Objective To review the latest development of amniotic fluid-derived stem cells (AFSCs) in regenerative medicine, and to discuss issues related to the studies in the field of AFSCs. Methods The recent articles about AFSCs were extensively reviewed. The important knowledge of AFSCs was introduced in the field of regenerative medicine, and the basic and clinical researches of AFSCs were summarized and discussed. Results Currently, it is confirmed that AFSCs have a multi-directional differentiation capacity, therefore, they have a wide application prospect in regenerative medicine, anti-tumor, and other fields. Conclusion AFSCs will become one of the ideal seed cells in the field of regenerative medicine with extensive research value because of the advantages of easy amniotic fluid sampling, little maternal and child trauma, no tumorigenesis, and no ethical restrictions.
ObjectiveTo summarizes the clinical characteristics of chronic appendicitis in children and discusses the diagnostic methods and the clinical application value of laparoscopic surgery.MethodsThe clinical data and treatment process of 68 children with chronic appendicitis admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from January 2015 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, and their clinical characteristics and treatment experience were summarized and analyzed.ResultsAccording to different medical histories and symptoms, 68 cases were divided into 3 groups, with 15 patients in the typical symptom group, 28 patients in the appendix abscess group, and 25 patients in the asymptomatic group. All the 25 children in the asymptomatic group underwent barium enema examination, among which 68.0% (17/25) had filling defect in the appendix cavity, 16.0% (4/25) had no obvious appendix visualization, and 68.0% (17/25) had residual barium in the appendix cavity after 72 hours. The incidence of children in the 3 groups was concentrated at school age, but there was no significant difference in the proportion of children in different age groups between the three groups (P>0.05). All cases underwent laparoscopic exploration, 66 cases successfully completed laparoscopic appendectomy, 2 cases transferred to laparotomy, and all recovered satisfactorily. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of postoperative complications between the 3 groups (P>0.05).ConclusionsThe clinical manifestations of chronic appendicitis in children are diverse and difficult to diagnose. Barium enema examination (including re-examination after 72 hours) in children with atypical symptoms can help confirm the diagnosis. Chronic appendicitis in children is more common in school-age children, and laparoscopic exploration+appendectomy are the preferred treatment.
ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy of totally transanal endorectal pull-through and laparoscopic assistance endorectal pull-through in the treatment of Hirschsprung’s disease (HD).MethodsPubMed, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP Database were searched to screen out the comparative studies published between January 1998 and May 2020 on the treatment of HD with totally transanal endorectal pull-through and laparoscopic assistance endorectal pull-through. Then two reviewers independently completed the literatures screening, data extraction, and quality evaluation. The Review Manager 5.3 software was used to combine the effect size of the postoperative effect indicators included in the literatures. Stata 14.0 software was used to perform Begg’s and Egger’s tests on the publication bias of the included literatures.ResultsA total of 8 clinical studies conforming to the standards were included and 702 cases of children undergoing HD radical resection were recorded, including 335 cases in the totally transanal endorectal pull-through group and 367 cases in the laparoscopic assistance endorectal pull-through group. Compared with the laparoscopic assistance endorectal pull-through group, the totally transanal endorectal pull-through group had an advantage in the incidence of postoperative faecal incontinence/soiling [OR=0.20, 95%CI was (0.07, 0.54), P=0.001], and the postoperative constipation recurrence rate was higher than the laparoscopic assistance endorectal pull-through group [OR=2.39, 95%CI was (1.05, 5.42), P=0.04]. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of postoperative enterocolitis [OR=1.01, 95%CI was (0.59, 1.75), P=0.96], postoperative adhesion intestinal obstruction [OR=0.74, 95%CI was (0.28, 1.95), P=0.54], and postoperative anastomotic stenosis [OR=1.14, 95%CI was (0.51, 2.56), P=0.74].ConclusionsCompared with laparoscopic assistance endorectal pull-through, the totally transanal endorectal pull-through can reduce the incidence of postoperative faecal incontinence/soiling, but the rate of recurrence of postoperative constipation is higher. The two surgical procedures for HD have similar incidences of postoperative enterocolitis, anastomotic stenosis, and adhesive intestinal obstruction.