Optical imaging technology of ocular fundus, including fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA), optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fundus autofluorescence (FAF), is growing at an unprecedented speed and scale and is integrating into the routine clinical management of ocular fundus diseases, such as diagnosis, treatment, and mechanism study. While FFA allow us to observe the retinal and choroidal blood circulation, OCT and FAF are non-invasive, fast and quantifiable measurement; such techniques show even more unique advantages and are favored tools. All these retinal imaging technologies, together with a variety of retinal function assessments, bring us into the era of big data of ocular fundus diseases. All of these developments are the challenges and opportunities for the operator and user of these fundus optics imaging technologies. In order to improve its clinical applications and allocate resources rationally, we need to understand the optical properties of these retinal imaging technologies, and standardize diagnosis behavior. This is a continuous learning process needs to continue to explore.
Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is the key characteristic of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), and the effective therapy is intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents based on clinical and basic research. In the meantime the challenge is how to further improve the inhibiting effect for CNV and visual function of anti-VEGF treatment on nAMD. The new strategy and drug delivery devices for anti-VEGF treatment will optimize the clinical scheme. From bench to bedside, the research on targeted treatment of angiogenesis brings the bloom of nAMD medical therapy.
Using optical imaging equipment with different wavelength and computer technology, fundus optical imaging diagnostic techniques can record fundus reflected light, auto fluorescence and emitted light after excitation by external light source in order to observe and analyze the structure and pathological process of retina and choroid. Advances in fundus optical image capture technology (including laser, confocal laser, spontaneous auto-fluorescence, multispectral imaging) and storage and analysis technology, promote this field into a high-definition digital imaging era, with features of rapid, non-invasive, wide-angle three-dimensional multi-level integration, dynamic automatic navigation location tracking and combined application of a variety of optical imaging diagnostic techniques. In order to promote clinical and scientific research of ocular fundus diseases, we need to understand the development trend of optical imaging diagnostic technique, interpret the fundus imaging features appropriately, reasonably chose different inspection techniques, establish standardized diagnosis criteria and continue to expand clinical applications.
The hallmark of the recent latest advances in diagnostic fundus imaging technology is combination of complex hierarchical levels and depths, as well as wide-angle imaging, ultra-wide imaging. The clinical application of wide-angle and ultra-wide imaging, not only can reevaluate the role of the peripheral retina, the classification types and treatment modalities of central retinal vein occlusion, and enhance the reliability of diabetic retinopathy screening, improve the classification and therapeutic decision of diabetic retinopathy, and but also can help guide and improve laser photocoagulation. However we must clearly recognize that the dominant role of ophthalmologists in the diagnosis of ocular fundus diseases cannot be replaced by any advanced fundus imaging technology including wide-angle imaging. We emphasize to use the three factors of cognitive performance (technology, knowledge and thinking) to improve the diagnosis of ocular fundus diseases in China.
There has been ongoing progress in the new technique and equipment in vitreoretinal surgery in recent years, contributing to the improvement of treatment of various vitreoretinal diseases. The application of 3D heads-up display viewing system (3D viewing system) has been one of the most fascinating breakthroughs in vitreoretinal surgery. Unlike the traditional method in which the surgeons have to look through the microscope eyepieces, this system allows them to turn their heads up and operate with their eyes on a high-definition 3D monitor. It provides the surgeons with superior visualization and stereoscopic sensation. And increasing studies have revealed it to be as safe and effective as the traditional microscopic system. Furthermore, the surgeons can keep a heads-up position in a more comfortable posture and lesson the pressure on cervical spine. Meanwhile, 3D viewing system makes it easier for the teaching and learning process among surgeons and assistants. However, there are still potential disadvantages including the latency between surgeon maneuver and visualization on the display, learning curves and cost. We hope that the 3D viewing system will be widely used and become a useful new tool for various vitreoretinal diseases in the near future with rapid development in the technology and constant upgrade of the system.
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have become one of the cutting-edge technologies in the world, and have been mainly applicated in medicine. In this article, we sorted out the development history and important scenarios of BCIs in medical application, analyzed the research progress, technology development, clinical transformation and product market through qualitative and quantitative analysis, and looked forward to the future trends. The results showed that the research hotspots included the processing and interpretation of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, the development and application of machine learning algorithms, and the detection and treatment of neurological diseases. The technological key points included hardware development such as new electrodes, software development such as algorithms for EEG signal processing, and various medical applications such as rehabilitation and training in stroke patients. Currently, several invasive and non-invasive BCIs are in research. The R&D level of BCIs in China and the United State is leading the world, and have approved a number of non-invasive BCIs. In the future, BCIs will be applied to a wider range of medical fields. Related products will develop shift from a single mode to a combined mode. EEG signal acquisition devices will be miniaturized and wireless. The information flow and interaction between brain and machine will give birth to brain-machine fusion intelligence. Last but not least, the safety and ethical issues of BCIs will be taken seriously, and the relevant regulations and standards will be further improved.
Objective To explore the global research status and trends of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) based on knowledge visualization analysis. Methods Based on the Web of Science Core Collection, studies reporting CRRT research that were published between June 2014 and June 2023 were retrieved and collected after manual review. VOSviewer and CiteSpace softwares were used for bibliometric visualization analysis, including publication trends, geographical distribution characteristics, journal distribution characteristics, author contributions, citations, funding source characteristics, and keyword clustering. Results A total of 2708 papers were analyzed, with an increasing trend in the number of articles and citation frequency from 2015 to 2021. The United States was the most prolific country and France was the most influential country. The University of Pittsburgh in the United States had the highest number of publications among research institutions and showed higher motivation for inter-institutional collaboration. The University of Queensland in the Australia had the highest average citation frequency. Professor Rinaldo Bellomo of Australia was the most productive author and Professor Jeffrey Lipman was the most influential. Jason A. Roberts, Jeffrey Lipman and Claudio Ronco were the three authors who had the highest number of collaborations with other authors. Keyword cluster analysis showed that the prognosis of CRRT for renal disease was the focus of research, with hotspots of research being antibiotics, citrate accumulation, plasma replacement, lactate clearance, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and coronavirus disease 2019. Coupling analysis of the literature showed that exploring the indications for CRRT and optimizing treatment prescription were at the forefront of research. Conclusions The present study of CRRT has generally shown an upward trend in the last decade. The management and efficacy of CRRT remains a hot topic of research. Exploring the indications for CRRT and optimizing treatment prescriptions may be a popular research direction and trend in the future.
The article titled "The global burden of lung cancer: Current status and future trends" which is recently published in Nature Reviews Cinical Oncology has provided a detailed analysis of the current global status of lung cancer. This article focuses on the global burden of lung cancer, risk factors, related prevention, control measures and treatment progress. Based on the current situation of lung cancer in the world, this paper analyzes the current situation of lung cancer in China, and briefly interprets the key points of prevention as well as control measures in the article.
Objective To analyze the trend of standardized infection ratio (SIR) of surgical site infection (SSI) in small bowel surgery, objectively evaluate the effect of infection control, and provide evidence-based strategies for SSI prevention. Methods According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) surveillance definitions for specific types of infections and the monitoring methods of SSI events published by NHSN, the SSI and related risk factors of adult inpatients undergoing small bowel surgery in Yichang Central People’s Hospital between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2022 were prospectively monitored. The inpatients undergoing small bowel surgery that meets the definition of International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision Clinical Modifications/Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-CM/PCS), a multivariate binary logistic regression model was used to calculate the predicted infections in each year, the model included the risk factors for small bowel surgery in NHSN Complex Admission/Readmission (A/R) SSI Model with 7 years of surveillance data as the baseline. The SIR was calculated by dividing the number of observed SSI by the number of predicted SSI in each year. The Mid-P method was used to test the difference of SIR compared to the previous year, and the linear regression model was used to analyze the trend of SIR. Results A total of 2 436 patients were included, with 48 cases of deep incision infection and 49 cases of organ/cavity infection, and the overall incidence rate of infection was 4.0%. From 2016 to 2022, there were 151, 244, 222, 260, 320, 408, and 831 patients who underwent small bowel surgery, respectively. The Mid-P test showed that there was a significant difference in SIR from 2016 to 2019 (P<0.05), and there was an increase in 2018 compared with 2017. There was no significant difference in SIR compared to the previous year from 2019 to 2022 (P>0.05), and there was no significant difference in the trend of SIR of SSI (P=0.065). Conclusions From January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2022, advances have been made in SSI control practices of small bowel surgery in six consecutive years, except for 2018, but there was no annual downward trend from 2020 to 2022. The use of SIR provides a new approach for evaluating the quality of infection control.