Clinical validation of an artificial intelligence-enabled wound imaging mobile application in diabetic foot ulcers

There is a lifetime risk of 15% to 25% of development of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) in patients with diabetes mellitus. DFUs need to be followed up on and assessed for development of complications and/or resolution, which was traditionally performed using manual measurement. Our study aims to compare the intra- and inter-rater reliability of an artificial intelligence-enabled wound imaging mobile application (CARES4WOUNDS [C4W] system, Tetsuyu, Singapore) with traditional measurement. This is a prospective cross-sectional study on 28 patients with DFUs from June 2020 to January 2021. The main wound parameters assessed were length and width. For traditional manual measurement, area was calculated by overlaying traced wound on graphical paper. Intra- and inter-rater reliability was analysed using intra-class correlation statistics. A value of <0.5, 0.5–0.75, 0.75–0.9, and >0.9 indicates poor, moderate, good, and excellent reliability, respectively. Seventy-five wound episodes from 28 patients were collected and a total of 547 wound images were analysed in this study. The median wound area during the first clinic consultation and all wound episodes was 3.75 cm² (interquartile range [IQR] 1.40–16.50) and 3.10 cm² (IQR 0.60–14.84), respectively. There is excellent intra-rater reliability of C4W on three different image captures of the same wound (intra-rater reliability ranging 0.933–0.994). There is also excellent inter-rater reliability between three C4W devices for length (0.947), width (0.923), and area (0.965). Good inter-rater reliability for length, width, and area (range 0.825–0.934) was obtained between wound nurse measurement and each of the C4W devices. In conclusion, we obtained good inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of C4W measurements against traditional wound measurement. The C4W is a useful adjunct in monitoring DFU wound progress.     

经皮肾镜与输尿管软镜治疗肾下盏小鹿角形结石的比较

目的比较经皮肾镜（PCNL）与输尿管软镜（FURS）治疗肾下盏小鹿角形结石的安全性及有效性。 方法回顾性纳入并分析我院2017年4月至2019年4月43例肾下盏小鹿角形结石,其中PCNL治疗20例（PCNL组）,FURS治疗23例（FURS组）,比较两组手术时间、结石清除率、手术并发症和术后住院天数等。 结果43例均顺利完成手术,PCNL组的手术时间、术后住院天数均显著长于FURS组（P<0.05）;术后1~4 d PCNL组结石清除率85.0%,显著高于FURS组52.2%,术后4周及术后半年两组结石清除率差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）,但FURS组的二次干预率更高（P<0.05）;两组在术后发热、出血及石街形成等方面差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）,但PCNL组的血红蛋白丢失量及术后止痛药使用率更高（P<0.05）。 结论PCNL与FURS在治疗肾下盏小鹿角形结石均安全、有效,两者远期疗效相当,但FURS比PCNL创伤更小,术后恢复更快,值得临床推广。     

四磨汤口服液对脾虚便秘小鼠肠黏膜结构的影响

目的探讨四磨汤口服液对脾虚便秘小鼠肠黏膜结构损伤的修复作用。方法通过灌胃番泻叶水煎液7 d,控制饮食、饥饱失常8 d建立小鼠脾虚便秘模型,造模成功后,治疗组给予四磨汤口服液灌胃,治疗5 d,模型组和正常组给予等量无菌水灌胃,取肠道组织进行病理切片观察。结果四磨汤能修复损伤的空肠、回肠黏膜结构,减轻炎症细胞浸润,且能增加盲肠的杯状细胞数目。结论四磨汤口服液治疗脾虚便秘,其作用可能与修复小鼠肠黏膜结构相关。     

Management of Early Node‐Positive Breast Cancer in Australia: A Multicentre Study

To examine practice patterns for breast cancer patients with limited sentinel node (SN) disease in light of the ACOSOG Z0011 results. Retrospective analysis of patients with T1‐2 breast cancer and positive sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) admitted between January 2009 and December 2012. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and treatments were recorded. Eight hundred positive SLNBs were identified. A total of 452 (56.5%) proceeded to completion axillary lymph node dissection (cALND). cALND rate decreased from 65.1% to 49.7% from 2009–2010 to 2011–2012. cALND was performed for micrometastasis or isolated tumor cells in 39.3% in 2009–2010 and 22.2% in 2011–2012, whereas for macrometastases the rates were 83.1% and 68.6%, respectively. cALND rates diminished for both Z0011‐eligible and ‐ineligible patients. The ACOSOG Z0011 trial presentation and publication coincided with a reduction in cALND for breast cancer with limited nodal disease. There appears equipoise regarding management of macrometastatic SN disease.     

Breast Carcinoma in Young Women: No Evidence of Increasing Rates of Metastatic Breast Carcinoma in a Single Tertiary Center Review

Breast carcinoma in young women aged less than 40 years attracts a high level of mainstream media coverage, and there is a gap between societal perceptions of the disease as a growing problem and epidemiological trends. Several population studies have reported that the overall incidence of breast carcinoma in young women is stable, while one recent article suggested that the relative proportion of breast carcinoma in young women that is metastatic at diagnosis is growing. We sought to establish whether these trends were apparent at our institution. In this study, the clinical database at a breast carcinoma tertiary center was reviewed in terms of clinicopathologic data on patient age, diagnosis, clinical and pathologic stage, hormone receptor status, and HER‐2 overexpression status for the period 2000–2011. Over the study period, young patients represented a decreasing proportion of all breast carcinoma cases (10.8% [2000–2003] to 8.7% [2008–2011]; p < 0.0001) treated at our institution. Young patients were more likely than patients aged 40 years or older to present with metastatic (M1) disease (5.4% versus 4.4%; p = 0.009), to be triple negative (21.6% versus 13%; p < 0.001), or to be HER‐2 positive (24.3% versus 14.8%; p < 0.01). Young patients with HER‐2‐positive cancers were significantly more likely to present with metastatic disease (8.3% versus 4.8%; p = 0.004). This study showed no demonstrable increase in the relative proportion of breast cancer occurring in patients aged <40 years over the 12‐year period 2000–2011 and no increase in the proportion of young patients presenting with metastatic disease.