Assessment of indocyanine green fluorescence lymphography on lymphadenectomy during minimally invasive gastric cancer surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, indocyanine green fluorescence lymphography has been introduced for lymphatic mapping in gastric cancer surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of ICGFL in lymph node dissection during minimally invasive surgery for gastric cancer. METHODS: A systematic review of electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure was performed from the inception to January 2021 for all studies comparing ICGFL with non-ICGFL in GC patients undergoing minimal access gastrectomy. The primary outcome was the total number of harvested lymph nodes. The secondary endpoints were the number of metastatic LNs, operative time, estimated blood loss, and postoperative complications. The registration number of this protocol is PROSPERO CRD42020203443. RESULTS: A total of 13 studies including 1882 participants were included. In this meta-analysis, the use of ICGFL was associated with a higher number of harvested LNs (40.33 vs. 33.40; MD = 6.93; 95%CI: 4.28 to 9.58; P < 0.0001; I2 = 86%). No significant difference was found between the ICGFL and control groups in terms of metastatic LNs (2.63 vs. 2.42; MD = 0.21; 95%CI: -0.46 to 0.87; P = 0.54; I2 = 0%). In addition, the use of ICGFL could be safely performed without increasing the operative time (P = 0.49), estimated blood loss (P = 0.26) and postoperative complications (P = 0.54). CONCLUSION: The use of ICGFL may be a useful tool facilitating complete lymph node dissection during minimally invasive GC resection. However, more high-quality RCTs with large sample size are needed to validate this issue.

Ultrasound Assessment of Plaque Characteristics to Predict Re-occlusion after Surgical Treatment of Internal Carotid Artery Occlusion.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between plaque characteristics and re-occlusion after surgical treatment of internal carotid artery occlusion (ICAO). From January 2015 to January 2021, 177 patients with ICAO underwent surgery. Eighty-five cases were included in the study, and in 13 of them, re-occlusion occurred within 6 mo after surgery treatment (13/85, 15.85%). The calcification at the base of the plaque was longer in the re-occlusion group than in the non-occlusion group (10.70 ± 4.22 mm vs. 7.15 ± 1.41 mm, p = 0.001). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that the length of calcification at the base of the plaque was an independent risk factor for postoperative re-occlusion (odds ratio [OR]: 1.414, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.078-1.855, p = 0.012). The cutoff value for the length of calcification at the base of the plaque predicting re-occlusion after ICAO was 8.5 mm (95% CI: 0.700-0.962, p = 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.831. Sensitivity and specificity were 70% and 80.9%, respectively. These results indicate that pre-operative ultrasound examination of the length of calcification at the base of the plaque could predict re-occlusion after surgical treatment of ICAO.

[Decomposition of driving factors of industry-related CO2 emissions and its decoupling with economic growth in Fujian Province, China]. / ç¦å»ºçœè¡Œä¸šç¢³æŽ’æ”¾é©±åŠ¨å› ç´ åˆ†è§£åŠå ¶ä¸Žç»æµŽå¢žé•¿è„±é’©å ³ç³».

The emission of CO2 from major sectors and key industries are the predominant sources of regional CO2 emissions. It is the prerequisite to promote sectoral carbon emissions reduction, to cla-rify their influencing factors and investigate their relationship with regional economic growth. It is also of great significance for the implementation of regional total carbon emissions control. Using the Logarithmic mean Divisia index method (LMDI) and the Tapio decoupling model, we analyzed the driving factors, and decoupling status with economic growth of 13 major carbon emissions industries in Fujian Province from 1997 to 2017. The results showed that the electricity and heat production and supply industry was the major source of CO2 emissions in Fujian Province, with an increase of 101.74 Mt (from 18.89 Mt to 120.63 Mt) during the period 1997 to 2017. The top three industries with the fastest annual growth rate in CO2 emissions were non-ferrous metal smelting and rolling processing industry (18.1%), textile industry (12.1%), and ferrous metal smelting and rolling processing industry (12.1%). Among the influence factors for the changes in carbon emissions in 13 major industries, economic growth effect and population scale effect were the main positive driving factors, while the restraining effects of energy structure, energy intensity, and industrial structure were continuously increasing. In terms of decoupling relationship, the decoupling index between economic growth and industry-related CO2 emissions showed a downward trend on the whole. Since the 11th Five-Year-Plan period, some industries had begun to show strong decoupling to some extent. The farming, forestry, animal husbandry, fishery and water conservancy industry exhibited expansive negative decoupling, whereas the electricity and heat production and supply industry exhibited weak negative decoupling during 13th Five-Year Plan period. The effects of energy structure and energy intensity had substantial impacts on the decoupling with economic growth for various industries. The industrial structure effect had a smaller impact on the decoupling with economic growth, while the population scale effect had almost no impact.

The Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy for Basilar Artery Stenosis by Transcranial Color-Coded Sonography.

This study aimed to determine the optimal criteria for evaluating basilar artery stenosis (BAS) by transcranial color-coded sonography (TCCS). A total of 403 cases with both TCCS and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) were enrolled. Peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV) and mean flow velocity (MFV) of the basilar artery (BA), intracranial vertebral artery (IVA) and posterior cerebral artery (PCA) were measured. The ratios PSVBA/PSVIVA and PSVBA/PSVPCA were calculated. With DSA as the reference, the optimal criteria for grading BAS were determined by receiver operating characteristic analysis. They were as follows: PSV ≥110 cm/s, MFV ≥70 cm/s and PSVBA/PSVIVA ≥1.5 for <50% BAS; PSV ≥150 cm/s, MFV ≥90 cm/s and PSVBA/PSVIVA ≥2.0 for 50%-69% BAS; PSV ≥210 cm/s, MFV ≥120 cm/s and PSVBA/PSVIVA ≥3.0 for 70%-99% BAS. The combination of PSV, MFV and PSVBA/PSVIVA may increase the accuracy for diagnosing 70%-99% BAS.

Risk assessment of trace metal-polluted coastal sediments on Hainan Island: A full-scale set of 474 geographical locations covering the entire island.

Hainan Island is the second largest island and one of the most famous tourist destinations in China, but sediment contamination by trace metals in coastal areas is a major issue. However, full-scale risk assessments of trace metal-polluted coastal sediments are lacking. In this study, coastal surface sediments from 474 geographical locations covering almost the entire island were collected to identify risk-related variables. Controlling factors and possible sources of trace metals were identified, and the toxicity effects were carefully evaluated. Our results suggest that trace-metal pollution in coastal sediments, which was mainly caused by Pb, Zn and Cu emissions, has primarily resulted from industrial sewage and shipping activities and has threatened the offshore ecosystem of Hainan Island and warrants extensive consideration. This is the first study that has systematically investigated trace metal-polluted coastal sediments throughout the entirety of Hainan Island and provides solid evidence for sustainable marine management in the region.

[Distribution Characteristics, Sources and Pollution Assessment of Trace Elements in Surficial Sediments of the Coastal Wetlands, Northeastern Hainan Island].

Totally 128 surficial sediments samples were collected from the coastal wetlands, northeastern Hainan Island and analyzed for their concentrations of 14 elements including Al2O3, Fe2O3, MnO, Cu, Ni, Sr, Zn, V, Pb, Cr, Zr, As, Cd and Hg, TOC and grain sizes. The mean concentrations of trace metals V, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Pb, Cd and Hg were (40.13 +/- 32.65), (35.92 +/- 26.90), (13.03 +/- 11.46), (11.56 +/- 10.27)-, (48.75 +/- 27.00), (5.48 +/- 1.60), ( 18.70 +/- 8.66), (0.054 +/- 0.045 ), (0.050 +/- 0.050) microg x g(-1), respectively, which were much lower than those in Pearl River Estuary, Yangzi River Estuary, Bohai Bay, upper crust and average shale. The average concentrations of Sr and Zr were much higher, reaching up to (1253.60 +/- 1649.58) microg x g(-1) and (372.40 +/- 516.49) microg x g(-1), respectively. The spatial distribution patterns of Al2O3, Fe2O3, MnO, Cu, Ni, Zn, V, Pb, Cr, Cd and Hg concentrations were the same as each other except for those of As, Sr and Zr. Generally, relatively high concentrations of these elements only appeared in the Haikou Bay, Nandu estuary, Dongzhai Harbor, Qinglan Harbor and Xiaohai in study area. The factor analysis revealed that the trace elements Al2O3 Fe2O3, MnO, Cu, Ni, Zn, V, Pb, Cr and part of Hg were mainly originated from the rock material by natural weathering processes, while the Cd and a part of Hg were from the biological source controlled by TOC. As and part of MnO were influenced by anthropogenic source, especially by aquacultures. Zr and some MnO were derived from heavy minerals dominated by the coarse grain of sediments. In contrast to the ERL, ERM and the results of enrichment factors (EF) , the environment of study area was good in general and the degree of contamination by trace elements was low on the whole. However, there are still some places where anthropogenic input have caused serious enrichments of trace elements and the occasional adverse effect on benthic organism induced by Ni could probably occur in 22% areas of all the sampling stations.

Clinical Significance of a Novel Knee Joint Stability Assessment System for Evaluating Anterior Cruciate Ligament Deficient Knees.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the six degrees of freedom (6DOF) kinematics of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficient knees during gait and to explore the clinical significance of a novel knee joint stability assessment system (Opti_Knee, Innomotion, Shanghai, China) in comparison with imaging and arthroscopic examination. METHODS: Three subjects diagnosed with ACL deficient knees on the basis of preoperative MRI and CT findings were subjected to treadmill gait analysis. Motion of both knees in 6DOF was measured and analyzed with an optical joint kinematics measurement system. Arthroscopic examination, the gold standard, was performed to confirm the final diagnosis and the clinical diagnosis of ACL deficiency by imaging and motion marker techniques compared with this gold standard. RESULTS: Only two of the three subjects diagnosed with ACL deficiency by imaging techniques were later confirmed to have this condition by arthroscopic examination; the third was found to have an intact ACL. When the kinematics of their injured and contralateral knees were compared, abnormalities were found in the two subjects confirmed by arthroscopy to be ACL deficient However, no kinematic difference between the two knees was found in the ACL intact subject. CONCLUSIONS: Opti_Knee (Innomotion) can detect abnormal kinematics in ACL deficient knees and thus provides an effective way of assisting the diagnosis of this condition and has potential for clinical application.

Coastal surface sediment quality assessment in Leizhou Peninsula (South China Sea) based on SEM-AVS analysis.

Surface sediments from the coastal area of the Leizhou Peninsula in the South China Sea were collected and analyzed and the potential ecological risks in the area were assessed based on acid-volatile sulfide (AVS) model. The AVS levels are between 0.109 and 55.6 µmol g(-1), with the average at 4.45 µmol g(-1). The high AVS-concentration zones include the aquaculture areas of Liusha Bay and the densely populated areas of Zhanjiang Bay. The simultaneously extracted metals (SEM) range from 0.026 µmol g(-1) to 8.61 µmol g(-1), with the average at 0.843 µmol g(-1). Most of high SEM-concentration stations were located in ports or aquaculture zones. Most of the coastal surface sediments of the Leizhou Peninsula (90%) had no adverse biological effects according to the criterion proposed by USEPA (2005); while adverse effects were uncertain in some stations (8%); even in 2 stations (2%) adverse biological effects may be expected.

[Quantitative assessment of Parkinsonian rigidity by vessel Doppler ultrasonography].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of quantitative assessment of parkinsonian rigidity by vessel Doppler ultrasonography. METHODS: The diameter of the rigid limbs, including radial artery and vein, ulnar artery and vein, brachial veins, popliteal vein, anterior tibial vein, and posterior tibial vein in twelve individuals with PD and twelve age matched controls were measured by ultrasonography in both "on" and "off" states. Meanwhile the UPDRS unified Parkinson's disease rating scale for rigidity were also recorded both in "on" and "off " states by experienced neurologists. RESULTS: The mean diameter of radial vein, ulnar vein, brachial vein, popliteal vein, anterior tibial vein and posterior tibial vein, were 1.14, 1.13, 2.47, 3.85, 1.89, and 1.33 mm respectively in "off " state (group "A"), and were 1.58, 1.54, 2.88, 4.65, 2.27, and 1.69 mm respectively in "on" states (group "B") among the PD patients. The diameters of corresponding vessels in the controls (group "C") were 2.07, 1.69, 4.15, 5.07, 2.63, and 1.99 mm respectively. The data increased from group "A" to "C" gradually. Paired samples t tested showed a significant difference between the data of group A and group B (P = 0.00 approximately 0.03) and between group A and group C (P = 0.00 approximately 0.02) and no significant difference between group B and group C (P > 0.05, except for brachial vein with P = 0.02). The data of vein diameters in rigid limbs were correspondent to the UPDRS scores for rigidity with the correlation coefficient of 0.71, 0.82, 0.91, 0.73 (all P < 0.01), 0.60 P < 0.05 , and 0.77 P < 0.01) for the above mentioned vessels respectively. CONCLUSION: The diameter of distant veins in limbs can be adopted as objective and quantitative indicators for parkinsonian rigidity and contribute to the evaluation of therapeutical effects.