ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of the interval between neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) and surgery on the clinical outcome of esophageal cancer.MethodsPubMed and EMbase databases from inception to March 2018 were retrieved by computer. A random-effect model was used for all meta-analyses irrespective of heterogeneity. The meta-analysis was performed by RevMan5.3 software. The primary outcomes were operative mortality, incidence of anastomotic leakage, and overall survival; secondary outcomes were pathologic complete remission rate, R0 resection rate, and positive resection margin rate.ResultsA total of 17 studies with 18 173 patients were included. Among them, 13 were original studies with 2 950 patients, and 4 were database-based studies with a total of 15 223 patients. The results showed a significant positive correlation between the interval and operative mortality (Spearman coefficient=0.360, P=0.027). Dose-response meta-analysis revealed that there was a relatively better time window for surgery after nCRT. Further analysis for primary outcomes at different time cut-offs found the following results: (1) when the time cut-off point within 30-70 days, the shorter interval was associated with a reduced operative mortality (7-8 weeks: RR=0.67, 95% CI 0.55-0.81, P<0.05; 30-46 days: RR=0.63, 95%CI 0.47-0.85, P<0.05; 60-70 days: RR=0.64, 95%CI 0.48-0.85, P<0.05); (2) when the time cut-off point within 30-46 days, the shorter interval correlated with a reduced incidence of anastomotic leakage (RR=0.39, 95%CI 0.21-0.72, P<0.05); when the time cut-off point within 7-8 weeks, the shorter interval could achieve a critical-level effect of reducing the incidence of anastomotic leakage (RR=0.73, 95%CI 0.52-1.03, P>0.05); (3) when the time cut-off point within 7-8 weeks, increased interval significantly was associated with the poor overall survival (HR=1.17, 95% CI 1.00-1.36, P<0.05). Secondary outcomes found that the shorter interval could significantly reduce the positive resection margin rate (RR=0.53, 95% CI 0.38-0.75, P<0.05) when time cut-off point within 56-60 days.ConclusionShortening the interval between nCRT and surgery can reduce the operative mortality, the incidence of anastomotic leakage, long-term mortality risk, and positive resection margin rate. It is recommended that surgery should be performed as soon as possible after the patient's physical recovery, preferably no more than 7-8 weeks, which supports the current study recommendation (within 3-8 weeks after nCRT).
ObjectiveTo analyze the short- and mid-term outcomes of patients undergoing reconstruction of intervalvular fibrous body (IVFB) via double valve replacement (Commando procedure) or aortic valve replacement and mitral valve repair (Hemi-Commando procedure). MethodsThe patients who underwent Commando or Hemi-Commando procedure between September 2014 and September 2022 in Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital were collected. The perioperative and follow-up data were reviewed and analyzed for the assessment of short- and mid-term outcomes. Results Eleven patients received Commando procedure (a Commando group), including 4 males and 7 females with a median age of 61 (33, 68) years; 7 patients received Hemi-Commando procedure (a Hemi-Commando group), including 5 males and 2 females with a median age of 50 (36, 58) years. Two patients died in the postoperative 30 days (1 patient in the Commando group and 2 patients in the Hemi-commando group). Low cardiac output syndrome complicated with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome was the main cause of death. Fifteen patients were discharged and followed up for 13 (6, 42) months, with a survival rate of 100%. The rates of free from recurrent endocarditis or re-operation were both 100%. ConclusionCommando and Hemi-Commando procedures are effective strategies for IVFB reconstruction, and can achieve excellent mid-term outcomes if patients survive from the frailest period of early postoperative stage.
Predicting the termination of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) may provide a signal to decide whether there is a need to intervene the AF timely. We proposed a novel RdR RR intervals scatter plot in our study. The abscissa of the RdR scatter plot was set to RR intervals and the ordinate was set as the difference between successive RR intervals. The RdR scatter plot includes information of RR intervals and difference between successive RR intervals, which captures more heart rate variability (HRV) information. By RdR scatter plot analysis of one minute RR intervals for 50 segments with non-terminating AF and immediately terminating AF, it was found that the points in RdR scatter plot of non-terminating AF were more decentralized than the ones of immediately terminating AF. By dividing the RdR scatter plot into uniform grids and counting the number of non-empty grids, non-terminating AF and immediately terminating AF segments were differentiated. By utilizing 49 RR intervals, for 20 segments of learning set, 17 segments were correctly detected, and for 30 segments of test set, 20 segments were detected. While utilizing 66 RR intervals, for 18 segments of learning set, 16 segments were correctly detected, and for 28 segments of test set, 20 segments were detected. The results demonstrated that during the last one minute before the termination of paroxysmal AF, the variance of the RR intervals and the difference of the neighboring two RR intervals became smaller. The termination of paroxysmal AF could be successfully predicted by utilizing the RdR scatter plot, while the predicting accuracy should be further improved.
Sleep apnea (SA) detection method based on traditional machine learning needs a lot of efforts in feature engineering and classifier design. We constructed a one-dimensional convolutional neural network (CNN) model, which consists in four convolution layers, four pooling layers, two full connection layers and one classification layer. The automatic feature extraction and classification were realized by the structure of the proposed CNN model. The model was verified by the whole night single-channel sleep electrocardiogram (ECG) signals of 70 subjects from the Apnea-ECG dataset. Our results showed that the accuracy of per-segment SA detection was ranged from 80.1% to 88.0%, using the input signals of single-channel ECG signal, RR interval (RRI) sequence, R peak sequence and RRI sequence + R peak sequence respectively. These results indicated that the proposed CNN model was effective and can automatically extract and classify features from the original single-channel ECG signal or its derived signal RRI and R peak sequence. When the input signals were RRI sequence + R peak sequence, the CNN model achieved the best performance. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of per-segment SA detection were 88.0%, 85.1% and 89.9%, respectively. And the accuracy of per-recording SA diagnosis was 100%. These findings indicated that the proposed method can effectively improve the accuracy and robustness of SA detection and outperform the methods reported in recent years. The proposed CNN model can be applied to portable screening diagnosis equipment for SA with remote server.
In this paper, we introduce meaning and purpose of confidence interval (CI) in evidence-based medicine, For example, RRR ,ARR ,NNT. It s referance for user and doer of EBM in China.
Objective To establish the reference intervals for platelet-related parameters among the elderly population in Longquanyi District, Chengdu. Methods From November 1st to December 31st 2021, elderly individuals aged between 60 and 80 years were selected from the Longquanyi branch of a natural population cohort study initiated by West China Hospital of Sichuan University in 2021. Complete blood cell analysis was performed to obtain the platelet-related parameters. IBM SPSS Statistics 25 software was used to analyze the data and establish the reference intervals for platelet-related parameters among the elderly population in Longquanyi District. Results A total of 1938 reference individuals were selected by inclusion and exclusion criteria, and finally 1669 reference individuals, including 665 males and 1004 females, were included to establish the reference intervals after excluding outliers. The reference range of blood platelet count was (95.03-301.32)×109/L for elderly men and (112.13-320.75)×109/L for elderly women, respectively. The reference range of mean platelet volume was 8.97-13.80 fL for elderly men and 9.10-13.90 fL for elderly women, respectively. The reference range of plateletcrit was 0.13%-0.30% for elderly men and 0.14%-0.32% for elderly women, respectively. The reference range of platelet distribution width was 15.80-16.90 for elderly men and 15.70-16.90 for elderly women, respectively. Conclusion It is of practical significance to establish platelet-related parameters in the elderly in local region.
In order to quantitatively analyze the morphology and period of pulse signals, a time-space analytical modeling and quantitative analysis method for pulse signals were proposed. Firstly, according to the production mechanism of the pulse signal, the pulse space-time analytical model was built after integrating the period and baseline of pulse signal into the analytical model, and the model mathematical expression and its 12 parameters were obtained for pulse wave quantification. Then, the model parameters estimation process based on the actual pulse signal was presented, and the optimization method, constraints and boundary conditions in parameter estimation were given. The spatial-temporal analytical modeling method was applied to the pulse waves of healthy subjects from the international standard physiological signal sub-database Fantasia of the PhysioNet in open-source, and we derived some changes in heartbeat rhythm and hemodynamic generated by aging and gender difference from the analytical models. The model parameters were employed as the input of some machine learning methods, e.g. random forest and probabilistic neural network, to classify the pulse waves by age and gender, and the results showed that random forest has the best classification performance with Kappa coefficients over 98%. Therefore, the space-time analytical modeling method proposed in this study can effectively quantify and analyze the pulse signal, which provides a theoretical basis and technical framework for some related applications based on pulse signals.
Objectives To detect expressions of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) , and to estimate the post-injury interval after concussion of brain via the ratios of percentage of HSP70/GFAP-positive cells. Methods We established a brain concussion model of rat. Tissue levels of HSP70 and GFAP were determined by immunohistochemical staining at different time points after injury. Finally, the relationship between the ratio of percentage of HSP70/GFAP-positive cells and the post-injury interval was measured. Results The ratio of percentage of positive cells (increased from 7.15 to 11.73) and the percentage of HSP70-positive cells (P<0.05, compared with control group) increased, and the percentage of GFAP-positive cells did not change remarkably (P<0.05, compared with control group); the post-injury interval was between 0.5 hour and 3 hours. High ratio (>6.66) and high percentage of HSP70 and GFAP-positive cells (P<0.05, compared with control group) indicated the post-injury interval was between 3 and 12 hours. A low ratio (<6.66) and high percentage of HSP70 and GFAP-positive cells (P<0.05, compared with control group) suggested that the post-injury interval was later than 12 hours. Conclusion By analyzing the variation rule of the ratio of percentage positive cells after brain concussion, the post-injury interval after concussion of brain could be estimated.
Seizure clusters, a severe form of epilepsy requiring urgent intervention, are challenging to manage in out-of-hospital settings due to limitations of traditional benzodiazepine administration routes. Diazepam nasal spray (DZP-NS), a novel intranasal formulation, achieves rapid absorption through the nasal mucosa, bypassing first-pass metabolism, with bioavailability comparable to rectal gel and faster onset. Clinical studies demonstrate its high efficacy in treating seizure clusters and prolonged seizures (≥5 minutes), with an initial control rate of 87.4% and low second-dose utilization (12.6%). No severe adverse reactions, such as cardiorespiratory depression, were observed. Long-term use (12 months) showed no tolerance development, significantly extending seizure intervals (SEIVAL) (from 12.2 to 25.7 days) and improving quality of life scores, particularly in "epilepsy-related concerns" and "social functioning" domains. The non-invasive delivery method was favored by over 80% of patients and healthcare providers for its convenience compared to rectal administration. Subgroup analyses confirmed consistent safety and efficacy across genders, ages, concomitant medications (including cannabidiol), and patients with allergy histories. In conclusion, DZP-NS provides an efficient, safe, and socially accepted out-of-hospital rescue therapy for seizure clusters, positioning it as a potential cornerstone in standardized epilepsy emergency care.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the intervention effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on weight loss and blood lipid metabolism in overweight/obese populations. MethodsThe computer conducted searches in the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, and WanFang Data database to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to HIIT and weight loss, fat reduction, and blood lipid metabolism in overweight/obese populations. The search was conducted from the inception of the databases to March 31, 2023. Two researchers independently conducted literature screening and data extraction. After evaluating the risk of bias of the included studies, a meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software. ResultsA total of 19 RCTs, involving 595 overweight/obese participants, were included. The meta-analysis results showed that compared wtih the control group, HIIT interventions effectively reduced body weight (MD=?2.63, 95%CI ?4.04 to ?1.23, P<0.05), BMI (MD=?1.21, 95%CI ?1.95 to ?0.48, P<0.05), Fat% (MD=?1.66, 95%CI ?2.28 to ?1.04, P<0.05), TG (MD=?0.13, 95%CI ?0.25 to ?0.01, P=0.04), HDL (MD=0.14, 95%CI 0.05 to 0.23, P<0.05), and LDL (MD=?0.26, 95%CI ?0.39 to ?0.13, P<0.05) levels but did not improve TC (MD=?0.15, 95%CI ?0.36 to 0.06, P=0.15) levels. ConclusionHIIT intervention can effectively improve body weight, BMI, Fat%, TG, HDL, and LDL levels in overweight/obese populations, particularly showing a more pronounced improvement in lipid profiles among overweight/obese adolescents, but it does not reduce TC levels. This study demonstrates that HIIT may be an effective strategy to assist in weight loss and prevent cardiovascular diseases in overweight/obese populations, with potential for broader application.