Nomogram for prediction of peritoneal metastasis risk in colorectal cancer.

Objective: Peritoneal metastasis is difficult to diagnose using traditional imaging techniques. The main aim of the current study was to develop and validate a nomogram for effectively predicting the risk of peritoneal metastasis in colorectal cancer (PMCC). Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted using clinical data from 1284 patients with colorectal cancer who underwent surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from January 2010 to December 2015. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was applied to optimize feature selection of the PMCC risk prediction model and multivariate logistic regression analysis conducted to determine independent risk factors. Using the combined features selected in the LASSO regression model, we constructed a nomogram model and evaluated its predictive value via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The bootstrap method was employed for repeated sampling for internal verification and the discrimination ability of the prediction models evaluated based on the C-index. The consistency between the predicted and actual results was assessed with the aid of calibration curves. Results: Overall, 96 cases of PMCC were confirmed via postoperative pathological diagnosis. Logistic regression analysis showed that age, tumor location, perimeter ratio, tumor size, pathological type, tumor invasion depth, CEA level, and gross tumor type were independent risk factors for PMCC. A nomogram composed of these eight factors was subsequently constructed. The calibration curve revealed good consistency between the predicted and actual probability, with a C-index of 0.882. The area under the curve (AUC) of the nomogram prediction model was 0.882 and its 95% confidence interval (CI) was 0.845-0.919. Internal validation yielded a C-index of 0.868. Conclusion: We have successfully constructed a highly sensitive nomogram that should facilitate early diagnosis of PMCC, providing a robust platform for further optimization of clinical management strategies.

The effects of virtual reality technology on reducing pain in wound care: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

Virtual reality (VR) technology has been widely used in clinical nursing care in recent years. We aimed to systematically evaluate the effect and safety of VR technology on pain control in wound care, to provide evidence and support for clinical wound care. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CINAHL, China Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, and Chinese Science and Technology Journal databases for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on the application of VR technology in wound care up to December 20, 2021. Two researchers independently assessed the quality of the included RCTs and extracted associated data. RevMan5.3 statistical software was used for data analysis. 13 RCTs involving 1258 adult patients were included, of whom 588 patients underwent VR intervention. VR technology intervention could reduce the VAS score(MD = -1.13, 95%CI:-2.01~-0.26, P < .001), pain cognition score(MD = -3.94, 95%CI:-4.59 ~ -3.30, P < .001), pain emotion score(MD = -5.21, 95%CI: -10.46 ~ -0.04, P < .001), pain sensation score (MD = -4.94, 95%CI: -9.46 ~ -0.42, P = .03) and blood pressure(MD = -4.66, 95%CI: -8.63 ~ -0.69, P = .02) during would care. There were no significant differences on the heart rate (MD = -1.85, 95%CI: -5.71 ~ -2.01, P = .45) and VR interestingness (MD = 28.96, 95%CI: -22.10 ~ 80.02, P = .27) of the VR group and control group. No publication biases among the synthesised outcomes were found (all P > .001). VR technology can effectively reduce the pain degree and sensation of patients during wound care, which may be an effective auxiliary non-drug method used for pain relief during wound care.

[Effects of simvastatin on pulmonary fibrosis and endothelial - mesenchymal transition in the pulmonary fibrosis tissue of rats].

Objective: To investigate the effects of simvastatin (SIM) on pulmonary fibrosis and the expression of VE-cadherin(VE-cad),vimentin(VIM) and alpha-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)in the pulmonary fibrosis tissue of rats. Methods: Sixty healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into control group(group A), bleomycin group(group B), 5 mg SIM group (group C) and 10 mg SIM group (group D),15 rats in each group. The model of rat pulmonary fibrosis was established by itraperitoneal injection of bleomycin(5 mg/kg). Since the first day of modeling, the rats of group C and D were treated with simvastatin suspension 5 mg/(kg·d) and 10 mg/(kg·d) by intragastric administration everyday, and the rats of group A and B were treated with equal volume of saline 10 ml/(kg·d) everyday. Five rats of each group were sacrificed randomly at the 7th, 14th and 28th day. Masson staining was used to observe the morphological changes of lung tissue in rats. The degree of fibrosis in lung tissues of each group was evaluated by the content of hydroxyproline (HYP) . The microvessel density (MVD) was analyzed by immunohistochemistry,The expressions of protein and mRNA of VE-cad, VIM and α-SMA were determined by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. Results: ①Compared with group A, the levels of HYP and MVD, the mRNA and protein expression levels of VIM and α-SMA in lung tissues of groups B, C and D were increased significantly at the 7th, 14th and 28th day(all P＜0.05), which reached highest level at the 28th day. However, the mRNA and protein expression levels of VE-CAD were decreased significantly at the corresponding time (P＜0.05), which reached lowest level at 28th day. ②Compared with group B, the levels of HYP and MVD, the mRNA and protein expression levels of VIM and α-SMA in groups C and D were decreased at the 7th, 14th and 28th day (all P＜0.05), which were decreased more obviously in group D at the 28th day. However, the mRNA and protein expression levels of VE-CAD were increased at the corresponding time (all P＜0.05), which were increased more obviously in group D at the 28th day. Conclusion: Simvastatin can reduce the degree of pulmonary fibrosis in rats through inhibiting the process of EnMT, which can enhance the expression of VE-cad and reduce the expression of VIM and α-SMA.

Modular composite building in urgent emergency engineering projects: A case study of accelerated design and construction of Wuhan Thunder God Mountain/Leishenshan hospital to COVID-19 pandemic.

Wuhan Leishenshan/Leishenshan ("Leishenshan" for short) hospital is a makeshift emergency hospital for treating patients diagnosed with the novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia (NCIP). Engineering construction uses modular composite building finished products to the greatest extent, which reduces the workload of field operations and saves a lot of time. The building information model (BIM) technology assists in design and construction work to meet rapid construction requirements. Besides, based on the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) data analysis and application platform, digitization and intelligence in engineering construction are improved. Simultaneously, on-site construction and overall hoisting were carried out to achieve maximum efficiency. This article aims to take the construction of Leishenshan Hospital as an example to illustrate how to adopt BIM technology and other high-tech technology such as big data, artificial intelligence, drones, and 5G for the fast construction of the fabricated steel structure systems in emergency engineering projects.

Endoscopic decompression of the optic canal for traumatic optic neuropathy.

PURPOSE: Traumatic optic neuropathy (TON) is a serious complication of head trauma with the incidence rate of 0.5%-5%. The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of endoscopic decompression of the optic canal for optic nerve injuries. METHODS: In this study, 11 patients treated in our hospital from January 2009 to January 2015 with the visual loss resulting from TON were retrospectively reviewed for preoperative vision, visual evoked potential (VEP) scan, surgical approach, postoperative visual acuity, complications, and follow-up results. RESULTS: All these patients received endoscopic decompression of the optic canal. At the 3-month follow- up, the visual acuity improvement rate of the 11 patients was 45.5%. The vision acuity of 2 cases improved from hand movement to 0.08 and 0.3 after operation. Another patient's vision acuity returned to 0.05 compared to light sensation preoperatively. Two cases had finger counting before surgery but they had a vision acuity of 0.4 and light sensation respectively after surgery. However, the other 6 cases' vision did not improve after surgery. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic decompression of the optic canal is an effective way to cure TON. VEP could be used as an important reference for preoperative and prognosis evaluation. Operative time after trauma is only a relative condition that may affect the therapeutic effect of optic canal decompression. Poor results of this procedure may be related to the severity of the optic nerve injury.

[The expression of 5-HTR2B、E-cad、α-SMA in the pulmonary fibrosis in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the expression of 5-Hydroxytryptamine 2B receptor (5-HTR2B)、E-cadherin (E-cad)、alpha-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA) in the bleomycin -induced pulmonary fibrosis tissue of rats. METHODS: Forty-five healthy male SD rats were randomly di-vided into control group,bleomycin group and bleomycin+prednisone group(n=15). Five rats in each group randomly sacrificed at the 7th、the 14th and the 28th day after eastablishing models. The lung tissue was observed by microscope in HE and Masson staining. Lung hydroxypro-line (HYP) content was evaluated. The expression of protein and mRNA of 5-HTR2B, E-cad and α-SMA were analyzed by immunohistoche-mistry and/or RT-PCR. RESULTS: A dynamic changes from alveolitis to pulmonary fibrosis could be observed in the slices by HE and Masson staining. The experimental results by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR showed that the protein and mRNA expression of 5-HTR2B and a-SMA enhanced rat pulmonary fibrosis (P<0.05) and reached the highest at the 28th day; the corresponding protein and mRNA expression of E-cad reduced (P<0.05), and reduced to the lowest value at the 28th day. Compared with bleomycin group, the corresponding mRNA and protein expression of 5-HTR2B and a-SMA in bleomycin+prednisone group had decreased (P<0.05); however, the corresponding mRNA and protein expression of E-cad had increased(P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: 5-HTR2B is involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis throught epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

A Meta-Analysis and Indirect Comparison of Endothelin A Receptor Antagonist for Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Endothelin A (ET-A) receptor antagonists including zibotentan and atrasentan, have been suggested as a treatment for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Our aim was to conduct a meta-analysis and indirect comparison to assess the efficacy and safety of ET-A receptor antagonists for treatment of CRPC. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from inception to November 2014 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which assessed ET-A receptor antagonists for treatment of CRPC. Meta-analysis was conducted by STATA version 12.0 software. RESULTS: Eight RCTs were identified, involving 6,065 patients. The results of direct comparison showed that compared with placebo, there was no statistically significant difference in the improvement of progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), time to disease progression (TTP), and total adverse events (AEs) with ET-A receptor antagonist treatment for CRPC. The results of ET-A receptor antagonists plus docetaxel versus docetaxel alone were similar. The indirect comparisons showed that there were no significant differences between zibotentan plus docetaxel versus atrasentan plus docetaxel when compared with docetaxel alone or zibotentan versus atrasenta compared with placebo in the improvement of PFS, OS, TTP, and total adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant benefits for ET-A receptor antagonists with or without docetaxel in the improvement of PFS, OS, TTP, and overall AEs. And there were no significant differences between zibotentan and atrasentan. Single-agent docetaxel should remain as one of the standard treatments.

[Effects of snow pack removal on soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen and the number of soil culturable microorganisms during wintertime in alpine Abies faxoniana forest of western Sichuan, Southwest China].

To understand the effects of the lack of snow pack under global warming on the characteristics of soil microorganisms during wintertime, a snow-shading experiment was conducted in a primary fir (Abies faxoniana) forest after snow pack removal, with the soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN) and soil culturable microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) at the stages of snow forming, snow covering, and snow melting investigated. Snow pack removal had significant effects on the soil MBC and MBN and the number of soil culturable bacteria and fungi, but the responses of the culturable microorganisms differed with the stages of snow-shading. Under the condition of snow pack removal, the MBC and MBN in soil organic layer decreased significantly at the early stages of snow forming and snow melting but increased significantly at snow covering stage and at the later stage of snow melting, and the number of culturable bacteria decreased significantly from the early stage of snow forming to the stage of snow covering while that of culturable fungi had a significant increase from the early stage of snow forming to the stage of snow melting. After snow melting, the MBC and the number of culturable fungi in soil organic layer had a significant decrease, the number of cultural bacteria was in adverse, but the MBN had less change. The MBC and MBN and the number of culturable microorganisms in soil mineral layer had the similar variation trends as those in soil organic layer, but the fluctuations were smaller. It was suggested that snow pack removal changed the ratio of culturable bacteria to culturable fungi, showing positive effects on the number of soil culturable fungi during wintertime in alpine Abies faxoniana forest of western Sichuan.

[Zymohydrolysis with chondroitinase ABC and high performance liquid chromatography used for the determination of hyaluronic acid in shark fin].

A method for the determination of hyaluronic acid in shark fin by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is described. At 37 degrees C, with 0.2 mol/L Tris-HCl buffer solution, hyaluronic acid was converted to the hyaluronic acid disaccharide by zymohydrolysis with chondroitinase ABC. The chromatographic conditions were as follows: ZORBAX carbohydrate analysis column (4.6 mm i.d. x 250 mm, 5 microns); room temperature; UV-VIS detector set at 226 nm; mobile phase V(acetonitrile): V(0.5% phosphoric acid) = 2:98; 0.45 micron filter membrane, pumping filter; injection volume 10 microL; flow rate 1 mL/min. The calibration curve for the hyaluronic acid disaccharide was linear over the range of 25 g/L-600 g/L. This method was applied to the analysis of shark fin with satisfactory results. The hyaluronic acid contents in different shark fins were from 0.86% to 1.96%.