroscopy. Because of the rigid structure of the porphyrin moiety appended to the benzoxazine unit, the temperature required for ROP (314 °C) was higher than the typical Pa-type benzoxazine monomer (ca. 260 °C); furthermore, poly(Por-BZ) possessed a high thermal decomposition temperature (Td10 = 478 °C) and char yield (66 wt%) after thermal polymerization at 240 °C. An investigation of the thermal and luminescence properties of metal-porphyrin complexes revealed that the insertion of Ni and Zn ions decreased the thermal ROP temperatures of the Por-BZ/Ni and Por-BZ/Zn complexes significantly, to 241 and 231 °C, respectively. The metal ions acted as the effective promoter and catalyst for the thermal polymerization of the Por-BZ monomer, and also improved the thermal stabilities after thermal polymerization.

A traumatic injury mortality prediction (TRIMP) based on a comprehensive assessment of abbreviated injury scale 2005 predot codes.

Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS)-based systems such as injury severity score (ISS), exponential injury severity score (EISS), trauma mortality prediction model (TMPM), and injury mortality prediction (IMP), classify anatomical injuries with limited accuracy. The widely accepted alternative, trauma and injury severity score (TRISS), improves the prediction rate by combining an anatomical index of ISS, physiological index (the Revised Trauma Score, RTS), and the age of patients. The study introduced the traumatic injury mortality prediction (TRIMP) with the inclusion of extra clinical information and aimed to compare the ability against the TRISS as predictors of survival. The hypothesis was that TRIMP would outperform TRISS in prediction power by incorporating clinically available data. This was a retrospective cohort study where a total of 1,198,885 injured patients hospitalized between 2012 and 2014 were subset from the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) in the United States. A TRIMP model was computed that uses AIS 2005 (AIS_05), physiological reserve and physiological response indicators. The results were analysed by examining the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), the Hosmer-Lemeshow (HL) statistic, and the Akaike information criterion. TRIMP gave both significantly better discrimination (AUCTRIMP, 0.964; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.962 to 0.966 and AUCTRISS, 0.923; 95% CI, 0.919 to 0.926) and calibration (HLTRIMP, 14.0; 95% CI, 7.7 to 18.8 and HLTRISS, 411; 95% CI, 332 to 492) than TRISS. Similar results were found in statistical comparisons among different body regions. TRIMP was superior to TRISS in terms of accurate of mortality prediction, TRIMP is a new and feasible scoring method in trauma research and should replace the TRISS.

Early use of high-dose vitamin C is beneficial in treatment of sepsis.

PURPOSE: Vitamin C has shown benefits in patients with sepsis in addition to standard therapy recently. However, further evidence is required to verify the efficacy of vitamin C in clinical practice. This study aimed to investigate the effect of adjunctive intravenous high-dose vitamin C treatment on hospital mortality in patients with sepsis. METHODS: One hundred seventeen patients with sepsis in our department from June 2017 to May 2019 were randomly divided into two groups: the control group (56 cases) and the vitamin C group (61 cases). The control group was treated by the routine and basic therapy with intravenous drip of 5% dextrose and placebo (100 ml/time, 2 times/day), while the vitamin C group was administered intravenously by 3.0 g vitamin C dissolved into 5% dextrose (100 ml/time, 2 times/day) based on the control group. The mortality and efficacy were statistically analyzed and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The 28-day mortality differed significantly between the control group and the vitamin C group (42.97% vs. 27.93%) (p < 0.05). The changes in the sepsis-related organ failure assessment (ΔSOFA) scores at 72 h after ICU admission (4.2 vs. 2.1), the application time of vasoactive drugs (25.6 vs. 43.8), and the procalcitonin clearance (79.6% vs. 61.3%) differed significantly between groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The early treatment of sepsis with intravenous high-dose vitamin C in combination with standard therapy showed a beneficial effect on sepsis, in terms of the reduced 28-day mortality, the decreased SOFA score, and the increased clearance rate of procalcitonin.

Upregulation of COL8A1 indicates poor prognosis across human cancer types and promotes the proliferation of gastric cancer cells.

Gastric cancer (GC) was one of the most common types of the digestive system. COL8A1 was reported to be associated with cancer progression. The present study showed COL8A1 was overexpressed and correlated to shorter overall survival (OS) time across human cancer types. Specially, our results showed COL8A1 was up-regulated in advanced stage GC compared to low stage GC samples. Higher expression of COL8A1 was significantly correlated to shorter OS time in patients with GC. Bioinformatics analysis revealed COL8A1 was involved in regulating cell proliferation and metastasis. Experimental validations of COL8A1 showed that silencing of COL8A1 could significantly suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion in GC. These results provided a potential target for the clinical prognosis and treatment of gastric cancer.

[Safety and efficacy of hand-assisted laparoscopic versus open distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To systematically assess the safety and efficacy of hand-assisted laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (HALG) versus open distal gastrectomy (ODG) for gastric cancer. METHODS: Chinese or English literature regarding comparison of HALG and ODG were collected by searching in databases (such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang database) between January 1996 and September 2016. The data of operative time, incision length, blood loss, number of harvested lymph nodes, time to flatus, hospital stay, postoperative complication morbidity and long-term outcomes were compared between the two procedures. Then funnel plot was used to evaluate publication bias and sensitivity analysis was used to evaluate the stability of the results. All these data analyses were performed using the Meta for or Meta package of R version 3.3.1. RESULTS: A total of 7 studies with 835 patients (323 cases in HALG group and 512 cases in ODG group) were included. Compared with ODG, HALG had a longer operative time (WMD=28.93 minutes, 95%CI=9.59 to 48.28, Z=2.93, P=0.000), a shorter incision length (WMD=-10.31 cm, 95%CI=-14.01 to -6.62, Z=-5.47, P=0.000), less blood loss (WMD=-140.08 ml, 95%CI=-215.07 to -65.09, Z=-3.66, P=0.000), faster gastrointestinal recovery (WMD=-1.23 days, 95%CI=-1.89 to -0.56, Z=-3.62, P=0.000), shorter postoperative hospital stay (WMD=-3.24 days, 95%CI=-5.47 to -1.02, Z=-2.85, P=0.000). In subgroup analysis, 3 studies published before 2013 vs. 4 studies published afterwards, the number of harvested lymph nodes (WMD=-0.78, 95%CI=-2.05 to 0.50, Z=-1.19, P=0.235) and postoperative complication morbidity (RR=1.02, 95%CI=0.43 to 2.44, Z=0.05, P=0.961) did not differ significantly between two groups. Compared with ODG, the RR(95%CI) of ileus of HALG was 0.43 (0.07 to 2.82), but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.383). One study reported the 5-year overall survival rates of HALG and ODG were 81.0% vs 67.5%, and the tumor recurrence rates were 7.1% vs 22%, respectively, but the differences were not statistically significant(all P>0.05). Sensitivity analysis showed that the above results were stable. The funnel plots of the lymph nodes and postoperative complication morbidity did not present significant publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: HALG has the advantages of minimal invasiveness such as shorter incision length and quicker recovery. Furthermore, the short-term efficacy of HALG is similar to conventional open surgery. However, the long-term efficacy is lack of support from multicenter long-term follow-up results.

Risk factors for gallbladder contractility after cholecystolithotomy in elderly high-risk surgical patients.

OBJECTIVE: Cholecystolithiasis is a common disease in the elderly patient. The routine therapy is open or laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In the previous study, we designed a minimally invasive cholecystolithotomy based on percutaneous cholecystostomy combined with a choledochoscope (PCCLC) under local anesthesia. METHODS: To investigate the effect of PCCLC on the gallbladder contractility function, PCCLC and laparoscope combined with a choledochoscope were compared in this study. RESULTS: The preoperational age and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scores, as well as postoperational lithotrity rate and common biliary duct stone rate in the PCCLC group, were significantly higher than the choledochoscope group. However, the pre- and postoperational gallbladder ejection fraction was not significantly different. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses indicated that the preoperational thickness of gallbladder wall (odds ratio [OR]: 0.540; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.317-0.920; P=0.023) and lithotrity (OR: 0.150; 95% CI: 0.023-0.965; P=0.046) were risk factors for postoperational gallbladder ejection fraction. The area under receiver operating characteristics curve was 0.714 (P=0.016; 95% CI: 0.553-0.854). CONCLUSION: PCCLC strategy should be carried out cautiously. First, restricted by the diameter of the drainage tube, the PCCLC should be used only for small gallstones in high-risk surgical patients. Second, the usage of lithotrity should be strictly limited to avoid undermining the gallbladder contractility and increasing the risk of secondary common bile duct stones.

Risk factors for early complications after laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for locally advanced rectal cancer: A single center experience.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (TME) for rectal cancer has become a widely used surgical strategy in the treatment of rectal cancer. Laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery aims to provide patients with curative resection as well as minimize postoperative morbidity. This study was designed to analyze the foreseeable risk factors linked to postoperative morbidity in patients undergoing laparoscopic total mesorectal excision. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From February 2008 to May 2010, 306 consecutive patients underwent laparoscopic TME. Postoperative complications including wound infection, pneumonia, urethritis were recorded. Eleven potential risk factors for postoperative complications were analyzed. RESULTS: The overall postoperative complication rate was 22.3%, and the complications included wound infection (5.2%), pneumonia (4.5%), urethritis (3.9%), anastmosis bleed (1.9%), anastmosis leakage (3.2%), and obstruction (3.6%). The risk factors responsible for the complications were conversion (P = 0.002); operation time > 210 min (P = 0.047); age > 70 yr (P = 0.026); tumor size >4 cm (P = 0.005); preoperative chemoradiotherapy (P = 0.017); and a lower tumor location (P = 0.048). Conversion was positively related to wound infection and obstruction. Tumor size >4 cm and preoperative chemoradiotherapy were high-risk factors for urethritis. Operating time >210 min and age >70 year were associated with postoperative pneumonia. Lower tumor and age >70 yr were significant risk factors for anastmosis leakage. CONCLUSIONS: Aged patients, large tumor, lower tumor location and conversion were risk factors in performing laparoscopic TME for locally advanced rectal cancer. Patients with these characteristics should be carefully considered before undergoing laparoscopic total mesorectal excision.

[Efficacy comparison of lymph node dissection patterns of the reverse and the cabbage in hand-assisted laparoscopic D2 radical gastrectomy].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy of the lymph node dissection patterns of the reverse and the traditional cabbage in hand-assisted laparoscopic D2 radical gastrectomy (HALG). METHODS: From December 2010 to October 2013, 194 patients with HALG in Chengdu Military General Hospital were enrolled in this study. According to the pattern of lymph node dissection, 108 patients were performed with the reverse procedure which took spleen as starting point, from left to right, and 86 patients were performed with the traditional cabbage procedure which took the abdominal cavity as the center, from both sides to middle. A retrospective comparative analysis was made on the intra- and post-operative data between the two groups. RESULTS: All the patients were successfully performed with HALG, and no peri-operative death occurred. There were no significant differences in the incision length [(7.0 ± 0.2) cm vs. (6.9 ± 0.3) cm], the operative time [(170.9 ± 33.8) minute vs. (174.6 ± 22.4) minute], dissected lymph node number (17.6 ± 7.5 vs. 17.1 ± 5.8) and post-operative complications [(6.5%(7/108) vs. 8.1%(7/86)] between the reverse group and cabbage group (all P>0.05). However, less blood loss [(204.6 ± 98.2) ml vs. (259.1 ± 122.6) ml, P<0.01] and shorter postoperative hospital stay [(9.0 ± 1.7) day vs. (10.5 ± 4.0) day, P<0.01] were observed in reverse group as compared to cabbage group. During 1 to 6 months follow-up, no death case was found in reverse group, while 1 case died due to upper gastrointestinal bleeding 48 days after operation in cabbage group. CONCLUSION: Efficacy is similar between the two HALG procedures in lymph node dissection, while reverse procedure has certain advantages, such as less blood loss and faster recovery.

Three-step hand-assisted laparoscopic d2 radical gastrectomy for chinese obese patients: a highly efficient and feasible surgical approach.

Three-step hand-assisted laparoscopic D2 radical gastrectomy (HALG) is a modified surgical procedure that has achieved satisfactory results for obese patients in our surgical center. To fully elucidate the advantages of this procedure, in this study, comprehensive and in-depth comparative analyses were performed to assess clinical data from obese gastric cancer patients who underwent HALG, laparoscopic-assisted D2 radical gastrectomy (LAG), and open D2 radical gastrectomy (OG) in our surgical center during a specific time period. For the 3 groups, incision length was 1.25 cm longer for the HALG group than for the LAG group but was significantly shorter for the HALG group than for the OG group (P =0.00). The rate of conversion to laparotomy , the pneumoperitoneum time and the number of recovered lymph nodes were significantly better for the HALG group than for the LAG group (P <0.05). The pain score at day 2 after surgery, intestinal function recovery time, and duration of postoperative hospital stay were not significantly different for the HALG and LAG groups ( P >0.05) but were significantly better for the HALG group than for the OG group (P <0.05). There were significantly fewer postoperative complications for the HALG group than for the LAG and OG groups (P =0.049). According to the results, the "three-step HALG method" incorporates both the thoroughness of the radical OG approach and the minimal invasiveness of the LAG approach for obese patients. Thus, the HALG approach is a relatively safe and extremely feasible surgical procedure for the treatment of these patients.

Learning curve for hand-assisted laparoscopic D2 radical gastrectomy.

AIM: To describe the learning curves of hand-assisted laparoscopic D2 radical gastrectomy (HALG) for the treatment of gastric cancer. METHODS: The HALG surgical procedure consists of three stages: surgery under direct vision via the port for hand assistance, hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery, and gastrointestinal tract reconstruction. According to the order of the date of surgery, patients were divided into 6 groups (A-F) with 20 cases in each group. All surgeries were performed by the same group of surgeons. We performed a comprehensive and in-depth retrospective comparative analysis of the clinical data of all patients, with the clinical data including general patient information and intraoperative and postoperative observation indicators. RESULTS: There were no differences in the basic information among the patient groups (P > 0.05). The operative time of the hand-assisted surgery stage in group A was 8-10 min longer than the other groups, with the difference being statistically significant (P = 0.01). There were no differences in total operative time between the groups (P = 0.30). Postoperative intestinal function recovery time in group A was longer than that of other groups (P = 0.02). Lengths of hospital stay and surgical quality indicators (such as intraoperative blood loss, numbers of detected lymph nodes, intraoperative side injury, postoperative complications, reoperation rate, and readmission rate 30 d after surgery) were not significantly different among the groups. CONCLUSION: HALG is a surgical procedure that can be easily mastered, with a learning curve closely related to the operative time of the hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery stage.

Three-step hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery for radical distal gastrectomy: an effective surgical approach.

OBJECTIVE: Three-step hand-assisted laparoscopic D2 radical gastrectomy (HALG) is a modified surgical technique based on hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) for the treatment of gastric cancer. This surgical approach is particularly easy and convenient for radical distal gastrectomy. In order to thoroughly understand the advantages of applying "three-step HALG" in distal gastrectomy, our center conducted a retrospective study to analyze data from patients who underwent HALG and laparoscopic-assisted D2 radical gastrectomy (LAG) during the corresponding time period. METHODS: The HALG procedure is performed in three steps, namely the operation performed through an auxiliary incision under direct vision, hand-assisted laparoscopic operation, and gastrointestinal tract reconstruction through the auxiliary incision under direct vision. This study performed comprehensive, in-depth comparative analyses on the clinical data of two groups of patients who underwent HALG and LAG. RESULTS: The auxiliary incision under the xiphoid was maximally utilized in the HALG procedure. The rate of conversion to open surgery in HALG group patients was significantly lower than in the LAG group (P = 0.03), and the operating time was significantly shorter in the HALG group than in the LAG group (P = 0.00). There was no significant difference in the pain rate score on postoperative day 2 and on the day of discharge between the HALG and LAG groups (P > 0.05). No statistically significant difference was found in the time to recovery of bowel function, postoperative hospital stay, or postoperative complications (P > 0.05), although the values were all lower in the HALG group than in the LAG group. CONCLUSION: "Three-step HALG" is a highly feasible surgical approach for radical distal gastrectomy.

Transvaginal early fistula debridement and repair plus continuous vacuum aspiration via anal tube for rectovaginal fistula following rectal cancer surgery: report of four cases.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility and superiority of transvaginal early fistula debridement and repair plus continuous vacuum aspiration via anal tube for rectovaginal fistula following rectal cancer surgery. METHODS: The clinical data of four cases of rectovaginal fistula following rectal cancer surgery were retrospectively analyzed in our center. After adequate preoperative preparation, the patients underwent transvaginal fistula debridement and repair plus continuous vacuum aspiration via anal tube under continuous epidural anesthesia. After surgery and before discharge, anti-infection and nutritional support was administered for 2 d, and fluid diet and anal tube vacuum aspiration continued for 7 d. RESULTS: All the four cases healed. Three of them healed after one operation, and the other patient had obvious shrinkage of the fistular orifice after the first operation and underwent the same operation for a second time before complete healing. The duration of postoperative follow-up was 2, 7, 8 and 9 months respectively. No recurrence or abnormal sex life was reported. CONCLUSIONS: Early transvaginal fistula debridement and repair plus continuous vacuum aspiration via anal tube are feasible for rectovaginal fistula following rectal cancer surgery. This operation has many advantages, such as minimal invasiveness, short durations of operation, short treatment cycles, and easy acceptance by the patient. In addition, it does not necessitate colostomy for feces shunt and a secondary colostomy and reduction.