OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of endoscope-assisted fractured roots or fragments extraction within the mandibular canal, along with quantitative sensory testing (QST) alterations in the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN).
METHODS: Six patients with lower lip numbness following mandibular third molar extraction were selected. All patients had broken roots or fragments within the mandibular canal that were extracted under real-time endoscopic assistance. Follow-up assessments were conducted on postoperative days 1, 7, and 35, including a standardized QST of the lower lip skin.
RESULTS: The average surgical duration was 32.5 min, with the IAN exposed in all cases. Two of the patient exhibited complete recovery of lower lip numbness, three experienced symptom improvement, and one patient remained unaffected 35 days after the surgery. Preoperative QST results showed that the mechanical detection and pain thresholds on the affected side were significantly higher than those on the healthy side, but improved significantly by postoperative day 7 in five patients, and returned to baseline in two patients on day 35. There were no significant differences in the remaining QST parameters.
CONCLUSIONS: All endoscopic surgical procedures were successfully completed without any additional postoperative complications. There were no cases of deterioration of IAN injury, and lower lip numbness recovered in the majority of cases. Endoscopy allowed direct visualization and examination of the affected nerve, facilitating a comprehensive analysis of the IAN.

BACKGROUND: Clinical studies have shown that diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) has been on the rise, with most patients presenting with severe and progressive symptoms. Currently, most of the available prediction models for DPN are derived from general clinical information and laboratory indicators. Several Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) indicators have been utilised to construct prediction models. In this study, we established a novel machine learning-based multi-featured Chinese-Western medicine-integrated prediction model for DPN using clinical features of TCM.
METHODS: The clinical data of 1581 patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treated at the Department of Endocrinology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine were collected. The data (including general information, laboratory parameters and TCM features) of 1142 patients with T2DM were selected after data cleaning. After baseline description analysis of the variables, the data were divided into training and validation sets. Four prediction models were established and their performance was evaluated using validation sets. Meanwhile, the accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score and area under the curve (AUC) of ROC were calculated using ten-fold cross-validation to further assess the performance of the models. An explanatory analysis of the results of the DPN prediction model was carried out using the SHAP framework based on machine learning-based prediction models.
RESULTS: Of the 1142 patients with T2DM, 681 had a comorbidity of DPN, while 461 did not. There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, cause of disease, systolic pressure, HbA1c, ALT, RBC, Cr, BUN, red blood cells in the urine, glucose in the urine, and protein in the urine (p < 0.05). T2DM patients with a comorbidity of DPN exhibited diverse TCM symptoms, including limb numbness, limb pain, hypodynamia, thirst with desire for drinks, dry mouth and throat, blurred vision, gloomy complexion, and unsmooth pulse, with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). Our results showed that the proposed multi-featured Chinese-Western medicine-integrated prediction model was superior to conventional models without characteristic TCM indicators. The model showed the best performance (accuracy = 0.8109, precision = 0.8029, recall = 0.9060, F1 score = 0.8511, and AUC = 0.9002). SHAP analysis revealed that the dominant risk factors that caused DPN were TCM symptoms (limb numbness, thirst with desire for drinks, blurred vision), age, cause of disease, and glycosylated haemoglobin. These risk factors were exerted positive effects on the DPN prediction models.
CONCLUSIONS: A multi-feature, Chinese-Western medicine-integrated prediction model for DPN was established and validated. The model improves early-stage identification of high-risk groups for DPN in the diagnosis and treatment of T2DM, while also providing informative support for the intelligent management of chronic conditions such as diabetes.

This study examined the interaction between myofibrillar proteins (MPs) and the numbing substance hydroxy-α-sanshool (α-SOH) in a thermal environment, and provided an explanation of the numbness perception mechanism through muti-spectroscopic and molecular dynamics simulation methodology. Results showed that addition of α-SOH could reduce the particle size and molecular weight of MPs, accompanied by changes in the tertiary and secondary structure, causing the α-helix of MPs transitioned to β-sheet and β-turn due to the reorganization of hydrogen bonds. After a moderate heating (60 or 70 °C), MPs could form the stable complexes with α-SOH that were associated with attachment sites and protein wrapping. The thermal process might convert a portion of α-SOH\' into hydroxy-β-sanshool\' (β-SOH\'). When docking with the sensory receptor TRPV1, the RMSD, RMSF and binding free energy all showed that β-SOH\' demonstrated a low affinity, thereby reducing the numbing perception. These findings can provide a theoretical foundation for the advanced processing of numbing meat products.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the application and key points of microchannel approaches in resection of cervical intraspinal tumors.
METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 51 cases of cervical spinal canal tumors from February 2017 to March 2020. Among them, 5 cases were located epidural space, 6 cases were located epidural and subdural space, and 40 cases were located under the subdural extramedullary space(6 cases were located on the ventral side of the spinal cord). The maximum diameter ranged from 0.5 to 3.0 cm. The clinical manifestations included neck, shoulder or upper limb pain 43 cases, sensory disturbance (numbness) in 22 cases, and limb weakness in 8 cases. The microchannel keyhole technique was used to expose the tumor, and the tumor was resected microscopically.
RESULTS: In this study, 35 patients underwent hemilaminectomy, 12 patients underwent interlaminar fenestration, 2 patients underwent medial 1/4 facetectomy on the basis of hemilaminectomy or interlaminar fenestration. Two tumors were resected through anatomy space (no bone was resected). The degree of tumor resection included total resection in 50 cases and subtotal resection in 1 case. The type of the tumor included 36 schwannomas, 12 meningiomas, 2 enterogenic cysts and 1 dermoid cyst. There was no infection and cerebrospinal fluid leakage postoperatively. Limb numbness occurred in 7 patients. The average follow-up time was 15 months (3 to 36 months). No deformity such as cervical instability or kyphosis was found. The tumor had no recurrence.
CONCLUSIONS: The cervical spinal canal is relatively wide, cervical tumors with no more than three segments can be fully exposed by means of microchannel technology. Besides intramedullary or malignant tumors, they can be microsurgically removed. Preservation of the skeletal muscle structure of cervical spine is beneficial to recover the anatomy and function of cervical spine. The electrophysiological monitoring helps to avoid spinal cord or nerve root injury.

BACKGROUND: Cervical spondylotic radiculopathy is currently one of the common orthopedic diseases, mainly characterized by neck pain, stiffness, limited mobility, and related symptoms of nerve root compression, which seriously troubles people\'s work and life.
METHODS: Ninety cases of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome) were randomly divided into treatment group and control group, 45 cases in each group. The control group was treated with western medicine (nerve nutrition, pain relief, and circulation improvement drugs), and the treatment group was treated with Gao\'s nape needle combined with modified Shentong Zhuyu decoction on the basis of the control group. Before and after 2 weeks, TCM syndrome score, TCM curative effect, visual analogue scale score, numbness score, neck disability index score, related serum inflammatory factors (interleukin-10 [IL-10], interleukin-6 [IL-6], tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α]), related hemorheological indexes (plasma viscosity, high shear whole blood viscosity, low shear whole blood viscosity level) were used as evaluation indexes to evaluate the effect.
RESULTS: After treatment, the total effective rate of the treatment group was 91.11%, which was better than that of the control group (78.78%), and the TCM syndrome scores of the 2 groups were decreased, the treatment group was better than that of the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P < .05). After treatment, the visual analogue scale score, numbness score, and neck disability index score were decreased in both groups, and the decrease in the treatment group was more significant than that in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P < .05). After treatment, the related serum inflammatory factors (IL-10, IL-6, TNF-α) and related hemorheological indexes (plasma viscosity, high-shear whole blood viscosity, low-shear whole blood viscosity) were decreased in both groups, and the decrease in the treatment group was more significant than that in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P < .05).
CONCLUSIONS: The treatment of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome) with Gao\'s nape needle and modified Shentong Zhuyu decoction can improve the curative effect of traditional Chinese medicine, improve the related discomfort symptoms (neck tenderness, adverse activity, numbness, etc), improve the neck function, reduce IL-10, IL-6, TNF-α, and other related serum inflammatory factors, and improve hemorheological indicators.

BACKGROUND: Primary trigeminal neuralgia (PTN) is a type of chronic neuropathic pain disorder caused by neurovascular compression. Percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) is a widely used method for the treatment of PTN.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the correlation of balloon pressure (BP) during percutaneous microballoon compression (PBC) with postoperative pain relief and complications in the treatment of primary trigeminal neuralgia (PTN).
METHODS: Forty-five patients diagnosed with PTN and treated with PBC were recruited. The BP was recorded at 2 time points: when the balloon achieved the ideal pear shape (initial BP [IBP]) and when the pressure was maintained for 2 min (final BP [FBP]).
METHODS: This study was conducted at the Department of Pain and Rehabilitation of the Second Affiliated Hospital at the University of South China in Hunan, China.
METHODS: The patients\' Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) pain intensity score, BNI facial numbness score, masticatory muscle weakness score, and recurrence were recorded before and after surgery. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated for the IBP to predict treatment effectiveness, severe facial numbness, and severe masticatory muscle weakness.
RESULTS: The BNI pain intensity score, BNI facial numbness score, and masticatory muscle weakness score were significantly decreased after surgery (all P < 0.001). IBP was positively correlated with the difference between IBP and FBP (P < 0.01). Both IBP and the difference between IBP and FBP were negatively correlated with the BNI pain intensity score and positively correlated with the BNI facial numbness score and masticatory muscle weakness score (P < 0.01). The IBP and the difference between the IBP and FBP were significantly lower in patients experiencing recurrence than in the nonrecurrent group (P < 0.05). The areas under the ROC curves of the IBP for predicting effective pain relief, severe facial numbness, and severe masticatory muscle weakness were 0.875, 0.980, and 0.988, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: The sample size was relatively small, and the follow-up time was short. The correlations between the BP and other factors, such as filling amount, Meckel\'s cavity, and the size of the foramen ovale, were not investigated. The impact of the BP on long-term postoperative outcomes was not explored.
CONCLUSIONS: An intraoperative BP of 138.65-153.90 KPa can be maintained for effective PBC treatment without causing serious complications.

UNASSIGNED: To compare the effectiveness of talonavicular-cuneiform joint fusion with iliac bone grafting and without bone grafting in the treatment of Müller-Weiss diseases (MWD).
UNASSIGNED: The clinical data of 44 patients (44 feet) with MWD who received talonavicular-cuneiform joint fusion between January 2017 and November 2022 and met the selection criteria was retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 25 patients were treated with structural iliac bone grafting (bone grafting group) and 19 patients without bone grafting (non-bone grafting group). There was no significant difference ( P>0.05) in age, gender composition, body mass index, disease duration, affected side, Maceira stage, and preoperative American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, anteroposterior/lateral Meary angle, and Pitch angle between the two groups. Operation time, operation cost, and postoperative complications were recorded in the two groups. AOFAS and VAS scores were used to evaluate the function and pain degree of the affected foot. Meary angle and Pitch angle were measured on the X-ray film, and the joint fusion was observed after operation. The difference (change value) of the above indexes before and after operation was calculated for comparison between groups to evaluate the difference in effectiveness.
UNASSIGNED: The operation was successfully completed in both groups, and the incisions in the two groups healed by first intention. The operation time and cost in the bone grafting group were significantly more than those in the non-bone grafting group ( P<0.05). All patients were followed up. The median follow-up time was 41.0 months (range, 16-77 months) in the non-bone grafting group and 40.0 months (range, 16-80 months) in the bone grafting group. There was skin numbness of the medial dorsalis of the foot in 1 case, internal fixation stimulation in 2 cases, and pain at the iliac bone harvesting area in 1 case of the bone grafting group. There was skin numbness of the medial dorsalis of the foot in 1 case and muscle atrophy of the lower limb in 1 case of the non-bone grafting group. There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups ( P>0.05). At last follow-up, the AOFAS scores of the two groups significantly improved when compared with those before operation, while the VAS scores significantly decreased, the anteroposterior/lateral Meary angle and Pitch angle significantly improved, and the differences were significant ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the change values of outcome indicators between the two groups ( P>0.05). There was no delayed bone union or bone nonunion in both groups, and joint fusion was achieved at last follow-up.
UNASSIGNED: In the treatment of MWD, there is no significant difference in effectiveness and imaging improvement of talonavicular-cuneiform joint fusion combined with or without bone grafting. However, non-bone grafting can shorten the operation time, reduce the cost, and may avoid the complications of bone donor site.
UNASSIGNED: 比较距舟楔关节融合术中髂骨植骨与不植骨治疗Müller-Weiss病（Müller-Weiss diseases，MWD）的临床疗效。.
UNASSIGNED: 回顾性分析2017年1月—2022年11月接受距舟楔关节融合术治疗且符合选择标准的44例（44足）MWD患者临床资料。其中25例术中行自体髂骨结构性植骨（植骨组），19例不植骨（未植骨组）。两组患者年龄、性别构成、身体质量指数、病程、侧别、Maceira分期以及术前美国矫形足踝协会（AOFAS）评分、疼痛视觉模拟评分（VAS）、正/侧位Meary角、Pitch角等基线资料比较，差异均无统计学意义（ P>0.05）。记录两组手术时间、手术费用及术后相关并发症发生情况；采用AOFAS评分、VAS评分评价患足功能及疼痛程度；基于X线片测量正/侧位Meary角以及Pitch角，术后观察关节骨性融合情况。计算上述指标手术前后差值（变化值）进行组间比较，评价疗效差异。.
UNASSIGNED: 两组手术均顺利完成，术后切口均Ⅰ期愈合。植骨组手术时间及手术费用均多于未植骨组，差异有统计学意义（ P<0.05）。患者均获随访，未植骨组随访时间16～77个月，中位时间41.0个月；植骨组为16～80个月，中位时间40.0个月。植骨组发生足背内侧皮肤麻木1例、内固定物刺激2例、髂骨取骨区疼痛1例，未植骨组足背内侧皮肤麻木1例、小腿肌肉萎缩1例；两组并发生发生率比较，差异无统计学意义（ P>0.05）。末次随访时两组AOFAS评分较术前提高、VAS评分下降，正/侧位Meary角以及Pitch角均改善，差异有统计学意义（ P<0.05）；上述指标变化值组间差异均无统计学意义（ P>0.05）。两组均无骨延迟愈合、骨不连发生，末次随访时均达到关节骨性融合。.
UNASSIGNED: 距舟楔关节融合术治疗MWD时，联合自体髂骨植骨或不植骨处理的临床疗效和影像学改善程度无明显差异。但不植骨处理可缩短手术时间及手术费用，并且可以避免因自体取骨引发的取骨供区并发症。.

Spinal infection caused by Parvimonas micra (P. micra) is a rare infection. The characteristic imageology includes spondylodiscitis, spondylitis, paravertebral abscess, and epidural abscess. One case of spondylodiscitis of lumbar complicated with spinal epidural abscess caused by P. micra was admitted to the Department of Spinal Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University on February, 2023. This case is a 60 years old man with lower back pain and left lower limb numbness. MRI showed spondylitis, spondylodiscitis, and epidural abscess. The patient underwent debridement, decompression and fusion surgery. The culture of surgical sample was negative. P. micra was detected by metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS). The postoperative antibiotic treatment included intravenous infusion of linezolid and piperacillin for 1 week, then intravenous infusion of ceftazidime and oral metronidazole for 2 weeks, followed by oral metronidazole and nerofloxacin for 2 weeks. During the follow-up, the lower back pain and left lower limb numbness was complete remission. Spinal infection caused by P. micra is extremely rare, when the culture is negative, mNGS can help the final diagnosis.
微小小单胞菌引起的脊柱感染罕见，其影像学表现为椎间盘炎、脊椎炎、椎旁脓肿和硬膜外脓肿。中南大学湘雅医院于2023年2月收治1例微小小单胞菌腰椎间盘炎并椎管内硬膜外脓肿患者。患者为60岁男性，临床表现为腰痛伴左下肢麻木，MRI表现为脊椎炎、椎间盘炎、硬膜外脓肿。行脊柱病灶清除及减压融合术，手术标本培养为阴性，手术标本宏基因组二代测序(metagenomic next-generation sequencing，mNGS)检测结果为微小小单胞菌。术后静脉滴注利奈唑胺和哌拉西林1周，静脉滴注头孢他啶和口服甲硝唑2周，随后口服甲硝唑和奈诺沙星2周。在随访过程中，患者腰痛及左下肢麻木完全缓解。微小小单胞菌脊柱感染极为罕见，当培养结果呈阴性时，mNGS检测有助于最终明确诊断。.

BACKGROUND: The refractory and disabling nature of sensory disorders after stroke seriously affects patients\' daily lives and reduces hospital turnover. Acupuncture, as an alternative therapy, is commonly used in combination with rehabilitation training to improve sensory disorders. To compare the effects of different acupuncture-related treatments combined with rehabilitation training on sensory impairment and the daily living ability of patients with stroke, we conducted a network meta-analysis to provide evidence-based findings for clinical practice.
METHODS: Randomized controlled trials on the treatment of sensory disorders in patients with stroke were systematically retrieved from several databases, including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal(VIP), Wanfang Database, Chinese Biological Medical (CBM), PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Clinical trials. The retrieval period ranged from January 2012 to December 2023. Two independent reviewers screened the included literature, extracted the data, and assessed the risk quality using Cochrane Handbook 5.1.0 and ReviewManager 5.4.1. Stata16.0 software was employed for data analysis. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO: CRD42023389180.
RESULTS: After screening, 20 studies were included, involving a total of 1999 subjects. The network meta-analysis results indicate that, compared to standard rehabilitation, acupuncture plus massage plus rehabilitation showed the most significant reduction in Numbness Syndrome Scores (MD = -0.71(-1.11,-0.31)). Acupuncture combined with rehabilitation demonstrated the most substantial improvement in Sensory Impairment Scores (MD = -0.59,(-0.68,-0.51)) and daily living ability of patients (MD = 17.16,(12.20,22.12)).
CONCLUSIONS: In comparison to standard rehabilitation, the combination of acupuncture-related treatments and modern rehabilitation training not only improves the symptoms of sensory impairment and numbness after stroke but also enhances the daily living ability of patients, especially when acupuncture is combined with rehabilitation. However, further demonstration is required to strengthen these conclusions.

UNASSIGNED: To analyze the effectiveness of binocular loupe assisted mini-lateral and medial incisions in lateral position for the release of elbow stiffness.
UNASSIGNED: The clinical data of 16 patients with elbow stiffness treated with binocular loupe assisted mini-internal and external incisions in lateral position release between January 2021 and December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 9 males and 7 females, aged from 19 to 57 years, with a median age of 33.5 years. Etiologies included olecranon fracture in 6 cases, elbow dislocation in 4 cases, medial epicondyle fracture in 2 cases, radial head fracture in 4 cases, terrible triad of elbow joint in 2 cases, supracondylar fracture of humerus in 1 case, coronoid process fracture of ulna in 1 case, and humerus fracture in 1 case, with 5 cases presenting a combination of two etiologies. The duration of symptoms ranged from 5 to 60 months, with a median of 8 months. Preoperatively, 12 cases had concomitant ulnar nerve numbness, and 6 cases exhibited ectopic ossification. The preoperative range of motion for elbow flexion and extension was (58.63±22.30)°, the visual analogue scale (VAS) score was 4.3±1.6, and the Mayo score was 71.9±7.5. Incision lengths for both lateral and medial approaches were recorded, as well as the occurrence of complications. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using Mayo scores, VAS scores, and elbow range of motion both preoperatively and postoperatively.
UNASSIGNED: The lateral incision lengths for all patients ranged from 3.0 to 4.8 cm, with an average of 4.1 cm. The medial incision lengths ranged from 2.4 to 4.2 cm, with an average of 3.0 cm. The follow-up duration ranged from 6 to 19 months and a mean of 9.2 months. At last follow-up, 1 patient reported moderate elbow joint pain, and 3 cases exhibited residual mild ulnar nerve numbness. The other patients had no complications such as new heterotopic ossification and ulnar nerve paralysis, which hindered the movement of elbow joint. At last follow-up, the elbow range of motion was (130.44±9.75)°, the VAS score was 1.1±1.0, and the Mayo score was 99.1±3.8, which significantly improved when compared to the preoperative ones ( t=-12.418, P<0.001; t=6.419, P<0.001; t=-13.330, P<0.001).
UNASSIGNED: The binocular loupe assisted mini-lateral and medial incisions in lateral position integrated the advantages of traditional open and arthroscopic technique, which demonstrated satisfying safety and effectivity for the release of elbow contracture, but it is not indicated for patients with posterior medial heterolateral heterotopic ossification.
UNASSIGNED: 探讨侧卧位放大镜辅助下内外侧小切口手术松解肘关节僵硬的疗效。.
UNASSIGNED: 回顾分析2021年1月—2022年12月采用侧卧位放大镜辅助下内外侧小切口松解手术治疗的16例肘关节僵硬患者临床资料。其中男9例，女7例；年龄19～57岁，中位年龄33.5岁。病因：尺骨鹰嘴骨折6例，肘关节脱位4例，内上髁骨折2例，桡骨头骨折4例，肘关节恐怖三联征2例，肱骨髁上骨折1例，尺骨冠突骨折1例，肱骨骨折1例；其中5例患者合并2种病因。病程5～60个月，中位病程8个月。术前合并尺神经麻木症状12例，异位骨化6例。术前肘关节屈伸活动度为（58.63±22.30）°，疼痛视觉模拟评分（VAS）为（4.3±1.6）分，Mayo评分为（71.9±7.5）分。记录患者内、外侧切口长度；记录并发症发生情况，并采用手术前后患侧肘关节Mayo评分、VAS评分、肘关节屈伸活动度评价临床疗效。.
UNASSIGNED: 患者外侧切口长度为3.0～4.8 cm，平均4.1 cm；内侧切口长度为2.4～4.2 cm，平均3.0 cm。16例均获随访，随访时间6～19个月，平均9.2个月。末次随访时，1例患者存留轻微肘关节疼痛，3例残存轻微尺神经麻木症状。其余患者未发生影响肘关节活动的新发异位骨化、尺神经麻木等并发症。末次随访时，患者肘关节屈伸活动度为（130.44±9.75）°，VAS评分为（1.1±1.0）分，Mayo评分为（99.1±3.8）分，均较术前显著改善，差异有统计学意义（ t=−12.418， P<0.001； t=6.419， P<0.001； t=−13.330， P<0.001）。.
UNASSIGNED: 侧卧位放大镜辅助下内外侧小切口松解技术融合了传统开放技术和关节镜技术的优点，可微创、安全、有效地对肘关节僵硬患者完成松解手术，但该技术不适合严重异位骨化以及存在关节内畸形、游离体或骨赘的患者。.