BACKGROUND: Controversies exist regarding the biopsy technique of choice for the accurate diagnosis of soft-tissue sarcoma (STS). The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of core needle biopsy (CNB) versus incisional biopsy (IB) in STS with reference to the final histopathological result. METHODS: Studies regarding the diagnostic accuracy of CNB and IB in detecting STS were searched systematically in the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases. Estimates of sensitivity and specificity with associated 95% CIs for diagnostic accuracy were calculated. The risk of bias was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies version 2 (QUADAS-2). RESULTS: A total of 17 studies comprising 2680 patients who underwent 1582 CNBs and 241 IBs with subsequent tumor resection met the inclusion criteria. The sensitivity and specificity of CNB and IB to detect the dignity of lesions were 97% (95% CI, 95%-98%) and 99% (95% CI, 97%-99%), respectively, and 96% (95% CI, 92%-99%) and 100% (95% CI, 94%-100%), respectively. Estimates of the sensitivity and specificity of CNB and IB to detect the STS histotype were 88% (95% CI, 86%-90%) and 77% (95% CI, 72%-81%), respectively, and 93% (95% CI, 87%-97%) and 65% (95% CI, 49%-78%), respectively. Patients who underwent CNB had a significantly reduced risk of complications compared with patients who underwent IB (risk ratio, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.03-0.56 [P ≤ .01). Quality assessment of studies revealed a high risk of bias. CONCLUSIONS: CNB has high accuracy in diagnosing the dignity of lesions and STS histotype in patients with suspected STS with fewer complications compared with IB. Therefore, CNB should be regarded as the primary biopsy technique.

The data demonstrate a positive transfer of motor skills between laparoscopic appendectomy and cholecystectomy on the virtual reality simulator; however, the transfer of cognitive skills is limited. Separate training curricula seem to be necessary for each procedure for trainees to practise task-specific cognitive skills effectively. Mentoring could help trainees to get a deeper understanding of the procedures, thereby increasing the chance for the transfer of acquired skills.

The present study aimed to explore the value of intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) in differentiating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). This study included 65 patients with malignant hepatic nodules (55 with HCC, 10 with ICC), and 17 control patients with normal livers. All patients underwent IVIM-DWI scans on a 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. The standard apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), pure diffusion coefficient (D slow), pseudo-diffusion coefficient (D fast), and perfusion fraction (f) were obtained. Differences in the parameters among the groups were analysed using one-way ANOVA, with p < 0.05 indicating statistical significance. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to compare the efficacy of each parameter in differentiating HCC from ICC. ADC, D slow , D fast , f significantly differed among the three groups. ADC and D slow were significantly lower in the HCC group than in the ICC group, while D fast was significantly higher in the HCC group than in the ICC group; f did not significantly differ between the HCC and ICC groups. When the cutoff values of ADC, D slow , and D fast were 1.27 × 10 −3 mm 2 /s, 0.81 × 10 −3 mm 2 /s, and 26.04 × 10 −3 mm 2 /s, respectively, their diagnostic sensitivities for differentiating HCC from ICC were 98.18%, 58.18%, and 94.55%, their diagnostic specificities were 50.00%, 80.00%, and 80.00%, and their areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) were 0.687, 0.721, and 0.896, respectively. D fast displayed the largest AUC value. IVIM-DWI can be used to differentiate HCC from ICC.

Our data reveals that phone call distractions result in impaired laparoscopic performance under certain circumstances. To ensure patient safety, phone calls should be avoided as far as possible in operating rooms.

BackgroundNoninvasive evaluation of the expression of angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and transketolase (TKT) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is of great significance for the clinical development of individualized treatment plans. However, the correlation between intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) and the expression of Ang-2 and TKT has not been reported. We sought to investigate the correlations between IVIM-DWI parameters and Ang-2 and TKT expression levels in HCCs.MethodsConventional non-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and IVIM-DWI and dynamic contrast MRI were performed for 61 patients with HCC before surgical treatment. Various IVIM-DWI parameters, such as apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), slow apparent diffusion coefficient (D), fast apparent diffusion coefficient (D*) and fraction of fast apparent diffusion coefficient (f), were calculated using Function-MADC software. Expression levels of Ang-2 and TKT in HCC were detected via immunohistochemical staining and classified into two grades. Independent sample t tests were used to compare differences in parameters between the two groups. The Spearman rank correlation test was used to analyze the correlations between IVIM-DWI parameters and Ang-2 and TKT expression levels in HCCs.ResultsThe D* and f values were significantly higher in the high Ang-2 group than in the low Ang-2 group; there were no obvious between-group differences in ADC and D. Ang-2 expression was positively correlated with D* and f but not with ADC and D. The ADC and D values were significantly lower in the high TKT group than in the low TKT group, whereas the between-group differences for D* and f were not significant. TKT expression was negatively correlated with ADC and D but not with D* and f.ConclusionsIVIM-DWI can be used to evaluate Ang-2 and TKT expression in HCC.

The present study aimed to investigate the value of intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) in the preoperative prediction of the histologic differentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Seventy HCC patients were scanned with a 3.0 T magnetic resonance scanner. The values of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), slow apparent diffusion coefficient (D), fast apparent diffusion coefficient (D*), and the fraction of the fast apparent diffusion coefficient (f) were measured. Analysis of variance was used to compare the differences in parameters between groups with different degrees of histologic differentiation. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyse the efficacy of IVIM-DWI parameters for predicting the histologic differentiation of HCC. The ADC and D values for well, moderately and poorly differentiated HCC were 1.35 ± 0.17 × 10−3 mm2/s, 1.16 ± 0.17 × 10−3 mm2/s, 0.98 ± 0.21 × 10−3 mm2/s, and 1.06 ± 0.15 × 10−3 mm2/s, 0.88 ± 0.16 × 10−3 mm2/s, 0.76 ± 0.18 × 10−3 mm2/s, respectively, and all differences were significant. The D* and f values of the three groups were 32.87 ± 14.70 × 10−3 mm2/s, 41.68 ± 17.90 × 10−3 mm2/s, 34.54 ± 18.60 × 10−3 mm2/s and 0.22 ± 0.07, 0.23 ± 0.08, 0.18 ± 0.07, respectively, with no significant difference. When the cut-off values of ADC and D were 1.25 × 10−3 mm2/s and 0.97 × 10−3 mm2/s, respectively, their diagnostic sensitivities and specificities for distinguishing well differentiated HCC from moderately differentiated and poorly differentiated HCC were 73.3%, 85.5%, 86.7%, and 78.2%, and their areas under the ROC curve were 0.821 and 0.841, respectively. ADC and D values can be used preoperatively to predict the degree of histologic differentiation in HCC, and the D value has better diagnostic value.

Background Dysphagia is a common yet serious complication in stroke patients. We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis and systematic review to evaluate the risk factors of dysphagia in patients with ischemic stroke, to provide insights to the clinical treatment and nursing care of dysphagia. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wanfang Database, China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) for studies on dysphagia in patients with ischemic stroke up to January 31, 2022. The quality of the literature was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. Results A total of 10 studies involving 4637 ischemic stroke patients were included, 1183(25.51%) patients had dysphagia after stroke. The synthesized outcomes showed that elder age (SMD = 0.42, 95%CI:0.34–0.50), hypertension (OR = 1.96, 95%CI:1.48–2.61), diabetes (OR = 1.83, 95%CI:1.47–2.28), brainstem stroke (OR = 2.12, 95%CI:1.45–3.09) were associated with dysphagia in patients with ischemic stroke (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the gender between dysphagia and no dysphagia patients (OR = 1.07, 95%CI:0.91–1.27, P = 0.40). Egger regression tests indicated there were no significant publication biases in the synthesized outcomes (all P>0.05). Conclusions Elder age, hypertension, diabetes and brainstem stroke are associated with the development of dysphagia in patients with ischemic stroke. Attention should be paid to the assessment and early intervention of those risk factors for dysphagia to improve the prognosis of stroke patients.

Traditional magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) uses a single exponential model to obtain the apparent diffusion coefficient to quantitatively reflect the diffusion motion of water molecules in living tissues, but it is affected by blood perfusion. Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM)-DWI utilizes a double-exponential model to obtain information on pure water molecule diffusion and microcirculatory perfusion-related diffusion, which compensates for the insufficiency of traditional DWI. In recent years, research on the application of IVIM-DWI in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatic diseases has gradually increased and has achieved considerable progress. This study mainly reviews the basic principles of IVIM-DWI and related research progress in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatic diseases.