The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) updates the "NCCN clinical practice guidelines in oncology: Lung cancer screening" annually, and the second edition of 2024 was released in October 2023. The 2024 edition of the guidelines builds on the 2023 edition with some updates on description and assessment of risk factors for lung cancer, evaluation and follow-up of lung nodules found during initial and subsequent screening, and low-dose CT screening protocols and imaging modalities. In this article, we will introduce the above updates and provide reference for lung cancer screening in China by combining the relevant guidelines and consensus in China.
The 2020 ACC/AHA Guideline for the Management of Patients with Valvular Heart Disease not only updates aortic valve stenosis, mitral regurgitation, prosthetic valves, infective endocarditis and antithrombotic treatment on the basis of the 2017 guidelines update for valvular heart disease, but also involves aortic valve regurgitation, bicuspid aortic valve, mitral stenosis, tricuspid regurgitation, combined valve disease, pregnancy with valvular disease, valve disease complicated with coronary heart disease, valve disease complicated with non-cardiac surgery and the prospect of comprehensive management of valve disease. It covers a wide range of contents, which are introduced in detail and comprehensively. This paper interprets some highlights and core issues, including the top 10 take-home messages, the severity of valvular heart disease, and the updates in the management of aortic valve stenosis, aortic valve regurgitation, bicuspid aortic valve, mitral stenosis and mitral regurgitation.
Radiation proctopathy, which can be categorized as acute and chronic, is defined as the radiation damage to the rectum caused by radiation therapy in patients with pelvic malignancies. Chronic radiation proctopathy can cause complications such as rectal bleeding, which severely affects patients’ quality of life. At present, endoscopic therapy has become the primary method for diagnosis and treatment of bleeding from chronic radiation proctopathy. In October 2019, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) published "ASGE guideline on the role of endoscopy for bleeding from chronic radiation". The guideline described the effectiveness and safety of different endoscopic therapies such as argon plasma coagulation, bipolar electrocoagulation, heater probe, radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, etc. in the treatment of bleeding from chronic radiation. This paper interprets it to provide references for clinicians in the treatment of bleeding from chronic radiation.
Choroideremia (CHM) is a rare inherited eye disease that leads to blindness. It is caused by pathogenic variants in the CHM gene and exhibits X-linked recessive inheritance. Affected males present with progressively worsening night blindness, visual field loss, and decreased central vision, which can cause blindness in middle age. Although female carriers typically exhibit mild symptoms, it is essential to understand their clinical features for early diagnosis of patients as well as genetic counseling of family members. Currently, the recognition and diagnosis rates of CHM among ophthalmologists in various regions and levels of hospitals in China still need to be improved. A standardized clinical pathway is needed to meet the diagnostic and treatment needs of patients. Led by the the Chinese Hereditary Ocular Disease Diagnosis and the Treatment Group and the Chinese Hereditary Ocular Disease Alliance, based on existing evidence both domestically and internationally, the Expert consensus on diagnosis and treatment of choroideremia (2024) has been compiled, systematically and comprehensively elaborating on the standardized clinical pathways for CHM. Interpreting the key points of this consensus will help highlight its core points and ideas, enhancing the standardization and effectiveness of the diagnosis and treatment of CHM by ophthalmologists from all levels of hospitals.
Chinese Medical Association guideline for clinical diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer (2022 edition) has been published this year. The 2022 edition has been updated in the aspects of lung cancer screening, pathology, standards of thoracic surgery, treatment of metastatic lung cancer. In this study, we tried to introduce those updated aspects in the guideline of 2022 edition.
Respiratory oscillometry is a lung function test that measures the mechanical properties of respiratory system by the forced oscillation technique. Oscillometry can be used in those who cannot perform traditional lung function tests, including young children. It is also an important tool to assess small airways function in clinical and research fields. In 2020, the European Respiratory Society published a new technical standard for respiratory oscillometry, which offered updated technical recommendations on the hardware, software, testing protocols and quality control of oscillometry measurements. This paper interpreted the new technical standard, for providing technical suggestions regarding oscillometry measurements in clinical and research settings, and as a reference for developing technical statements and recommendations for oscillometry in China.
The Technical Specifications for Evaluation of Age-friendly Medical Institutions is a set of evaluation standard for admittance of age-friendly medical institutions. The standard was prepared by Beijing Geriatric Hospital, organized by Beijing Municipal Health Commission and issued by Beijing Municipal Bureau of Market Supervision and Administration in 2021. The standard evaluates the construction of age-friendly medical institutions in four profiles, involving age-friendly culture, age-friendly management, age-friendly service, and age-friendly environment, and standardizes the specific links in the medical institutions evaluation and acceptance, displaying important guiding value for construction activities of national age-friendly medical institutions.
IDEAL framework and recommendations provide a scientific and integrated evaluation pathway for surgical innovations and other complex therapeutic interventions, and underline that the preliminary studies are needed to prepare for a successful randomized controlled trial. IDEAL framework provides a series of recommendations in terms of nature stages of surgical innovation. We have reported the introduction and reporting guidelines of the IDEAL framework and recommendations in our IDEAL series paper. This paper aimed to provide some empirical evidence, focusing specifically on stages 2a and 2b, to help surgeons and researchers to understand how to imply IDEAL framework and recommendations into their clinical practice.
The AMSTAR 2, a critical appraisal tool, was developed for assessing systematic reviews which included randomized or non-randomized studies of healthcare interventions, or both. It was recently published in BMJ. This paper introduces AMSTAR 2 and interprets its usage by a published systematic review.