Predictors of outcomes of endoscopic balloon dilatation in strictures after esophageal atresia repair: A retrospective study

BACKGROUND Endoscopic balloon dilatation (EBD) has become the first line of therapy for benign esophageal strictures (ESs);however,there are few publications about the predictive factors for the outcomes of this treatment.AIM To assess the predictive factors for the outcomes of EBD treatment for strictures after esophageal atresia (EA) repair.METHODS Children with anastomotic ES after thoracoscopic esophageal atresia repair treated by EBD from January 2012 to December 2016 were included.All procedures were performed under tracheal intubation and intravenous anesthesia using a three-grade controlled radial expansion balloon with gastroscopy.Outcomes were recorded and predictors of the outcomes were analyzed.RESULTS A total of 64 patients were included in this analysis.The rates of response,complications,and recurrence were 96.77%,8.06%,and 2.33%,respectively.The number of dilatation sessions and complications were significantly higher in patients with a smaller stricture diameter (P=0.013 and 0.023,respectively) and with more than one stricture (P=0.014 and 0.004,respectively).The length of the stricture was significantly associated with complications of EBD (P=0.001).A longer interval between surgery and the first dilatation was related to more sessions and a poorer response (P=0.017 and 0.024,respectively).CONCLUSION The diameter,length,and number of strictures are the most important predictive factors for the clinical outcomes of endoscopic balloon dilatation in pediatric ES.The interval between surgery and the first EBD is another factor affectingresponse and the number of sessions of dilatation.

Awareness of Age-related Macular Degeneration and Its Ris Factors among Beijing Residents in China

Background： Age-related macular degeneration （AMD） is a major cause of irreversible blindness, and awareness of this disease is important in the prevention of blindness. However, lack of public awareness of AMD was sbown in previous studies, and there was no report of AMD awareness in the Mainland of China. Therefore, the aim of our study was to assess the awareness of AMD and its risk factors among Beijing residents in China. Methods： A cross-sectional, computer-assisted, telephone investigation was conducted to measure the awareness of AMD among Beijing residents. All the contacts of potential respondents were randomly generated by computer. Only those above 18 years of age and willing to participate in the study were included. The questionnaire for the study was moditied from the AMD Alliance International Global Report. Pearson＇s Chi-square test and binary logistic regression analysis were used to identify the factors that affected the knowledge of AMD. Results： Among 385 Beijing residents who agreed to participale, the awareness of AMD was 6.8%, far below than that of cataract and glaucoma. Participants who were above 30 years of age （odds ratio [OR] 6.17, confidence interval [el] 1.44-26.57）, with experience of health-related work （OR 8.11, CI3.25-20.27）, and whose relatives/friends or themselves suffering from AMD （OR 32.18, CI11.29-91.68） had better AMD awareness. Among those familiar with AMD, only 35% of them identified smoking as a risk factor, and only 23.1% of the residents believed that smoking could lead to blindness. Conclusions： The sample of Chinese population had limited knowledge of AMD. Educational programs need to be carried out to raise public awareness of AMD.

5G evolution promoting innovation of antenna systems

We introduce the basic concept,background,and development of mobile communication systems from the first generation(1G)to the fifth generation(5G)including their antenna systems.We also describe the requirements for 5G networking and optimization of antenna systems,and present the basic principle of three-dimensional array antennas.Weight optimization methods of massive multiple-input multiple-output(MIMO)antennas are proposed and verified.Finally,several ideas are given to solve the problem of power consumption of 5G antenna systems.