[Role of neoadjuvant rectal score in prognosis and adjuvant chemotherapy decision-making in locally advanced rectal cancer following neoadjuvant short-course radiotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy].

Objectives: To assess the prognostic impact of the neoadjuvant rectal (NAR) score following neoadjuvant short-course radiotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), as well as its value in guiding decisions for adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods: Between August 2015 and August 2018, patients were eligible from the STELLAR phase III trial (NCT02533271) who received short-course radiotherapy plus consolidation chemotherapy and for whom the NAR score could be calculated. Based on the NAR score, patients were categorized into low (＜8), intermediate (8-16), and high (＞16) groups. The Kaplan-Meier method, log rank tests, and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to evaluate the impact of the NAR score on disease-free survival (DFS). Results: Out of the 232 patients, 24.1%, 48.7%, and 27.2% had low (56 cases), intermediate (113 cases), and high NAR scores (63 cases), respectively. The median follow-up period was 37 months, with 3-year DFS rates of 87.3%, 68.3%, and 53.4% (P＜0.001) for the low, intermediate, and high NAR score groups. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the NAR score (intermediate NAR score: HR, 3.10, 95% CI, 1.30-7.37, P=0.011; high NAR scores: HR=5.44, 95% CI, 2.26-13.09, P＜0.001), resection status (HR, 3.00, 95% CI, 1.64-5.52, P＜0.001), and adjuvant chemotherapy (HR, 3.25, 95% CI, 2.01-5.27, P＜0.001) were independent prognostic factors for DFS. In patients with R0 resection, the 3-year DFS rates were 97.8% and 78.0% for those with low and intermediate NAR scores who received adjuvant chemotherapy, significantly higher than the 43.2% and 50.6% for those who did not (P＜0.001, P=0.002). There was no significant difference in the 3-year DFS rate (54.2% vs 53.3%, P=0.214) among high NAR score patients, regardless of adjuvant chemotherapy. Conclusions: The NAR score is a robust prognostic indicator in LARC following neoadjuvant short-course radiotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy, with potential implications for subsequent decisions regarding adjuvant chemotherapy. These findings warrant further validation in studies with larger sample sizes.

[Comparative analysis of the effects of bronchial intubation and bronchial blocker on the outcomes of thoracoscopic surgery in infants and small children].

Objective: To compare the effects of bronchial intubation and blocker on the outcomes of thoracoscopic surgery in infants and small children. Methods: A total of 387 children, including 210 males and 177 females, aged (17.5±8.3) months, who underwent elective thoracoscopic surgery under general anesthesia in Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics from January 2019 to August 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The children were divided into bronchial intubation group and bronchial blocker group according to the intraoperative single-lung ventilation mode. After matching the age factor using the propensity score matching with nearest neighbor matching method, 258 cases were finally included in the bronchial intubation group, and 129 cases were included in the bronchial blocker group. The primary outcome was the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications in two groups. The secondary outcomes included the incidence of intraoperative hypoxemia, postoperative oxygenation index, postoperative extubation time, the length of postoperative hospitalization and the total medical expenses during hospitalization between the two groups. Results: The incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications in the bronchial intubation group and bronchial blocker group was 15.5% (40/258) and 12.4% (16/129), the incidence of intraoperative hypoxemia was 20.2% (52/258) and 16.3% (21/129), the postoperative oxygen indexes were 306 (269, 323) and 311 (274, 336) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), the extubation time was (9.2±4.5) and (8.9±4.2) min, the length of postoperative hospitalization was (5.5±0.6) and (5.5±0.5) days and the total medical expenses were (34±6) and (35±6) thousand yuan, with no statistically significant differences between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion: Both bronchial intubation and blocker can be used for one lung ventilation in thoracoscopic surgery for infants and small children, without affecting the postoperative outcomes.

[Investigation and analysis on the detection of IgG antibodies against the rubella virus among rural childbearing-age women in preconception period in Yunnan Province from 2013 to 2019].

A study was conducted on rural women of childbearing age aged 20-49 who underwent the National Free Preconception Health Examination Project (NFPHEP)in Yunnan Province from 2013 to 2019. Descriptive analysis was conducted to determine the negative rate of IgG antibodies against the rubella virus and its differences among various socio-demographic characteristics. Among the 1 511 203 study subjects, the negative rate of IgG antibodies against the rubella virus was 24.36%. Only 2.64% of the population had received rubella virus vaccine. The negative rate of IgG antibodies among rural childbearing-age women in the preconception period in Yunnan Province decreased with age and educational level (Ptrend<0.001). The negative rate of IgG antibodies in ethnic minority women of childbearing age in the preconception period (25.19%) was higher than that of Han women (23.88%). Among the 22 ethnic groups with over 1 000 participants, the negative rates of IgG antibodies in women of childbearing age from the Blang (32.85%), Bouyei (31.03%), Zhuang (31.01%), and Miao (30.70%) ethnic groups were higher than those of women from other ethnic groups. Among the 16 states (cities) in Yunnan Province, the negative rate of IgG antibodies in pregnant women of childbearing age in Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (38.06%) and Lincang City (32.63%) was higher than that in other states (cities). The negative rate of serum IgG antibodies in women who reported having received rubella virus vaccine (18.60%) was lower than that in other non-vaccinated populations (24.52%). The proportion of rural women of childbearing age in Yunnan Province who were susceptible to the rubella virus before pregnancy was still high. It is necessary to promote rubella vaccination among people susceptible to rubella, especially pregnant women, to prevent rubella virus infection and reduce the incidence rate and disease burden of rubella people.

[Analysis of one-year outcomes after cochlear implantation in adults with single-sided deafness].

Objectives: To investigate the outcomes of cochlear implantation in Mandarin-speaking cochlear implant (CI) users with single-sided deafness (SSD). Methods: This study was a single-center prospective cohort study. Eleven Mandarin-speaking adult SSD patients who underwent CI implantation at Capital Medical University Beijing Tongren Hospital from August 2020 to October 2021 were recruited, including 6 males and 5 females, with the age ranging from 24 to 50 years old. In a sound field with 7 loudspeakers distributed at 180°, we measured root-mean-square error(RMSE)in SSD patients at the preoperative, 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month after switch-on to assess the improvement of sound source localization. The Mandarin Speech Perception (MSP) was used in the sound field to test the speech reception threshold (SRT) of SSD patients under different signal-to-noise locations in a steady-state noise under conditions of CI off and CI on, to reflect the head shadow effect(SSSDNNH), binaural summation effect(S0N0) and squelch effect(S0NSSD). The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were used to assess changes in tinnitus severity and tinnitus loudness in SSD patients at each time point. The Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale(SSQ) and the Nijmegen Cochlear Implantation Scale (NCIQ) were used to assess the subjective benefits of spatial speech perception and quality of life in SSD patients after cochlear implantation. SPSS 19.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: SSD patients showed a significant improvement in the poorer ear in hearing thresholds with CI-on compared with CI-off; The ability to localize the sound source was significantly improved, with statistically significant differences in RMSE at each follow-up time compared with the preoperative period (P<0.05). In the SSSDNNH condition, which reflects the head shadow effect, the SRT in binaural hearing was significantly improved by 6.5 dB compared with unaided condition, and the difference was statistically significant (t=6.25, P=0.001). However, there was no significant improvement in SRT between the binaural hearing condition and unaided conditions in the S0N0 and S0NSSD conditions (P>0.05). The total score of THI and three dimensions were significant decreased (P<0.05). Tinnitus VAS scores were significantly lower in binaural hearing compared to the unaided condition (P<0.001). The total score of SSQ, and the scores of speech and spatial dimensions were significant improved in binaural hearing compared to the unaided condition (P<0.001). There was no statistical difference in NCIQ questionnaire scores between preoperative and postoperative (P>0.05), and only the self-efficacy subscore showed a significant increase(Z=-2.497,P=0.013). Conclusion: CI could help Mandarin-speaking SSD patients restore binaural hearing to some extent, improve sound localization and speech recognition in noise. In addition, CI in SSD patients could suppress tinnitus, reduce the loudness of tinnitus, and improve subjective perceptions of spatial hearing and quality of life.