[Early efficacy and safety of mini open (air/water medium) endoscopy assisted anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy].

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of mini open (air/water medium) endoscopy assisted anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (MOEA-ACDF) for the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). Methods: A follow-up study. The clinical data of 30 patients with CSM treated by MOEA-ACDF from January to December in 2021 in the Henan NO.3 Provincial People's Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Of the patients, 20 were male and 10 were female, the mean age was (49.8±9.3) years (ranged 28-70 years). The CSM occurred at C3-4 level in 2 cases, at C4-5 level in 3 cases, at C5-6 level in 22 cases and at C6-7 level in 3 cases. Each case was compared at the moment of pre-operation and final follow-up by the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, C2-7 Cobb angle, and anterior column height of surgical segment. The postoperative complications were recorded. Prevertebral soft tissue edema and hydrops were assessed. The fusion rate was evaluated. The JOA improvement rate was computed at the final follow-up. Results: All the operations were successfully completed and all the patients received follow-up for (12.7±2.7) months (ranged 9-20 months). The mean operation time was (85.3±11.0) min (ranged 65-110 min). The postoperative drainage volume was (16.7±7.4) ml (ranged 5-35 ml). The JOA score and the C2-7 Cobb angle both improved at the final follow-up when compared with those before the operation (15.3±1.3 vs 12.2±2.3, 15.5°±6.1° vs 12.3°±6.0°, both P<0.001). The anterior column height of surgical segment at the final follow-up was (35.6±2.5) mm, and it was higher than that before the operation [(34.1±2.4) mm](P<0.001). No postoperative complications such as dysphagia, hoarseness, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, nerve injury, hematoma occurred. Postoperative review of cervical MRI revealed 3 cases of prevertebral soft tissue edema and hydrops without obvious symptoms. At the final follow-up, cervical spine X-ray or CT showed that all fusion segments met the criteria for osseous fusion, and the fusion rate was 100%. No complications such as neurological aggravation, internal fixation failure, fusion cage sinking, and adjacent segment degeneration was recorded at the final follow-up. At the final follow-up, the comprehensive efficacy evaluated by JOA improvement rate indicated the excellent and good rate was 90.0%(27/30): 19 cases got an excellent outcome, 8 cases got good and 3 cases got medium outcome. Conclusion: MOEA-ACDF combines the endoscopic system with ACDF technology in the treatment of CSM can achieve satisfactory clinical efficacy with high safety, and effectively restore the cervical intervertebral height and physiological curvature.

Analysis of the factors influencing male infertility of reproductive age in Jinan.

OBJECTIVE: The World Health Organization (WHO) defines infertility as a person failing to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. Infertility includes female infertility and male infertility. The aim of this paper is to study the etiology of infertility and related influencing factors in men of reproductive age in Jinan. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, 172 male infertile patients who attended the Department of Assisted Reproduction of Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Shandong, China and the Infertility Clinic of Jinan Central Hospital in Shandong, China from August 2021 to April 2022 are selected as the study population (infertility group). A convenience sampling method is used to select 257 men from couples attending the Obstetrics Department of Qilu Hospital in Shandong, China, the Obstetrics Department of the Second Hospital of Shandong University in Shandong, China, and the Obstetrics Department of Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Shandong, China from October 2021 to February 2022 as the study subjects (control group). A self-designed questionnaire is used to conduct the survey, which includes basic personal information, lifestyle information, marital and family-related information, and one-way and multi-way logistic regression analyses are performed. RESULTS: The average age of the case group and the control group are 34.03±5.13 years old and 33.61±8.18 years old; the average height is 175.80±5.91 cm and 176.78±5.25 cm; the average weight is 80.28±14.70 kg and 83.09±45.36 kg. The differences in age, height, and weight between the case group and the control group are not statistically significant by t-test. Moderate oligospermia is the predominant cause of infertility in men of reproductive age in Jinan. A multifactorial logistic regression analysis yields that academic qualifications (OR=2.518, 95% CI: 1.023 to 6.196), coffee consumption (OR=7.692, 95% CI: 1.623 to 36.460), living in a room that had been renovated within a period of time (OR=2.769, 95% CI: 1.104 to 6.949), stress level (OR=47.280, 95% CI: 23.656-94.494), quality of sexual life (OR=3.352, 95% CI: 1.331-8.442), and duration of couple separation (OR=3.851, 95% CI: 1.094-13.557) are the main risk factors for infertility in men of reproductive age in Jinan. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, a total of 6 risk factors are screened for male infertility in Jinan in the reproductive age, including high academic qualifications, coffee consumption, living in a room that has finished renovation within 3 months, high stress, poor quality of sexual life, and long spousal separation. Three factors can be controlled, avoided, or reduced through personal actions; the factors are coffee consumption, living in a room that has finished renovation within 3 months, and high stress, all of which may reduce the level of male reproductive health.

[Application of fascial space priority approach for pelvic exenteration].

Locally advanced tumor with involvement of surrounding tissues and organs is a common situation in pelvic malignancies. Up to 10% of newly diagnosed rectal cancer cases infiltrate to adjacent tissues and organs. Satisfactory resection margins obtained by pelvic exenteration can achieve a 5-year survival rate similar to cases that without adjacent tissue invasion. The 5-year survival rate of patients with locally recurrent pelvic malignancies is almost zero if they are treated only with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. To obtain negative margins through pelvic exenteration is the only chance for a long-term survival of these patients. However, pelvic exenteration is a complicated procedure with higher morbidity and mortality. The development of fascia anatomy enables surgeons to have a deeper understanding and comprehensive application of pelvic fasciae. Meanwhile, the improvement of laparoscopic technology provides a clearer view for surgeons and enables the application of minimally invasive techniques in complex pelvic exenteration. The fascial space priority approach is based on the fascia anatomy of pelvis and giving priority to the separation of the pelvic avascular fascial spaces, which provides a reproducible surgical approach for complex pelvic exenteration.

[Safety analysis of cesarean myomectomy in twin pregnancies with intramural myomas].

Objective: To estimate the safety of myomectomy in twin pregnant women with intramural myomas during cesarean section. Methods: The clinical data of 145 cases of twin pregnancies with intramural myomas who were delivered by cesarean section in Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University from June 2013 to December 2021 were collected. Maternal demographics, fibroids' characteristics, maternal and fetal outcomes were compared between groups of cesarean section with myomectomy (myomectomy group, 49 cases) and cesarean section only (non-myomectomy group, 96 cases). Results: Compared with non-myomectomy group, myomectomy group had significantly prolonged operative time [50.0 minutes (37.5-57.5 minutes) vs 40.0 minutes (35.0-50.0 minutes), respectively; P=0.007] and significantly longer postoperative hospital stay [4.0 days (3.0-4.0 days) vs 3.0 days (3.0-4.0 days), respectively; P=0.047). Other maternal and fetal outcomes such as estimated blood loss, hemoglobin difference, postpartum hemorrhage, blood transfusion, B-Lynch structure, uterine artery ligation, postoperative fever and neonatal Apgar score showed no significant differences (all P>0.05). For intramural myomas <5 cm, there were no significant differences in maternal and fetal outcomes between myomectomy group and non-myomectomy group (all P>0.05). For intramural myomas ≥5 cm, operative time [55.0 minutes (40.0-60.0 minutes) vs 42.5 minutes (40.0-50.0 minutes), respectively; P=0.019] was significantly prolonged, postoperative hospital stay [4.0 days (4.0-5.0 days) vs 4.0 days (3.0-4.0 days), respectively; P=0.048] was significantly longer in myomectomy group than non-myomectomy group, but there were no significant differences in other maternal and fetal outcomes (all P>0.05). Conclusion: For twin pregnancies with intramural myomas, it is safe and feasible to remove intramural myomas during cesarean section by experienced obstetricians.

[Risk factor analysis on body mass rebound after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and establishment of a nomogram prediction model].

Objective: To investigate the potential independent risk factors of body mass rebound following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) and construct a nomogram prediction model based on these factors. Methods: In this retrospective observational study, patients with obesity who had undergone LSG at the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery of the Affiliated Changzhou No. 2 People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between January 2015 and July 2017 were retrospectively enrolled. These patients were divided according to their status of postoperative body mass rebound. The inclusion criteria were patients aged between 16 and 65 years who had undergone LSG bariatric surgery with surgical indications according to the 2014 Chinese Guidelines for the Surgical Management of Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. The exclusion criteria were patients who had undergone other bariatric surgeries, who were taking weight-loss drugs or drugs that affected their body weight, who had severe gastroesophageal reflux and hiatal hernia, who were pregnant, who had incomplete clinical data, and who were lost to follow-up or were followed up for <3 years. In total, 241 patients with obesity (69 males and 172 females) who had undergone LSG surgery were enrolled. The mean age and body mass index (BMI) were (29.9±5.8) years and (40.8±4.8) kg/m2, respectively. The patients were followed up till July 2022, with a focus on their body weight. Postoperative body mass rebound was defined as a percentage increase of ≥10% from the nadir body mass, which was the lowest body mass during the 3-year follow-up period. The body weight rebound following LSG and its influencing factors were observed, based on which a nomogram model was constructed and evaluated. The relationships between the patients' basic data, clinical indicators, preoperative hematological indicators, postoperative indicators, and body weight rebound following LSG were analyzed via univariate analysis. Independent risk factors were further screened by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Factors with a statistically significant difference were included into the nomogram prediction model. Moreover, the model was internally (modeling set) and externally (validation set, 80 baseline data-matched patients with obesity from our center) validated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA) via R software. ROC curve analysis was used to analyze the predictive and cutoff values of the measurement data for body mass rebound. Results: Overall, 90 patients (37.3%) exhibited postoperative body weight rebound, with the lowest BMI of (29.5±2.6) kg/m2 and time to reach the lowest BMI of (15.4±2.3) months; 151 patients (62.7%) did not exhibit body weight rebound, with the lowest BMI of (29.8±2.3) kg/m2 and time to reach the lowest BMI of (14.7±2.1) months. The results of univariate analysis showed that BMI, depression, anxiety, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, systemic immune inflammatory index (SII), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and albumin/fibrinogen ratio (AFR) were associated with body weight rebound following LSG with statistically significant differences (all P<0.05). The results of multivariate regression analyses suggested that depression [odds ration (OR) = 1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08-1.62, P=0.010], preoperative CRP levels of ≥8 mg/L (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.09-1.69, P=0.007), SII (OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.41-0.86, P=0.013), PNI (OR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.03-4.21, P=0.007), and AFR (OR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.33-0.69, P=0.011) were five independent risk factors for body mass rebound. A nomogram prediction model was constructed based on the multivariate analysis results. The scores of PNI, SII, AFR, CRP, and depression were 92.5, 100, 72.5, 25, and 27.5, respectively. The total score was calculated by adding the individual scores of each risk factor, which was used to calculate the probability of body mass rebound following LSG. The evaluation results of the nomogram model showed a C-index of 0.713 and 0.762, sensitivity of 0.656 and 0.594, and specificity of 0.715 and 0.909 in the modeling and validation sets, respectively. The calibration curve analysis and DCA indicated that the nomogram model has a good predictive value for body mass rebound after LSG. Conclusion: Preoperative depression, CRP of ≥8 mg/L, SII, PNI, and AFR were independent risk factors for body mass rebound following LSG. Hence, the nomogram prediction model based on these factors can effectively predict body mass rebound in patients undergoing LSG.

Regional and annual patterns in respiratory virus co-infection etiologies and antibiotic prescriptions for pediatric mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE: Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) pneumonia is the second-most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). This study aimed at investigating into the prevalence of macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae (MRMP) with respiratory virus co-infection and the antibiotic prescriptions in children with CAP in four provinces in Korea, and to assess the variations in the findings across regions and throughout the year. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective study was conducted in 29 hospitals in Korea between July 2018 and June 2020. Among the enrolled 1,063 children with CAP, all 451 patients with M. pneumoniae underwent PCR assays of M. pneumoniae and respiratory viruses, and the presence of point mutations of residues 2063 and 2064 was evaluated. RESULTS: Gwangju-Honam (88.6%) showed the highest prevalence of MRMP pneumonia, while Daejeon-Chungcheong (71.3%) showed the lowest, although the differences in prevalence were not significant (p=0.074). Co-infection of M. pneumoniae pneumonia and respiratory virus was observed in 206 patients (45.4%), and rhinovirus co-infection (101 children; 22.2%) was the most frequent. The prevalence of MRMP pneumonia with respiratory virus co-infection and the antibiotic prescriptions differed significantly among the four provinces (p < 0.05). The monthly rate of MRMP pneumonia cases among all cases of M. pneumoniae pneumonia and tetracycline or quinolone prescriptions did not differ significantly among the four regions (trend p > 0.05) during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of M. pneumoniae pneumonia with virus co-infection and antibiotic prescriptions could differ according to region, although the MRMP pneumonia rate showed no difference within Korea.

[Willis covered stent for paraclinoid aneurysms:efficacy and mid-long-term follow-up results].

The clinical data and follow-up results of 27 paraspinoid aneurysms treated by Willis covered stent (WCS) in Department of Neurosurgery, Army Medical University from May 2014 to January 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 17 cases (63.0%) were treated with WCS alone, and 10 cases (37.0%) were assisted with coiling embolization. During the follow-up, postoperative internal leakage occurred in 2 patients(7%), of which 1(type Ⅰ) wasself-healing and the other 1 (type Ⅲ) was cured by WCS implantation again. The remaining patients had no aneurysm recurrence, unobstructed parent artery, stent displacement and internal stenosis. 92.6% (25/27) of the improved mRS scores were good. WCS is a safe and effective method for the treatment of parabedinal aneurysms.

Impact of pre-transplant dialysis modality on kidney transplant outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: For end-stage renal disease (ESRD), patients receiving kidney transplantation, peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis (HD) are both appropriate modes of pre-transplant dialysis. The aim of this review is to assess the impact of pre-transplant PD compared to HD on kidney transplant outcomes in ESRD patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive search in digital databases, like PubMed, SCOPUS and EMBASE and a manual search were conducted to identify cohort studies comparing the kidney transplant outcomes of both pre-transplant dialysis modalities. The data were subjected to both qualitative and quantitative analysis. A meta-analysis was carried out to calculate the effect estimate for patient survival, graft survival and delayed graft function, death-censored graft survival, acute rejection-free graft survival, graft vessel thrombosis, urological complications, surgical complications, any infections, and onset of diabetes after transplantation. The qualities of the included studies were judged by the New-castle Ottawa scale. RESULTS: The overall patient survival is shown to be better with patients who underwent pre-transplant PD compared to HD with OR 1.34 95% CI [1.11, 1.61], p = 0.002. Delayed graft function was found to be highly associated with HD compared to PD with OR 0.60 [0.52, 0.70], p<0.0001 with moderate heterogeneity (i2 = 48%). However, no difference was observed in terms of graft survival, complications, infections, and new onset of diabetes mellitus compared to patients undergoing pre-transplant HD. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of the review, it can be concluded that ESRD patients undergoing pre-transplant PD were found to have better patient survival and lower incidence of delayed graft function.

Anti-diabetic effects of Protaetia brevitarsis in pancreatic islets and a murine diabetic model.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, the antidiabetic efficacy of Protaetia brevitarsis in alloxan-treated pancreatic islets and db/db mice was investigated. P. brevitarsis was tested for alloxan-mediated cytotoxicity and nitric oxide production in mice pancreatic islets. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The anti-diabetic effect of P. brevitarsis was also evaluated in db/db mice after 4 weeks of administration. Biochemical analysis, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and pancreatic histological analysis were performed. RESULTS: P. brevitarsis displayed hypoglycemic activity in alloxan-treated mice pancreatic islets. Our results showed that P. brevitarsis protects pancreatic islets from cytotoxicity. Moreover, daily oral supplementation with P. brevitarsis for 4 weeks reduced plasma glucose levels without affecting body weight and food intake, elevated glucose tolerance in OGTT, improved blood lipid parameters, inhibited fat accumulation, and restored islet structure of db/db mice. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provided evidence for the anti­diabetic effect of P. brevitarsis in alloxan-treated pancreatic islets and db/db mice. These results suggest that P. brevitarsis may be used as an adjunctive anti-diabetic agent or as a functional food.

Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Sophocarpine from Sophora viciifolia Hance.

Sophora viciifolia Hance is an edible plant used in traditional Chinese medicine. Sophocarpine, a tetracyclic quinolizidine alkaloid, is one of the most abundant active ingredients in Sophora viciifolia Hance. Here, we study the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, as well as the acute toxicity of sophocarpine from Sophora viciifolia Hance in mice. Sophocarpine (20, 40, and 80 mg/kgbw) significantly prolonged the delay period before a hot plate reaction occurred (all P < 0.05), and the delay before a tail-flick response was induced by a warm bath (P < 0.05; P < 0.01). Sophocarpine (40, 80 mg/kg) resulted in dose-dependent inhibition of the writhing reaction induced by acetic acid in mice (P < 0.05; P < 0.001, respectively). Sophocarpine (80 mg/kg) reduced the total duration of a formalin-induced pain response (P < 0.05). Sophocarpine prolonged the foot-licking latency of mice after the hot plate reaction, and this effect was antagonized by calcium chloride and enhanced by verapamil. Sophocarpine (20, 40, and 80 mg/kg) significantly inhibited xylene-induced ear edema (P < 0.01; P < 0.001; P < 0.001, respectively) and the penetration of acetic acid-induced dye into the peritoneal cavity (P < 0.01; P < 0.01; P < 0.001, respectively). It also reduced the levels of proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, and prostaglandin E2 (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, P < 0.001) and those of serum nitric oxide (P < 0.05). The results of this study suggest that sophocarpine possesses certain analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities, which may be related to calcium and inhibition of the secretion of inflammatory factors.

[Herbal textual research on Chinese medicine "Fuzi"(Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata.)].

To ensure the use of aconite roots as much as possible in accordance with the traditional medication principles, this paper examines the species, origin and processing of the ancient aconite, attempting to provide a basis for the research and development of drugs in the perspective of "Jingdian Mingfang" (Chinese Classical Formulas). The study found that a species discovered after the Tang Dynasty, Aconitum carmichaelii Debx., became the mainstream of this species category. Following the Song Dynasty, this species became the main source of authentic aconite, called "Chuanwu". This species is also currently the source of aconite roots. From this situation, the dry daughter roots of Aconitum carmichaelii Debx. should be considered in the research and development of "Jingdian Mingfang", and the cultivation products of Sichuan Jiangyou and Shanxi Hanzhong as well.

Mobilization of recalcitrant phosphorous and enhancement of pepper P uptake and yield by a new biocontrol and bioremediation bacterium Burkholderia cepacia CQ18.

AIMS: Phosphorus (P) is a finite resource and inoculation of phosphorus-mobilizing bacteria (PMB) is a promising approach for the enhancement of soil P availability and plant P uptake. This drives scientists to search for the microbes effective in mobilizing legacy P in soils. METHODS AND RESULTS: The current incubation and greenhouse pot experiments were conducted to investigate P mobilization and pepper P uptake as affected by a new biocontrol and bioremediation bacterium Burkholderia cepacia CQ18. This bacterium converted Ca3 (PO4 )2 , FePO4 , AlPO4 , and lecithin into soluble inorganic P in the culture solutions and increased available P (including water-soluble P and Olsen P) in the soil. There were positive correlations between the soluble inorganic phosphorus and the exudates (protons, organic acids (oxalate and gluconate), siderophores and phosphatases) in culture solutions. Pepper plant biomass, fruit yield and P uptake changed in the sequence: chemical fertilizers plus bacterial inoculant >only chemical fertilizers >only bacterial inoculant >blank control. CONCLUSIONS: Taking into account the wide spectrums of P mobilization and simultaneous production of acid, neutral and alkaline phosphatases at a given pH, B.cepacia CQ18 may be a potential PMB used in soils with wide pH ranges. The mechanisms employed by this bacterium in the solubilization of recalcitrant inorganic P could be the efflux of protons, organic acids (oxalate and gluconate) and siderophores. Phosphatases could be of utmost importance in the mineralization of the organic P. The production of siderophores and phosphatases by of B.cepacia CQ18 could thus be crucial for not only the antagonism against plant pathogens but also the mobilization of soil sparingly available P. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Burkholderia cepacia CQ18 could be potentially developed into a biofertilizer.