Background diseases and the number of previous intravitreal aflibercept injections on immediate intraocular pressure increase and vitreous reflux rate in phakic eyes

●AIM:To evaluate the effect of background diseases and number of previous intravitreal aflibercept injections(IVAIs)on immediate intraocular pressure(IOP)increase and vitreous reflux(VR)rate and to evaluate the correlation of both age and axial length with immediate IOP increase and VR rate.●METHODS:This study included 105 patients with cystoid macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion,35 patients with diabetic macular edema,69 patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration(nAMD),and 12 patients with myopic choroidal neovascularization,which underwent first-time IVAI.The correlation of immediate IOP increase and VR rates with the four background diseases was investigated.Moreover,the correlation of age with immediate IOP increase and VR rate as well as correlation of axial length with immediate IOP increase and VR rate were evaluated.Further,54 patients with nAMD were treated with IVAI>10 times(multiple IVAIs).Moreover,the correlation of immediate IOP increase and VR rates with first-time and multiple IVAIs in nAMD was determined.●RESULTS:The immediate IOP increase(P=0.16)and VR rates(P=0.50)were almost similar among the four background diseases.The immediate postinjection IOP and age,VR rate and age,immediate postinjection IOP and axial length,or VR rate and axial length were not correlated in the four background diseases.The immediate IOP increase(P=0.66)and VR rates(P=0.28)did not significantly differ between first-time and multiple IVAIs in nAMD.●CONCLUSION:Background diseases and number of previous IVAIs have no effect on immediate IOP increase and VR rate.Further,age and axial length have no correlation on immediate IOP increase and VR rate.

Prolonged hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy duration with 90 minutes cisplatin might increase overall survival in gastric cancer patients with peritoneal metastases

BACKGROUND Advanced gastric cancer with synchronous peritoneal metastases(GC-PM)is associated with a poor prognosis.Although cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy(CRS-HIPEC)is a promising approach,only a limited number of Western studies exist.AIM To investigate the clinicopathological outcomes of patients who underwent CRSHIPEC for GC-PM.METHODS A retrospective analysis of patients with GC-PM was conducted.All patients were seen at the Department of General and Visceral Surgery,Hospital Barmherzige Brüder,Regensburg,Germany between January 2011 and July 2021 and underwent CRS-HIPEC.Preoperative laboratory results,the use of neoadjuvant trastuzumab,and the details of CRS-HIPEC,including peritoneal carcinomatosis index,completeness of cytoreduction,and surgical procedures were recorded.Disease-specific(DSS),and overall survival(OS)of patients were calculated.RESULTS A total of 73 patients were included in the study.Patients treated with neoadjuvant trastuzumab(n=5)showed longer DSS(P=0.0482).Higher white blood cell counts(DSS:P=0.0433)and carcinoembryonic antigen levels(OS and DSS:P<0.01),and lower hemoglobin(OS and DSS:P<0.05)and serum total protein(OS:P=0.0368)levels were associated with shorter survival.Longer HIPEC duration was associated with more advantageous median survival times[60-min(n=59):12.86 mo;90-min(n=14):27.30 mo],but without statistical difference.To obtain additional data from this observation,further separation of the study population was performed.First,propensity score-matched patient pairs(n=14 in each group)were created.Statistically different DSS was found between patient pairs(hazard ratio=0.2843;95%confidence interval:0.1119-0.7222;P=0.0082).Second,those patients who were treated with trastuzumab and/or had human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positivity(median survival:12.68 mo vs 24.02 mo),or had to undergo the procedure before 2016(median survival:12.68 mo vs 27.30 mo;P=0.0493)were removed from the original study population.CONCLUSION Based on our experience,CRS-HIPEC is a safe and secure method to improve the survival of advanced GC-PM patients.Prolonged HIPEC duration may serve as a good therapy for these patients.

Intralesional corticosteroid injections for infantile hemangioma

Infantile hemangiomas(IHs) are the most common benign soft-tissue tumors in infancy;about 10%–15% of them may result in various complications that require active management. The current first-line treatment for IH is oral propranolol;however, some studies recommend intralesional corticosteroid injections for small, limited, deep, or prominent tumors because of concern regarding serious systemic complications related to propranolol. This review summarizes and analyzes the current clinical studies on corticosteroid injections in IHs, discusses treatment norms, and explores future research directions.

Effects of the Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome with Surgery and Injections on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)

Background: The prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and of anxiety and depression in primary care practice are high. Different studies had shown an increased prevalence of anxiety and depression in CTS patients. Nevertheless, few papers had been published studying the anxiety and depression scales in the treatment of CTS, either with corticosteroid injections (I) or with surgical decompression (S). Objective: To assess whether clinical improvement observed after the treatment of CTS either with I or with S correlates with an improvement in the punctuations of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scales (HADS), at 3, 6 and 12-month follow-up. Methods: Randomized and open-label clinical trial, comparing I and S. Patients with symptoms suggestive of CTS (nocturnal paraesthesias) of at least 3 months duration and neurophysiological confirmation were included. Patients with clinically apparent motor impairment were excluded. The subjective evaluation of symptoms was carried out using the visual-analogue scale of pain (VAS-p). Clinical reviews were performed 3, 6 and 12 months after treatment. Each patient completed the HADS questionnaire and a VAS-p at 0, 3, 6, and 12 months. Statistical significance was established using the Student’s t test and the Mann-Whitney U test when necessary. A linear regression analysis was used to know the effect of the treatment adjusted for the initial score of both scales. Results: 65 patients were included (30 in group I and 35 in group S). There was no statistical difference between both groups in terms of age, gender distribution, disease duration, VAS-p, neurophysiological testing severity of CTS or the 8 subscales of HADS. Both groups improved significantly in relation to the baseline VAS-p values, in the reviews at 3, 6 and 12 months, with no significant differences between I and S. At 6 months, the reduction in the anxiety scale was around 3 points for both treatments (S = 3.6 and I = 3.2), without reaching significant differences. At 12 months, it was somewhat higher for those treated with I, but always around 3 points and without significant differences. The Depression scale score was slightly reduced at 6 months, and in a similar way for both groups (I = 1 and S = 1.19;p = 0.8). After 12 months, group I doubled the previous reduction, with group S experiencing a very slight change (I = 1.96 and S = 1.03;p = 0.3). When analysing the effect of group S on group I, the result was a reduction of 0.25 points for Anxiety (p = 0.7) and of 0.02 points for Depression (p = 0.9). Conclusions: Treatment of CTS with I or S results in a similar and discrete improvement in Anxiety scores on the HADS scale at 6 and 12 months. For both types of treatment, the Depression scores barely changed at 6 months, being somewhat higher in group I after 12-month follow-up. The independent effect of the S on both scales is small and not significant.

Posterior pedicle screw fixation combined with local steroid injections for treating axial eosinophilic granulomas and atlantoaxial dislocation:A case report

BACKGROUND Eosinophilic granuloma(EG)is a proliferative condition that affects the cells of bone tissue.There are no specific clinical signs or imaging manifestations in the early stages of the disease,making it simple to overlook and misdiagnose.Because of the disease's rarity,there is presently no standardized treatment principle.There are few accounts of such occurrences affecting the axis among children.We discovered a case of a child whose EG resulted in atlantoaxial joint dislocation and destruction of the axial bone.CASE SUMMARY After having pharyngeal discomfort for more than six months without a clear explanation,a 6-year-old boy was brought to our hospital.Following a careful evaluation,the pathology indicated a strong likelihood of an axial EG.Ultimately,we decided to treat the boy with posterior pedicle screw fixation and local steroid injections.CONCLUSION EGs of the upper cervical spine are quite uncommon in children,and they are exceedingly easy to overlook or misdiagnose.Posterior pedicle screw fixation and local steroid injections are effective treatments for patients with axial EGs affecting the atlantoaxial junction.

Injections Attacks Efficient and Secure Techniques Based on Bidirectional Long Short Time Memory Model

E-commerce,online ticketing,online banking,and other web-based applications that handle sensitive data,such as passwords,payment information,and financial information,are widely used.Various web developers may have varying levels of understanding when it comes to securing an online application.Structured Query language SQL injection and cross-site scripting are the two vulnerabilities defined by the OpenWeb Application Security Project(OWASP)for its 2017 Top Ten List Cross Site Scripting(XSS).An attacker can exploit these two flaws and launch malicious web-based actions as a result of these flaws.Many published articles focused on these attacks’binary classification.This article described a novel deep-learning approach for detecting SQL injection and XSS attacks.The datasets for SQL injection and XSS payloads are combined into a single dataset.The dataset is labeledmanually into three labels,each representing a kind of attack.This work implements some pre-processing algorithms,including Porter stemming,one-hot encoding,and the word-embedding method to convert a word’s text into a vector.Our model used bidirectional long short-term memory(BiLSTM)to extract features automatically,train,and test the payload dataset.The payloads were classified into three types by BiLSTM:XSS,SQL injection attacks,and normal.The outcomes demonstrated excellent performance in classifying payloads into XSS attacks,injection attacks,and non-malicious payloads.BiLSTM’s high performance was demonstrated by its accuracy of 99.26%.

Iridociliary Body Metastasis of Atypical Carcinoid: Case Management with Intravitreal Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Injections

We report a rare case involving a 52-year-old female diagnosed with an atypical bronchial carcinoid tumor with metastases to the mediastinum, hilar lymph nodes, breast, and pancreas. In additional, the patient had metastases to the iris and ciliary body, resulting in progressive vision loss in her left eye. Treatment was successful by intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor.

A randomized clinical trial assessing the efficacy of single and multiple intralesional collagenase injections for treating contracted scars

Background:Scar contractions caused by trauma or burns can cause secondary physical dysfunction and disfigurement.Many minimally invasive methods for scar contraction have shown limited applicability and efficacy.This study investigated the feasibility and efficacy of intralesional collagenase injections for scar contraction treatment.Methods:Patients with contracted scars who had limited joint movement and physical disfiguration for>1 year were enrolled in this single-blind,randomized clinical trial from July 2017 to February 2018 at Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital.Collagenase was injected into the firm-contracted scar(15 U/cm^(2))three times at 4-week intervals in the multiple treatment group and once in the single treatment group,and a placebo injection was performed in the control group.Scar length and skin texture were documented at the 4-and 12-week follow-ups.The safety of the collagenase treatment was also evaluated.Results:The contracted scar was significantly elongated after both single and multiple collagenase treatments.The results showed that,compared to a one-time treatment,repeated injections were more effective at 12 weeks,with an average improvement of 26.83(15.79%).At 12 weeks,78.9% of the patients in the multiple group and 52.9%in the single group achieved significant improvement at 12 weeks.No severe adverse events were observed.Conclusion:Intralesional collagenase injection showed promising results in improving scar contraction and provides an alternative treatment for patients.

Comparison of different noble gas injections by massive gas injection on plasma disruption mitigation on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak

Massive gas injection(MGI)is a traditional plasma disruption mitigation method.This method directly injected massive gas into the pre-disruption plasma and had been developed on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST).Different noble gas injection experiments,including He,Ne,and Ar,were performed to compare the mitigation effect of plasma disruption by evaluating the key parameters such as flight time,pre-thermal quench(pre-TQ),and current quench(CQ).The flight time was shorter for low atomic number(Z)gas,and the decrease in flight time by increasing the amount of gas was insignificant.However,both pre-TQ and CQ durations decreased considerably with the increase in gas injection amount.The effect of atomic mass on pre-TQ and CQ durations showed the opposite trend.The observed trend could help in controlling CQ duration in a reasonable area.Moreover,the analysis of radiation distribution with different impurity injections indicated that low Z impurity could reduce the asymmetry of radiation,which is valuable in mitigating plasma disruption.These results provided essential data support for plasma disruption mitigation on EAST and future fusion devices.

Archival Examination of the Change in Packaging Materials of Chemical Injections

Based on the deepening awareness of the risk of changing packaging materials of injections,the national regulatory authorities and the China National Pharmaceutical Packaging Association have issued the relevant guidelines and group standards for changing packaging materials in recent years,greatly improving the research and development and technical requirements of packaging materials of injections.In 2021,Guangdong Province carried out the archival examination of the change of listed drugs,among which the proportion of the acceptance of changed injection packaging materials has increased year by year.On the basis of sorting out the archival examination work and combining with the cases of changing packaging materials of chemical injections accepted by Guangdong Province during 2021-2022,the requirements and problems of archival examination were analyzed and discussed to provide a reference and idea for applicants when studying the change in packaging materials.

Accuracy of shoulder joint injections with ultrasound guidance:Confirmed by magnetic resonance arthrography

BACKGROUND Intra-articular glenohumeral joint injections are essential procedures for treating various shoulder disorders. Fluoroscopy-guided injections have been extensively used;however, they pose a risk of radiation exposure and are expensive and timeconsuming. Recently, it has been suggested that ultrasound-guided injections are accurate and cost effective procedures.AIM To evaluate the accuracy of ultrasound-guided glenohumeral injections using a posterior approach that is confirmed using magnetic resonance arthrography(MRA).METHODS The study included 179 shoulders of patients with recurrent anterior instability(150 patients;103 and 76 right and left shoulders, respectively;160 males and 19 females;average age = 20.5 years;age range: 14-63 years) who underwent MRA for preoperative diagnosis. They were injected with 12 m L lidocaine(1%) using the ultrasound-guided posterior approach and then underwent magnetic resonance imaging. Two shoulder surgeons, except for the injector, evaluated the transverse relaxation(T2)-weighted images of axial planes and classified the intraarticular condition of injected contrast into three groups based on one of the three following scenarios: no leakage, injection into the glenohumeral joint without leakage;minor leakage, practical intra-articular injection with some leakage outside the posterior rotator cuffs;and major leakage, inaccurate injection with mass leakage without any contrast into the joint. The inter-rater reliability between two assessors was also evaluated by calculating Cohen’s kappa coefficient. The learning curve was assessed regarding the inaccurate injection rate by analyzing Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient.RESULTS Of the 179 injections, 163 shoulders(91.0%) had no leakage, 10 shoulders(5.6%) had minor leakage, and six shoulders(3.4%) had major leakage. In total, 173 shoulders(96.6%) were intraarticularly injected;thus, we could detect anterior labrum and capsular pathologies. Regarding the inter-rater reliability, the kappa coefficient was 0.925, indicating consistency in the evaluations by both examiners. Regression analysis of the inaccurate injection rate for assessingtechnical learning showed a logarithmic curve with a downward trend(R;= 0.887, P < 0.001). Three(50%) of the six inaccurate injections classified into “major leakage” were observed in the first 30 injections, indicating that the accurate injection showed a leaning effect.CONCLUSION Ultrasound-guided intra-articular glenohumeral injections using a posterior approach had high accuracy;however, injection accuracy depends on clinical experience.

Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in treatment of gastric cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis

Although gastric cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis is associated with poor prognosis and is generally treated with palliative systemic therapy, recent studies have shown that cytoreductive surgery（CRS） and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy（HIPEC） may prove to be an efficacious treatment option. In addition to reviewing the natural history of gastric cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis, this mini-review examines literature on the efficacy of CRS and HIPEC as compared to chemotherapy and surgical options. Both randomized and nonrandomized studies were summarized with the emphasis focused on overall survival. In summary, CRS and HIPEC are indeed a promising treatment option for gastric cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis and large randomized clinical trials are warranted.

Intraarticular injections(corticosteroid, hyaluronic acid, platelet rich plasma) for the knee osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis(OA)is a complex"whole joint"disease pursued by inflammatory mediators,rather than purely a process of"wear and tear".Besides cartilage degradation,synovitis,subchondral bone remodeling,degeneration of ligaments and menisci,and hypertrophy of the joint capsule take parts in the pathogenesis.Pain is the hallmark symptom of OA,but the extent to which structural pathology in OA contributes to the pain experience is still not well known.For the knee OA,intraarticular(IA)injection(corticosteroids,viscosupplements,blood-derived products)is preferred as the last nonoperative modality,if the other conservative treatment modalities are ineffective.IA corticosteroid injections provide short term reduction in OA pain and can be considered as an adjunct to core treatment for the relief of moderate to severe pain in people with OA.IA hyaluronic acid(HA)injections might have efficacy and might provide pain reduction in mild OA of knee up to 24 wk.But for HA injections,the costeffectiveness is an important concern that patients must be informed about the efficacy of these preparations.Although more high-quality evidence is needed,recent studies indicate that IA platelet rich plasma injections are promising for relieving pain,improving knee function and quality of life,especially in younger patients,and in mild OA cases.The current literature and our experience indicate that IA injections are safe and have positive effects for patient satisfaction.But,there is no data that any of the IA injections will cause osteophytes to regress or cartilage and meniscus to regenerate in patients with substantial and irreversible bone and cartilage damage.

“En bloc ” caudate lobe and inferior vena cava resection following cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for peritoneal and liver metastasis of colorectal cancer

There are diverse protocols to manage patients with recurrent disease after primary cytoreductive surgery(CRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy(HIPEC) for peritoneal carcinomatosis. We describe a case of metachronous liver metastasis after CRS and HIPEC for colorectal cancer, successfully treated with a selective metastectomy and partial graft of the inferior vena cava. A 35-year-old female presented with a large tumour in the cecum and consequent colonic stenosis. After an emergency right colectomy, the patient received adjuvant chemotherapy. One year later she was diagnosed with peritoneal carcinomatosis, and it was decided to carry out a CRS/HIPEC. After 2 years of total remission, an isolated metachronous liver metastasis was detected by magnetic resonance imaging surveillance. The patient underwent a third procedure including a caudate lobe and partial inferior vena cava resection with a prosthetic graft interposition, achieving an R0 situation. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 17 after the liver resection. At 18-mo follow-up after the liver resection the patient remained free of recurrence. In selected patients, the option of re-operation due to recurrent disease should be discussed. Even liver resection of a metachronous metastasis and an extended vascular resection are acceptable after CRS/HIPEC and can be considered as a potential treatment option to remove all macroscopic lesions.

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for gastric cancer with peritoneal metastasis:A multicenter propensity scorematched cohort study

Objective:Systemic chemotherapy has limited efficacy in the treatment of peritoneal metastasis(PM)in gastric cancer(GC).Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy(HIPEC)combined with complete cytoreductive surgery(CRS)has shown promising outcomes but remains controversial.The present study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of HIPEC without CRS in GC patients with PM.Methods:This retrospective propensity score-matched multicenter cohort study included GC patients with PM treated with either chemotherapy alone(Cx group)or with HIPEC combined with chemotherapy(HIPEC-Cx group)in four Chinese high-volume gastric medical centers between 2010 and 2017.The primary outcomes were median survival time(MST)and 3-year overall survival(OS).Propensity score matching was performed to compensate for controlling potential confounding effects and selection bias.Results:Of 663 eligible patients,498 were matched.The MST in the Cx and HIPEC-Cx groups was 10.8 and 15.9 months,respectively[hazard ratio(HR)=0.71,95%confidence interval(95%CI),0.58-0.88;P=0.002].The 3-year OS rate was 10.1%(95%CI,5.4%-14.8%)and 18.4%(95%CI,12.3%-24.5%)in the Cx and HIPEC-Cx groups,respectively(P=0.017).The complication rates were comparable.The time to first flatus and length of hospital stay for patients undergoing HIPEC combined with chemotherapy was longer than that of chemotherapy alone(4.6±2.4 d vs.2.7±1.8 d,P<0.001;14.2±5.8 d vs.11.4±7.7 d,P<0.001),respectively.The median follow-up period was 33.2 months.Conclusions:Compared with standard systemic chemotherapy,HIPEC combined with chemotherapy revealed a statistically significant survival benefit for GC patients with PM,without compromising patient safety.

Role of prophylactic hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer

BACKGROUND Gastric cancer is the second most common malignant tumor in China,ranking third among all malignant tumor mortality rates.Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy(HIPEC)has been shown to increase significantly the effectiveness of intraperitoneal chemotherapeutic drugs,prolong the action time of these drugs on intraperitoneal tumor cells,and enhance their diffusion in tumor tissues.HIPEC may be one of the best choices for the eradication of residual cancer cells in the abdominal cavity.AIM The aim of this study was to study the role of preventive HIPEC after radical gastrectomy.METHODS A prospective analysis was performed with patients with c T4 N0-3 M0 gastric cancer to compare the effects of postoperative prophylactic HIPEC plus intravenous chemotherapy with those of routine adjuvant chemotherapy.Patients’medical records were analyzed,and differences in the peritoneal recurrence rate,diseasefree survival time,and total survival time between groups were examined.RESULTS The first site of tumor recurrence was the peritoneum in 11 cases in the conventional adjuvant chemotherapy group and in 2 cases in the HIPEC group(P=0.020).The 1-year and 3-year disease-free survival rates were 91.9%and 60.4%,respectively,in the conventional adjuvant chemotherapy group and 92.1%and 63.0%,respectively,in the HIPEC group.The 1-year and 3-year overall survival rates were 95.2%and 66.3%,respectively,in the conventional adjuvant chemotherapy group and 96.1%and 68.6%,respectively,in the HIPEC group.No significant difference in postoperative or chemotherapy complications was observed between groups.CONCLUSION In patients with c T4 N0-3 M0 gastric cancer,prophylactic HIPEC after radical tumor surgery is beneficial to reduce peritoneal tumor recurrence and prolong survival.

Elemene-containing hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy combined with chemotherapy for elderly patients with peritoneal metastatic advanced gastric cancer

BACKGROUND Almost all elderly patients with peritoneal metastatic gastric cancer(PGC)are unlikely to tolerate cytoreductive surgery combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy(HIPEC)and adjuvant chemotherapy.However,determining how to optimize the treatment strategy for such patients has always been a clinical problem.Both HIPEC and palliative adjuvant chemotherapy can benefit patients with PGC.Therefore,optimizing HIPEC and chemotherapy regimens has potential clinical value in reducing side effects,and improving treatment tolerance and clinical effectiveness.AIM To explore the effect of HIPEC containing elemene,which is an anti-cancer component extracted in traditional Chinese herbal medicine,combined with reduced capecitabine and oxaliplatin(CapeOx)chemotherapy regimens,in elderly patients with PGC.METHODS In the present study,39 of 52 elderly PGC patients were included and assigned to different HIPEC treatment groups[lobaplatin group(group L)and mixed group(group M)]for analysis.Lobaplatin was used for all three HIPECs in group L.In group M,lobaplatin was used in the middle of the three HIPECs,and elemene was used for the first and third HIPEC.After HIPEC,patients received CapeOx chemotherapy.The incidence of complications(abdominal infection,lung infection,and urinary tract infection),myelosuppression,immune function(CD4/CD8 ratio),average length of hospital stay,and prognosis were compared between these two groups.RESULTS There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups during hospitalization(P>0.05).Compared to patients in group M,patients in group L exhibited severe myelosuppression(P=0.027)and increased length of hospital stay(P=0.045).However,no overall survival benefit was observed in group M.Furthermore,the immune function of patients in group M was less affected(P<0.001),when compared to that of patients in group L.The multivariate analysis suggested that the cycles of chemotherapy after perfusion significantly affected the prognosis of patients in both groups.CONCLUSION Compared to the lobaplatin-based HIPEC regimen,the administration of elemene reduced the myelosuppression incidence in elderly PGC patients.The present study sheds light on the implementation of this therapeutic strategy for this set of patients.

Comparison of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy regimens for treatment of peritoneal-metastasized colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND Cytoreductive surgery(CRS)in combination with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy(HIPEC)improves patient survival in colorectal cancer(CRC)with peritoneal carcinomatosis(PC).Commonly used cytotoxic agents include mitomycin C(MMC)and oxaliplatin.Studies have reported varying results,and the evidence for the choice of the HIPEC agent and uniform procedure protocols is limited.AIM To evaluate therapeutic benefits and complications of CRS+MMC vs oxaliplatin HIPEC in patients with peritoneal metastasized CRC as well as prognostic factors.METHODS One hundred and two consecutive patients who had undergone CRS and HIPEC for CRC PC between 2007 and 2019 at the Medical Center of the University Freiburg regarding interdisciplinary cancer conference decision were retrospectively analysed.Oxaliplatin and MMC were used in 68 and 34 patients,respectively.Each patient’s demographics and tumour characteristics,operative details,postoperative complications and survival were noted.Complications were stratified and graded using Clavien/Dindo analysis.Prognostic outcome factors were identified using univariate and multivariate analysis of survival.RESULTS The two groups did not differ significantly regarding baseline characteristics.We found no difference in median overall survival between MMC and oxaliplatin HIPEC.Regarding postoperative complications,patients treated with oxaliplatin HIPEC suffered increased complications(66.2%vs 35.3%;P=0.003),particularly intestinal atony,intraabdominal infections and urinary tract infection,and had a prolonged intensive care unit stay compared to the MMC group(7.2 d vs 4.4 d;P=0.035).Regarding univariate analysis of survival,we found primary tumour factors,nodal positivity and resection margins to be of prognostic value as well as peritoneal cancer index(PCI)-score and the completeness of cytoreduction regarding peritoneal carcinomatosis.Multivariate analysis of survival confirmed primary distant metastasis and primary tumour resection status to have a significant impact on survival and likewise peritoneal cancer index-scoring regarding peritoneal carcinomatosis.CONCLUSION In this single-institution retrospective review of patients undergoing CRS with either oxaliplatin or MMC HIPEC,overall survival was not different,though oxaliplatin was associated with a higher postoperative complication rate,indicating treatment favourably with MMC.Further studies comparing HIPEC regimens would improve evidence-based decision-making.

Effect of different lens status on intraocular pressure elevation in patients treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injections

AIM: To assess the effect of lens status on sustained intraocular pressure(IOP) elevation in patients treated intravitreally with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) agents. METHODS: Data were retrospectively collected for all patients treated with intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF medication at a tertiary medical center in July 2015. Findings were analyzed by lens status during 6 months' follow-up. The main outcome measure was a sustained increase in IOP(≥21 mm Hg or change of ≥6 mm Hg from baseline on ≥2 consecutive visits, or addition of a new IOPlowering medication during follow-up). RESULTS: A total of 119 eyes of 100 patients met the study criteria: 40 phakic, 40 pseudophakic, and 39 pseudophakic after Nd:YAG capsulotomy. The rate of sustained IOP elevation was significantly higher in the postcapsulotomy group(23.1%) than in the phakic/pseudophakic groups(8.1%;P=0.032), with no statistically significant differences among the 3 groups in mean number of injections, either total(P=0.82) or by type of anti-VEGF mediation(bevacizumab: P=0.19;ranibizumab: P=0.13), or mean follow-up time(P=0.70). CONCLUSION: Nd:YAG capsulotomy appears to be a risk factor for sustained IOP elevation in patients receiving intravitreal anti-VEGF injections. This finding has important implications given the growing use of anti-VEGF treatment and the irreversible effects of elevated IOP.