Analysis of factors impacting postoperative pain and quality of life in patients with mixed hemorrhoids: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Hemorrhoids are among the most common and frequently encountered chronic anorectal diseases in anorectal surgery. They are venous clusters formed by congestion, expansion, and flexion of the venous plexus in the lower part of the rectum. Mixed hemorrhoids bleed easily and recurrently, and this can result in severe anemia. Hence, they may have a negative effect on the health of the patient and surgical treatment is required. Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy has been widely used since 1937 for the treatment of grade III and IV hemorrhoids. However, most patients experience different degrees of postoperative pain that may cause anxiety. AIM: To assess the factors influencing pain scores and quality of life (QoL) in patients with mixed hemorrhoids post-surgery. METHODS: The clinical data of patients with mixed hemorrhoids who underwent Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy were collected retrospectively. The basic characteristics of the enrolled patients with mixed hemorrhoids were recorded, and based on the Goligher clinical grading system, the hemorrhoids were classified as grades III or IV. The endpoint of this study was the disappearance of pain in all patients. Quantitative data were presented as mean ± SD, such as age, pain score, and QoL score. Student's t-test was used to compare the groups. RESULTS: A total of 164 patients were enrolled. The distribution of the visual analog scale pain scores of all patients at 3, 7, 14 and 28 d after surgery showed that post-surgery pain was significantly reduced with the passage of time. Fourteen days after the operation, the pain had completely disappeared in some patients. Twenty-eight days after the surgery, none of the patients experienced any pain. Comparing the World Health Organization Quality of Life - BREF self-reporting questionnaire scores of patients between 14 and 28 d after surgery, we observed that the quality-of-life scores of the patients post-surgery had significantly improved. There were six items that were compared at 14- and 28-d post-surgery. The mean QoL score 28 d after surgery (4.79 ± 0.46) was higher than that at 14 d post-surgery (3.79 ± 0.57). The mean health condition score 28 d after surgery (4.80 ± 0.41) was also higher than that at 14 d post-surgery (4.01 ± 0.62). The mean physical health score 28 d after surgery (32.10 ± 2.96) was significantly higher than that at 14 d post-surgery (23.41 ± 2.85). The mean psychological health score 28 d after surgery (27.22 ± 1.62) was significantly higher than that at 14 d post-surgery (21.37 ± 1.70). The mean social relations score 28 d after surgery (12.21 ± 1.59) was significantly higher than that at 14 d post-surgery (6.32 ± 1.66). The mean surrounding environment score 28 d after surgery (37.13 ± 2.88) was significantly higher than that at 14 d post-surgery (28.42 ± 2.86). The differences in quality-of-life scores at day 14 and day 28 post-surgery were observed to be statistically significant (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy can significantly improve the postoperative QoL of patients. Age, sex, and the number of surgical resections were important factors influencing Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy.

Latest developments in chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction.

Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO) is a type of intestinal dysfunction presenting as symptoms of intestinal obstruction but without actual mechanical obstruction. An extremely low incidence, non-specific clinical symptoms, strong heterogeneity, and no definitive cause in some patients make CIPO very difficult to diagnose correctly. Imaging and gastrointestinal manometry are commonly used. Most patients have progressive worsening of their symptoms and require intervention, and nutritional assessment and treatment are very important to determine the prognosis. With improvements in surgical techniques, small bowel transplantation is a feasible treatment option for patients with advanced CIPO; however, the long-term prognosis for CIPO patients remains unsatisfactory. Generally, the disease is rare and difficult to diagnose, which leads to clinicians' lack of understanding of the disease and results in a high rate of misdiagnosis. This review describes the characteristics of CIPO and the latest developments in diagnosis and treatment, in detail. The goal of our review is to improve clinicians' understanding of CIPO so that the disease is identified quickly and accurately, and treated as early as possible to improve patients' quality of life.

[Immunotherapy of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors].

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors(GISTs)are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and respond poorly to conventional radiochemotherapy.Complete excision is the only possible way to cure GISTs.Although targeted therapy is effective for GISTs,multiple and/or secondary mutations of KIT or PDGFRA gene have lead to increased drug resistance and disease relapse.A variety of tumor infiltrating immune cells and complex immune microenvironments have been found in GISTs.Many immune cells participate in the occurrence and development of GISTs and play key roles in targeted therapy.The feasibility and effectiveness of immunotherapy for GISTs have been well demonstrated in preclinical and clinical studies.

Application of the Onodera prognostic nutrition index and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in risk evaluation of postoperative complications in Crohn's disease.

This study aimed to investigate application of Onodera prognostic nutrition index (OPNI) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in evaluating risk of postoperative complications in Crohn's disease (CD). Clinical data of 108 postoperative CD patients in 9 years were respectively reviewed. OPNI and NLR were within 1 week preoperatively. Average OPNI was 38.8 ± 8.2 and significantly lower in patients with: CD type B3; lymphopenia; decreased haemoglobin, prealbumin, and albumin; and daily enteral nutrition <500 kcal/d. Average NLR was 5.9 ± 12.1 and significantly higher in patients with: CD type B3, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, decreased prealbumin, and enteral nutrition <500 kcal/d. Youden index was maximal at OPNI 39.8 and NLR 4.1, patients were divided into two groups by OPNI 39.8 and NLR 4.1; Low OPNI (≤39.8) group had significantly greater incidence of type B3, lymphopenia, decreased haemoglobin, prealbumin and albumin, and enteral nutrition <500 kcal/day, more likely to have intra-abdominal bleeding. High NLR group (≥4.1) had significantly greater incidence of type B3, neutrophilia, and lymphopenia, more likely to develop lung infection. OPNI and NLR were significantly negatively correlated. Smoking within 1 year preoperatively, OPNI <39.8, NLR ≥ 4.1 were independent risk factors for postoperative complications in CD.

Ghrelin and gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

Ghrelin, as a kind of multifunctional protein polypeptide, is mainly produced in the fundus of the stomach and can promote occurrence and development of many tumors, including gastrointestinal tumors, which has been proved by the relevant researches. Most gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs, about 80%), as the most common mesenchymal tumor, also develop in the fundus. Scientific research has confirmed that ghrelin, its receptors and mRNA respectively can be found in GISTs, which demonstrated the existence of a ghrelin autocrine/paracrine loop in GIST tissues. However, no reports to date have specified the mechanism whether ghrelin can promote the occurrence and development of GISTs. Studies of pulmonary artery endothelial cells in a low-oxygen environment and cardiac muscle cells in an ischemic environment have shown that ghrelin can activate the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) signaling pathway. Moreover, some studies of GISTs have confirmed that activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway can indeed promote the growth and progression of GISTs. Whether ghrelin is involved in the development or progression of GISTs through certain pathways remains unknown. Can we find a new target for the treatment of GISTs? This review explores and summaries the relationship among ghrelin, the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and the development of GISTs.

[Surgical therapy of thyroid cancer].

The prevalence of thyroid cancer has shown an upward trend in China in recent years. Advances in thyroid ultrasound and fine needle puncture cytology have improved the accuracy of the preoperative diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Also,the application of endoscopy-assisted techniques and intraoperative nerve monitoring technology and the further understanding of thyroid lymph node metastasis have made the thyroid surgeries safer and less invasive. This article summarizes the recent advances in the surgical therapy of thyroid cancer.