The feasibility of a novel injectable hydrogel for protecting artificial gastrointestinal ulcers after endoscopic resection: an animal pilot study

Recently, covering materials for protecting post-endoscopic ulcers are being developed using hydrogels. Existing hydrogels are not ideal coating materials because it is difficult to control their physical properties. Therefore, we conducted an animal pilot study to investigate the protective effect of a novel ulcer coating material, whose physical properties can be easily controlled and designed. We applied the novel injectable hydrogel to artificial ulcers induced on the gastric mucosa of rats. Rats were assigned to the hydrogel or the control group. To measure the protective effect of hydrogel on ulcers, the perforation rate, ulcer diameter, and ulcer area were evaluated 48 h after gel application. As secondary endpoints, we assessed the residual rate of the hydrogel at the bottom of the ulcer, performed histological analysis, and analyzed adverse events associated with hydrogel. The perforation rate was significantly lower (16% vs. 75%) and the mean diameter of ulcers was significantly smaller (5.4 ± 1.8 mm vs. 7.8 ± 2.8 mm) in the hydrogel group. Histopathological findings revealed the inflammatory cell count was significantly higher in the control group. Our novel hydrogel showed a protective effect on artificial gastric ulcers in a rat model.

Effectiveness and safety of ultrasound-guided hydrostatic reduction for children with acute intussusception

Objective This study aims to explore the effectiveness and safety of the new-type ultrasound-guided hydrostatic reduction for children with acute intussusception. Methods The clinical data of 364 children with primary acute intussusception who underwent nonsurgical reduction in our hospital between January 2016 and May 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Among the 364 children, 119 formed the hydrostatic reduction group. There were 89 males and 30 females, and the average age of admission was 25.13 ± 1.43 months. Among the pneumatic reduction group of 245 patients, there were 163 males and 82 females. The average age of admission was 22.47 ± 1.52 months. The reduction rate, length of stay, and perforation rate were compared between the two groups. Results Univariate analysis showed that the reduction rate in the hydrostatic group (94.96%) was higher than in the pneumatic group (85.31%) ( p = 0.007), and the hospital stay (2.76 ± 0.15 days) of the hydrostatic reduction group was shorter than that of the pneumatic reduction group (3.56 ± 0.35 days) ( p = 0.038). In children with intussusception time >48 h, the reduction rate was 95.45% in the hydrostatic reduction group and 86.20% in the pneumatic reduction group. Conclusion The new-type ultrasound-guided hydrostatic reduction has a higher reduction rate in the treatment of acute intussusception in children results in a shortened hospital stay, It is effective, safe, and avoids radiation exposure.

Sound absorption performance of flexible polyurethane/silicon dioxide perforated coating composites

Perforated materials in the traditional sense are rigid, usually dense, costly and inflexible. For this study, polyester/cotton blended woven fabric as the base fabric, nano-SiO2 (silicon dioxide) as the functional particles and PU (polyurethane) as the matrix were selected. Accordingly, flexible PU/SiO2 perforated coating composites with different process parameters were developed. The influence of the nano-SiO2 content, perforation diameter, perforation rate, number of fiber felt layers and cavity depth on the sound absorption coefficient were investigated. The resonant frequencies of materials with different cavity depths were evaluated by both theoretical calculation and experimental method. It was found that the flexible perforated composite has good sound absorption and mechanical properties, and has great potential for applications requiring soft and lightweight sound absorption materials.

Tympanic Membrane Perforation After Intratympanic Steroid Injection: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Objective We investigated the incidence of tympanic membrane (TM) perforations induced after intratympanic steroid injection (ITSI) in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Data Sources PubMed, Embase, and MEDLINE. Review Methods Primary database searches were performed, and 1901 records were identified. After removal of 1802 articles through abstract screening, the remaining 99 full-text journals were assessed for eligibility to be included in the study. Fifty-eight studies that used either ventilation tubing (VT) or tympanocentesis (TC) for ITSI were selected for analysis. The subjects were divided into VT and TC groups. The rate of TM perforation after ITSI in 2 groups, sites of ITSI, needle gauge, and influence on residual hearing were investigated. Results The cohorts comprised patients who underwent VT (n = 257, 9.6%) and TC (n = 2415, 90.4%). The proportion of TM perforation after ITSI in each group was 0.073 (95% CI, 0.0469-0.1113) and 0.010 (95% CI, 0.0045-0.0215), respectively, which suggested that the VT group showed a significantly higher TM perforation rate than the TC group ( P < .001). In the subgroup analyses, there was no significant difference in the odds ratio for the rate of TM perforation according to the injection site and needle gauge for TC. The proportion of surgical repair showed no significant difference between the 2 groups. Conclusion ITSI via VT may have a significantly higher risk of TM perforation than ITSI via TC, although those are relatively small overall. ITSI should be performed in the direction to minimize possible adverse effects.

Increased Incidence of Perforated Appendicitis in Children During COVID-19 Pandemic in a Bavarian Multi-Center Study

Introduction: Since early 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic and statutory preventive reorganization of treatment capacities with cancellation of elective surgery as well as curfew regulations led to vastly decreased utilization of primary health care.Materials and Methods: To assess whether there are negative effects on pediatric acute care in Bavaria during the spring 2020 lockdown a state-wide retrospective multi-center study was performed to analyze the rate of perforated appendicitis during lockdown. Children who have been operated on during the corresponding period in 2018/19 served as control group.Results: Overall, 514 patients (292 boys, 222 girls) were included (2020: 176 patients; 2019: 181 patients; 2018: 157 patients). Median age was 11.2 years. Four hundred thirty-nine patients (85.4%) underwent laparoscopic surgery, 69 (13.4%) open surgery and 1.2% underwent conversion from laparoscopic to open surgery. In 2020 a perforation rate of 27.8% (49/176 patients) was found, in 2018–2019 perforation rate was 20.7% (70/338 patients, p = 0.0359, Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel-Test). Subgroup analysis showed that in younger patients (≤ 11.2 years), in 2020 perforation rate was significantly higher with 37.6% (32/85 patients), while 22.2% (39/176) in 2018/2019 (p = 0.014, Fisher's exact test).In boys perforation rate was significantly higher in 2020 with 35.0% (35/100 patients) compared to 21.4% in 2018–2019 (p = 0.0165, Fisher's exact test).Conclusion: During the period of curfew regulations in Bavaria the rate of perforated appendicitis in childhood increased significantly, especially in younger children and boys. Potentially this has to be attributed to delayed presentation to pediatric surgery care. Because of potential long-term sequelae of perforated appendicitis these adverse effects during curfew have to be taken into account for future political decision making to ensure reasonable patient care and avoid collateral damage in near-future or on-going pandemic situations.

Negative Appendectomy Rate in Urban Referral Hospitals in Tanzania: A Cross-sectional Analysis of Associated Factors

Background: Acute appendicitis (AA) has a lifetime risk of 8.3% with a consequent 23% lifetime risk of emergency appendectomy. In atypical presentation, making a clinical diagnosis is difficult, leading to a high perforation rate (PR) or misdiagnoses and high negativeappendectomy rates (NAR). This study aimed to establish NAR and explore the associated factors and possible attainable solutions to reduce it in urban referral hospitals in Tanzania. Methods: This was a crosssectional study with 91 consecutive patients, aged 10 years and older undergoing appendectomy for suspected AA with histological evaluation of specimens. The study was powered to detect the NAR at 95% confidence level and 80% power. Results: The histological NAR was 38.5% and the perforation rate was 25.3%. The Alvarado score (AS) was rarely applied (6%), despite ademonstrated ability in this study to decrease the NAR by half. Females were four times more likely to undergo negative appendectomy than males. Conclusion: The NAR is clinically significant as about two out of every five patients undergoing emergency appendectomy for suspected AA do not require the procedure. The AS is underutilized despite a demonstrated ability to decrease the NAR. We recommend that the AS be incorporated in the management of patients with suspected appendicitis. Keywords: Negative appendectomy rate, SubSaharan Africa, Alvarado score, Appendectomy, Suspected acute appendicitis

Ultrasound-guided hydrostatic reduction versus fluoroscopy-guided air reduction for pediatric intussusception: a multi-center, prospective, cohort study

Background Intussusception is the most common abdominal emergency in children. The first line treatment of uncomplicated pediatric intussusception is enema reduction. Until now, there have been no multi-center studies comparing the effectiveness and safety of UGHR and FGAR in the treatment of pediatric intussusception. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness and safety of the two most commonly used enema methods of pediatric intussusception: ultrasound-guided hydrostatic reduction (UGHR) and fluoroscopy-guided air reduction (FGAR). Methods From November 1, 2017 to October 31, 2018, we conducted a multi-center, prospective, cohort study. Children diagnosed with intussusception in four large Children’s Medical Centers in China were divided into UGHR and FGAR groups. Stratified analysis and subgroup analysis were used for further comparison. The success and recurrence rates were used to evaluate the effectiveness of enema reduction. The perforation rate was used to evaluate the safety of enema reduction. Results A total of 2124 cases met the inclusion criteria (UGHR group: 1119 cases; FGAR group: 1005 cases). The success and recurrence rates in the UGHR group were higher than in the FGAR group (95.80%, 9.28% vs. 93.13%, 10.65%) (P < 0.05, P > 0.05), respectively. The perforation rate in the UGHR group was 0.36% compared with 0.30% in the FGAR group (P > 0.05). Subgroup analysis showed the success rates in the UGHR group were higher than in the FGAR group of patients with onset time between 12 and 24 h (95.56% vs. 90.57%) (P < 0.05). Of patients aged 4 to 24 months, the success rates in the UGHR group were also higher than in the FGAR group (95.77% vs. 91.60%) (P < 0.05). Stratified analysis showed the success rates in the UGHR group were higher than in the FGAR group in patients with the symptom of bloody stool (91.91% vs 85.38%) (P < 0.05). Conclusions UGHR and FGAR are safe, nonsurgical treatment methods for acute pediatric intussusception. UGHR is superior to FGAR, no radiation risk, its success rate is higher, without a difference in perforation rate, especially for patients aged 4–24 months. Level of evidence Level II.

The Place of 3D Printing Preoperative Planning in Upper Thoracic Fractures

Background: This study aims to compare the clinical results of patients with upper thoracic vertebral fractures treated with pedicle screw and posterior spinal fusion with preoperative surgical planning and 3-dimensional (3D) modeling and patients treated with freehand screws.Methods: Thirty patients who underwent pedicle screw placement with a diagnosis of upper thoracic fracture between June 2018 and October 2020 were included in our study. Pedicle screws were used in 15 patients (group 1) after the planning was completed with the help of 3D preoperative printing and modeling. Pedicle screws were applied in 15 patients in the control group (group 2) using the freehand technique. Intraoperative bleeding amount, pedicle screw insertion time, and correct screw placement data in both groups were recorded. The time of insertion of each pedicle screw was recorded.Results: The operation time was 134 ± 22 minutes for group 1 and 152 ± 38 minutes for group 2. The difference in operation times was found to be statistically significant (p <0.05). Based on axial and sagittal reconstruction images, the accuracy rate of pedicle screw placement (grade 0 and 1) in group I was 96.5% compared to 84.2% in group II. Analyzing axial reconstruction images alone, the overall perforation rate was 10.3% in group I compared to 26.3% in group II. The minor perforation rate (Grade 1, <2 mm) was 7.0% in group I compared to 12.2% in group II. The moderate perforation rate (grade 2, 2-4 mm) was 3.4% in group I compared to 14% in group II. The severe perforation rate (grade 3, > 4 mm) was 1.7% in group II. The difference in overall accuracy rates between the two groups was significant (p<0.05).Conclusions: For 3D models of upper thoracic pedicle screw insertion, guide plates can be produced inexpensively and individually. It provides a new method for the accurate placement of upper thoracic pedicle screws with high accuracy and secure use in screw insertion.

Perforation rate after a diagnosis of uncomplicated appendicitis on CT

Background Appendicectomy is a common emergency operation. The aim of this analysis was to study the effect of preoperative delay on disease progression, and whether a novel scoring system (Atema score) could be useful in predicting complicated appendicitis. Methods Patients with uncomplicated acute appendicitis on CT and who underwent appendicectomy in 2014–2015 were analysed for patient characteristics, preoperative delay and outcomes. Results Of 837 patients with uncomplicated appendicitis on CT, 187 (22.3 per cent) were found to have complicated appendicitis at surgery. The median time estimate for perforation was 25.4 h after CT, with an hourly rate of perforation of 2 per cent. Patients with an Atema score of 6 or less and those with no appendicolith on CT and a C-reactive protein level below 51 mg/l were the slowest to develop perforation, reaching a perforation rate of 5 per cent in 7.1 and 7.6 h respectively. Conclusion A substantial proportion of patients with uncomplicated acute appendicitis on CT have complicated appendicitis at surgery. However, in patients with no risk factors, surgery can be postponed safely for up to 7 h.