Optimal Time Frequency Fusion Symmetric Dot Pattern Bearing Fault Feature Enhancement and Diagnosis.

Regarding the difficulty of extracting the acquired fault signal features of bearings from a strong background noise vibration signal, coupled with the fact that one-dimensional (1D) signals provide limited fault information, an optimal time frequency fusion symmetric dot pattern (SDP) bearing fault feature enhancement and diagnosis method is proposed. Firstly, the vibration signals are transformed into two-dimensional (2D) features by the time frequency fusion algorithm SDP, which can multi-scale analyze the fluctuations of signals at minor scales, as well as enhance bearing fault features. Secondly, the bat algorithm is employed to optimize the SDP parameters adaptively. It can effectively improve the distinctions between various types of faults. Finally, the fault diagnosis model can be constructed by a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN). To validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, Case Western Reserve University's (CWRU) bearing fault dataset and bearing fault dataset laboratory experimental platform were used. The experimental results illustrate that the fault diagnosis accuracy of the proposed method is 100%, which proves the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. By comparing with other 2D transformer methods, the experimental results illustrate that the proposed method achieves the highest accuracy in bearing fault diagnosis. It validated the superiority of the proposed methodology.

Optimal time window for minimally invasive surgery in treating spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage in the basal ganglia region: a multicenter and retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The current treatment spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) is limited. AIM: To determine the optimal time window for minimally invasive surgery in patients with sICH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: sICH patients with a hematoma volume of 30-80 mL in the basal ganglia region were included in our study. A total of 357 patients were divided into groups according to different operative times from ICH onset (group 1: 0-6 h, group 2: 6-12 h, group 3: >12 h) and hematoma volumes (30-50 mL and >50 mL). All patients were followed-up for three months' post-operation, and their clinical outcomes were compared. RESULTS: In the three groups of patients with hematoma volumes of 30-50 mL, the rebleeding and mortality rate were higher in group 1 than groups 2 and 3 (p < .05). The activities of daily living evaluated by Barthel Index (BI) three months' post-operation was significantly lower in group 3 than other groups (p < .05) and group 2 had the highest proportion of good outcomes. Among the patients with the hematoma volumes of 50-80 mL, the rebleeding risk was higher in group 1 than groups 2 and 3 (p < .05). However, there were no significant differences in mortality rates among these three groups. Moreover, group 1 had significantly higher BI than groups 2 and 3 (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Minimally invasive surgery is safe and effective in patients with sICH. 6-12 h after sICH onset is the optimal surgical window for patients with hematoma volumes of 30-50 mL, while ultra-early (≤6 h) may achieve better results in patients with hematoma volumes of >50 mL.

An Improved Time Delay Measurement Method for the Long-Distance Underwater Environment.

With the development of underwater navigation and underwater communication, it remains difficult to obtain time delay measurements after propagating long distance. This paper proposes an improved high-accuracy time delay measuring method for long distance underwater channel propagation. First, by sending an encoded signal, the signal acquisition is carried out at the receiving end. Then, to improve signal to noise ratio (SNR), bandpass filtering is carried out on the receiving end. Next, considering the random changes in the underwater sound propagation channel, a strategy is proposed to select the optimal time window for cross-correlation. Then, new regulations are proposed to calculate the cross-correlation results. To verify the effectiveness of the algorithm, we compared it with other algorithms under low SNR conditions using Bellhop simulation data. Finally, the accurate time delay is obtained. With underwater experiments over different distances, the method proposed by the paper achieves high accuracy. The error is about 10-3 s. The proposed method makes a contribution to underwater navigation and communication.

A Markov Chain Model for Determining the Optimal Time to Move Pregnant Cows to Individual Calving Pens.

The use of individual calving pens in modern farming is widely recognized as a good practice for promoting good animal welfare during parturition. However, determining the optimal time to move a pregnant cow to a calving pen can be a management challenge. Moving cows too early may result in prolonged occupancy of the pen, while moving them too late may increase the risk of calving complications and production-related diseases. In this paper, a simple random walk type Markov Chain Model to predict the optimal time for moving periparturient cows to individual calving pens was proposed. Behavior changes such as lying time, standing time, and rumination time were analyzed using a video monitoring system, and we formulated these changes as the states of a Markov Chain with an absorbing barrier. The model showed that the first time entering an absorbing state was the optimal time for a pregnant cow to be moved to a calving pen. The proposed method was validated through a series of experiments in a real-life dairy farm, showing promising results with high accuracy.

Measuring the Optimal Time Interval Between Arrival and First Mental Health Evaluation's for Refugees in Québec: A Scoping Review.

To map the state of the existing literature to identify the optimal time frame between the arrival of refugees in a host country and psychosocial assessments. We conducted scoping review using the method of Arksey and O'Malley (2005). A systematic search of 5 databases including PubMed, Psycinfo (OVID), PsycINFO BD APA, Scopus and Web of Sciences) and grey literature identified 2698 references. Thirteen studies published between 2010 and 2021 were considered eligible. A data extraction grid was designed and tested by the research team. It is not so ease to identify the most appropriate time interval to assess the mental health of newly settled refugees. All the studies selected agree on the need to carry out an initial assessment when refugees arrive in their host country. Several authors agree on the need to carry out screening at least twice during the resettlement period. However, what is less clear is the best time to perform the second screening. This scoping review mainly helped in highlighting the lack of probing data on the mental health indicators focused on during the assessment and on the optimal timeline for the assessment of refugees. Further research is needed to determine whether developmental and psychological screening is beneficial, the right time to perform the screening, and the most appropriate collection instruments and interventions.

SPONTANEOUS CONCEPTION AFTER CYCLE PROGRAMMING WITH DROSPIRENONE - A NEW OPTION FOR FERTILITY TREATMENTS.

More and more couples are postponing their desire to have children until later periods in life. This is accompanied by a variety of both, medical and social problems. It is known that fertility in women begins to decline gradually from the age of 25 and decreases rapidly from the age of 35. On the other hand, many couples in the fourth decade of life are significantly involved in their careers and are sometimes even physically separated. This means that the probability of conception is inherently reduced, because sexual intercourse cannot take place regularly on fertile days. We report on a 35-year-old patient in whom we programmed the cycle with the progestin pill drospirenone, which resulted in a spontaneous conception and the birth of a healthy child.

When should indocyanine green be assessed in colorectal surgery, and at what distance from the tissue? Quantitative measurement using the SERGREEN program.

BACKGROUND: Suture dehiscence is one of the most feared postoperative complications. Correct intestinal vascularization is essential for its prevention. Indocyanine green (ICG) is one of the methods used to assess vascularization, but this assessment is usually subjective. Our group designed the SERGREEN program to obtain an objective measurement of the degree of vascularization. We do not know how long after ICG administration the fluorescence of the tissues should be evaluated, or how far away the measurement should be performed. The aim of this study is to establish the optimal moment and distance for analyzing the fluorescence saturation of ICG. METHODS: Prospective observational study in patients undergoing elective laparoscopic colorectal surgery. The optimal time for ICG analysis was tested in a sample of 20 patients (10 right colon and 10 left colon), and the optimal distance in a sample of ten patients. ICG was administered intravenously, and colon vascularization was quantified using SERGREEN; RGB (Red, Green, Blue) encoding was used. The intensity curve of the ICG was analyzed for ten minutes after its administration. Distances of 1, 3, and 5 cm were tested. RESULTS: The intensity of fluorescence increased until 1.5 min after ICG administration (reaching figures of 112.49 in the right colon and 93.95 in the left). It then remained fairly stable until 3.5 min (98.49 in the right and 83.35 in the left), at which point it began to decrease gradually. ICG saturation was inversely proportional to the distance between the camera and the tissue. The best distance was 5 cm, where the confidence interval was narrower [CI 86.66-87.53]. CONCLUSION: The optimal time for determining ICG in the colon is between 1.5 and 3.5 min, in both right and left colon. The optimal distance is 5 cm. This information will help to establish parameters of comparison in normal and pathological situations.

The most reliable time point for intact parathyroid hormone measurement to predict hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy with central neck dissection to treat papillary thyroid carcinoma: a prospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: We assessed the optimal time for intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) measurement for early detection of post-total thyroidectomy (TT) hypocalcemia in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). METHODS: In this single-center prospective cohort study, 143 patients who underwent TT with central neck dissection with or without lateral neck dissection for PTC were included. Biochemical profiles including iPTH, corrected total calcium, and ionized calcium within 24 h after surgery were analyzed. RESULTS: The 4-h postoperative iPTH was the most reliable predictor of post-TT transient or permanent hypoparathyroidism (cutoff for hypocalcemia was 3.75 pg/mL, AUC = 0.885, P < 0.001, sensitivity 81.6%, specificity 86.0%; cutoff for permanent hypocalcemia was 2.48 pg/mL, AUC = 0.819, P < 0.001, sensitivity 100%, specificity 57.8% calculated using ROC curves). CONCLUSIONS: The 4-h postoperative iPTH can most accurately predict hypoparathyroidism after TT with central neck dissection to treat PTC and facilitate the early discharge of low-risk postoperative hypoparathyroidism patients and decrease unnecessary overnight observation and calcium supplementation.

Repair within the first 48 h in the treatment of acute Achilles tendon ruptures achieves the best biomechanical and histological outcomes.

PURPOSE: To compare the biomechanical and histological properties of Achilles tendons repaired at different time points during the acute injury period. METHODS: Thirty-six skeletally mature Sprague-Dawley rats underwent bilateral mid-substance Achilles tenotomy. The Achilles tendons were repaired either in the first 24 h (group 1), 24-48 h (group 2), 48-72 h (group 3), or > 72 h (mean: 120 ± 5.2 h) (group 4) after tenotomy. Six weeks after repair, nine tendons per group were assessed biomechanically and histologically. The Stoll histological scoring system was used for histological examination. The groups were compared with each other and native tendons (control group). The correlations between biomechanical and histological results were analysed. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between groups 1, 2 and 3 regarding the mean load to failure; it was significantly lower in group 4. Healed tendons in groups 1, 2 and 3 had significantly greater stiffness than native tendons and group 4 tendons. All healed tendons had a larger cross-sectional area than native tendons. There was no significant difference in tendon length between the groups. There was no significant difference in Young's modulus between the groups; Young's modulus was lower in all the groups than in the control group. Group 1 had significantly higher extracellular matrix organization, cell alignment, cell distribution and nucleus morphology scores and total scores than group 4. Group 1 had significantly higher extracellular matrix organization, cell distribution, vascularization and inflammation scores and total scores than group 3. A significant positive correlation was detected between the maximum load to failure and total histological score. CONCLUSION: Repair of acute Achilles tendon rupture within 48 h, and especially in the first 24 h, provides better biomechanical and histological outcomes. In the clinical practice, the data could be used to decrease re-rupture rates, to achieve more anatomical tendon healing and to implement more effective post-operative rehabilitation programme.

A time-duration measure of continuity of care to optimise utilisation of primary health care: a threshold effects approach among people with diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Literature highlighted the importance of timely access and ongoing care provided at primary care settings in reducing hospitalisation and health care resource uses. However, the effect of timely access to primary care has not been fully captured in most of the current continuity of care indices. This study aimed to develop a time-duration measure of continuity of primary care ("cover index") capturing the proportion of time an individual is under the potentially protective effect of primary health care contacts. METHODS: An observational study was conducted on 36,667 individuals aged 45 years or older with diabetes mellitus extracted from Western Australian linked administrative data. Threshold effect models were used to determine the maximum time interval between general practitioner (GP) visits that afforded a protective effect against avoidable hospitalisation across complication cohorts. The optimal maximum time interval was used to compute a cover index for each individual. The cover was evaluated using descriptive statistics stratified by population socio-demographic characteristics. RESULTS: The optimal maximum time between GP visits was 9-13 months for people with diabetes with no complication, 5-11 months for people with diabetes with 1-2 complications, and 4-9 months for people with diabetes with 3+ complications. The cover index was lowest among those aged 75+ years, males, Indigenous people, socio-economically disadvantaged and those in very remote areas. CONCLUSIONS: This study developed a new measure of continuity of primary care that adds a time parameter to capturing longitudinal continuity. Cover has the potential to better capture underuse of primary care and will significantly contribute to the sparsely available methods for analysis of linked administrative data in evaluating continuity of care for people with chronic conditions.

Managing the risk of extreme climate events in Australian major wheat production systems.

Extreme climate events (ECEs) such as drought, frost risk and heat stress cause significant economic losses in Australia. The risk posed by ECEs in the wheat production systems of Australia could be better managed through the identification of safe flowering (SFW) and optimal time of sowing (TOS) windows. To address this issue, three locations (Narrabri, Roseworthy and Merredin), three cultivars (Suntop and Gregory for Narrabri, Mace for both Roseworthy and Merredin) and 20 TOS at 1-week intervals between 1 April and 12 August for the period from 1957 to 2007 were evaluated using the Agricultural Production System sIMulator (APSIM)-Wheat model. Simulation results show that (1) the average frequency of frost events decreased with TOS from 8 to 0 days (d) across the four cases (the combination of locations and cultivars), (2) the average frequency of heat stress events increased with TOS across all cases from 0 to 10 d, (3) soil moisture stress (SMS) increased with earlier TOS before reaching a plateau and then slightly decreasing for Suntop and Gregory at Narrabri and Mace at Roseworthy while SMS increased with TOS for Mace at Merredin from 0.1 to 0.8, (4) Mace at Merredin had the earliest and widest SFW (216-260) while Mace at Roseworthy had latest SFW (257-280), (5) frost risk and heat stress determine SFW at wetter sites (i.e. Narrabri and Roseworthy) while frost risk and SMS determine SFW at drier site (i.e. Merredin) and (6) the optimal TOS (window) to maximise wheat yield are 6-20 May, 13-27 May and 15 April at Narrabri, Roseworthy and Merredin, respectively. These findings provide important and specific information for wheat growers about the management of ECE risk on farm. Furthermore, the coupling of the APSIM crop models with state-of-the-art seasonal and intra-seasonal climate forecast information provides an important tool for improved management of the risk of ECEs in economically important cropping industries in the foreseeable future.

An Experimental Study on the Optimal Timing for the Repair of Incomplete Facial Paralysis by Hypoglossal-facial 'Side'-to-side Neurorrhaphy in Rats.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the optimal timing for the repair of persistent incomplete facial paralysis by hypoglossal-facial 'side'-to-side neurorrhaphy in rats. METHODS: A total of 30 adult rats with crushed and bulldog-clamped facial nerve injury were randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 6 each) that were subjected to injury without nerve repair or with immediate repair, 2-week-delayed repair, 4-week-delayed repair, or 8-week-delayed repair. Three months later, the effects of repair in each rat were evaluated by facial symmetry assessment, electrophysiological examination, retrograde labeling, and axon regeneration measurement. RESULTS: At 3 months after injury, the alpha angle significantly increased in the group of rats with 4-week-delayed repair compared with the other four groups. Upon stimulation of the facial nerve or Pre degenerated nerve, the muscle action potentials MAPs were recorded in the whisker pad muscle, and the MAP amplitude and area under the curve in the 4-week-delayed repair group were significantly augmented at 3 months post-injury. Similarly, the number of retrograde-labeled motor neurons in the facial and hypoglossal nuclei was quantified to be significantly greater in the 4-week-delayed repair group than in the other groups, and a large number of regenerated axons was also observed. CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrated that hemiHN-FN neurorrhaphy performed 4 weeks after facial nerve injury was most effective in terms of the functional recovery of axonal regeneration and activation of facial muscles.

Optimal Time Allocation in Backscatter Assisted Wireless Powered Communication Networks.

This paper proposes a wireless powered communication network (WPCN) assisted by backscatter communication (BackCom). This model consists of a power station, an information receiver and multiple users that can work in either BackCom mode or harvest-then-transmit (HTT) mode. The time block is mainly divided into two parts corresponding to the data backscattering and transmission periods, respectively. The users first backscatter data to the information receiver in time division multiple access (TDMA) during the data backscattering period. When one user works in the BackCom mode, the other users harvest energy from the power station. During the data transmission period, two schemes, i.e., non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) and TDMA, are considered. To maximize the system throughput, the optimal time allocation policies are obtained. Simulation results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed model.

Inguinal Hernia in Premature Infants: To Operate Before or After Discharge from Hospital?

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to find out the optimal timing for herniotomy for premature infants with inguinal hernia (IH): early during hospitalisation or delayed after hospital discharge. METHOD: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on premature infants diagnosed with IH during their initial hospitalization between 2015 and 2020. Demographic data and clinical outcomes were compared between infants undergoing herniotomy before discharge ("early") and those who were discharged without herniotomy ("delayed"). Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher's exact test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Of 219 premature infants, 189 (86.3%) underwent early herniotomy, while 30 were discharged with unoperated IH. In the delayed group, 15 (50%) underwent planned delayed herniotomy, and the remaining 15 experienced spontaneous resolution (absence of inguinal bulge over at least 1-year follow-up). The gestational age and birth weight of both groups were similar. At surgery, the delayed group median (interquartile range) was significantly older (42.1[38-49] vs 37.7 [36-40] weeks, p < 0.001) and heavier (3.27 [2.21-4.60] vs 2.22 [2.00-2.70] kg, p < 0.001). Two infants (1%) in the early group presented with incarcerated IH requiring urgent operation. In the delayed group, no infant developed incarcerated IH while awaiting elective operation (time from diagnosis to operation 44 [21-85] days). There was no statistically significant difference in respiratory and surgical complications between the two groups, although the delayed group had lesser surgical complications (0% vs 9.5%). CONCLUSION: Deferring herniotomy after discharge for premature infants is safe with close monitoring and associated with a chance of spontaneous resolution. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, treatment study.

Twice-optimal control design with construction pruning for second order plus time delay systems.

To effectively control a class of second-order plus time delay (SOPTD) systems, based on twice-optimal control (TOC) and construction pruning (CP) methods, an SOPTD-TOCCP controller is proposed, which can achieve strong robustness and excellent set-point tracking performance. The TOC controller of the SOPTD is designed based on a classical cascade controller and an extended state observer (ESO). A fast and accurate method is proposed to help engineers obtain the optimal time scale, which is the most critical parameter for regulating control performance. The influence of different parameter sensitivities on SOPTD is studied. In addition, a new robust enhancement method is proposed for SOPTD systems. A construction pruning method for SOPTD systems is proposed to further improve control performance, particularly robustness. Finally, a comparison with other control methods demonstrates that the SOPTD-TOCCP controller is simple, reliable, and versatile and can achieve better control performance.

Optimal time to initiate early oral feeding in postoperative patients with upper gastrointestinal malignancy: A network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: With the development of enhanced recovery after surgery, early oral feeding is likely to become the preferred mode of nutrition after surgery for upper gastrointestinal tract malignancies. However, the optimal time to initiate early oral feeding remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to compare the effects of different introduction times of early oral feeding in patients with upper gastrointestinal malignancies in terms of safety, tolerance, and effectiveness and to identify the optimal time for early oral feeding after surgery. METHODS: A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to identify evidence from relevant randomized controlled trials. Ten electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials from their earliest records to May 2023. Data were analyzed using the Stata 16.0 software. RESULTS: A total of 22 randomized controlled trials including 2510 patients and seven time points for oral feeding after surgery were considered. Regarding safety, oral feeding initiated on postoperative day 3 may be the safest (high-quality evidence) compared with other times. Regarding tolerance, oral feeding initiated on postoperative day 5 may be the most well-tolerated (moderate-quality evidence) compared with other times. Regarding effectiveness, oral feeding initiated on postoperative day 3 may be the most effective (moderate-quality evidence) compared with other times. CONCLUSIONS: Early oral feeding is safe, tolerable, and effective in postoperative patients with upper gastrointestinal malignancies. The optimal time to initiate early oral feeding after surgery was most likely postoperative day 3. The results of this meta-analysis provide evidence-based guidelines for clinical decision-making.

Urgent one-stage endoscopic treatment for choledocholithiasis related moderate to severe acute cholangitis: A propensity score-matched analysis.

BACKGROUND: During emergency endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), the safety and feasibility of performing one-stage endoscopic treatment for patients with acute cholangitis (AC) due to choledocholithiasis are unclear. AIM: To investigate the safety and feasibility of one-stage endoscopic treatment for moderate to severe AC. METHODS: We enrolled all patients diagnosed with moderate to severe cholangitis due to common bile duct stones from January 2019 to July 2023. The outcomes were compared in this study between patients who underwent ERCP within 24 h and those who underwent ERCP 24 h later, employing a propensity score (PS) framework. Our primary outcomes were intensive care unit (ICU) admission rates, ICU length of stay, and duration of antibiotic use. RESULTS: In total, we included 254 patients and categorized them into two groups based on the time elapsed between admission and intervention: The urgent group (≤ 24 h, n = 102) and the elective group (> 24 h, n = 152). Ninety-three pairs of patients with similar characteristics were selected by PS matching. The urgent ERCP group had more ICU admissions (34.4% vs 21.5%, P = 0.05), shorter ICU stays (3 d vs 9 d, P < 0.001), fewer antibiotic use (6 d vs 9 d, P < 0.001), and shorter hospital stays (9 d vs 18.5 d, P < 0.001). There were no significant differences observed in adverse events, in-hospital mortality, recurrent cholangitis occurrence, 30-d readmission rate or 30-d mortality. CONCLUSION: Urgent one-stage ERCP provides the advantages of a shorter ICU stay, a shorter duration of antibiotic use, and a shorter hospital stay.

Gestational diabetes mellitus: The optimal time of delivery.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common pregnancy complication strongly associated with poor maternal-fetal outcomes. Its incidence and prevalence have been increasing in recent years. Women with GDM typically give birth through either vaginal delivery or cesarean section, and the maternal-fetal outcomes are related to several factors such as cervical level, fetal lung maturity, the level of glycemic control still present, and the mode of treatment for the condition. We categorized women with GDM based on the latter two factors. GDM that is managed without medication when it is responsive to nutrition- and exercise-based therapy is considered diet- and exercise-controlled GDM, or class A1 GDM, and GDM managed with medication to achieve adequate glycemic control is considered class A2 GDM. The remaining cases in which neither medical nor nutritional treatment can control glucose levels or patients who do not control their blood sugar are categorized as class A3 GDM. We investigated the optimal time of delivery for women with GDM according to the classification of the condition. This review aimed to address the benefits and harms of giving birth at different weeks of gestation for women with different classes of GDM and attempted to provide an analytical framework and clearer advice on the optimal time for labor.

Timing of biliary decompression for acute cholangitis.

Severe acute cholangitis (AC) exacerbates the risk of death because of the rapid progression of the disease. The optimal timing of biliary decompression (BD) as a necessary intervention in patients with severe AC is controversial. A recently report titled "Timing of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in the treatment of acute cholangitis of different severity" in the World Journal of Gastroenterology that the optimal time of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for treating patients with severe AC is ≤ 48 but not ≤ 24 h, providing clinical evidence for selecting the optimal time for implementation of BD. Here, we discuss the controversy over the optimal timing of BD for AC based on guidelines and clinical evidence, and consider that more high-level clinical researches are urgent needed to benefit the management of patients with different severity of AC.

Longer interval between neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and surgery is associated with improved pathological response, but does not accurately estimate survival in patients with resectable esophageal cancer.

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) has been shown to reduce tumor burden and achieve tumor regression in patients with esophageal cancer (ESC). However, the most beneficial time interval between the administration of nCRT and surgery remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the association of the duration of time between nCRT and surgery with the prognosis of patients with ESC. Patients with ESC who received nCRT following surgical resection (n=161) were reviewed and divided into the prolonged time interval group (time interval ≥66 days) and the short time interval group (time interval <66 days), according to the median value. Subsequent analysis revealed that the prolonged time interval group achieved a higher pathological complete response (pCR) rate compared with the short time interval group (49.4 vs. 26.3%; P=0.003). Furthermore, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that it was possible to independently estimate a higher pCR rate based on a prolonged time interval (odds ratio, 2.131; P=0.042). However, no association between a prolonged time interval and disease-free survival (DFS) was detected using Kaplan-Meier curves (P=0.252) or multivariate Cox regression (P=0.607) analyses. Similarly, no association was identified between a prolonged time interval and overall survival (OS; P=0.946) based on Kaplan-Meier curve analysis, and subsequent multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that the time interval also failed to independently estimate OS (P=0.581). Moreover, female sex (P=0.001) and a radiation dose ≥40 Gy (P=0.039) served as independent factors associated with a higher pCR rate, and the pCR rate was an independent predictor of favorable DFS (P=0.002) and OS (P=0.015) rates. In conclusion, the present study revealed that a prolonged time interval from nCRT to surgery was associated with a higher pCR rate, but it failed to estimate the survival profile of patients with ESC.