POEMS syndrome is a rare condition associated with plasma cell disorders， and it often involves multiple systems and has diverse clinical manifestations. This article reports two cases of POEMS syndrome with hepatosplenomegaly as the initial manifestation. During the course of the disease， the patients presented with lower limb weakness， hepatosplenomegaly， lymph node enlargement， ascites， hypothyroidism， positive M protein， and skin hyperpigmentation， and ¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT imaging revealed bone lesions mainly characterized by osteolytic changes and plasma cell tumors. There was an increase in the serum level of vascular endothelial growth factor. The patients were finally diagnosed with POEMS syndrome， and the symptoms were relieved after immunomodulatory treatment.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the application value of narrow-band CE-Chirp ASSR(NB CE-Chirp ASSR)and modulated acoustic ASSR in the assessment of hearing threshold in children with hearing impairment.METHODS Forty-eight children with sensorineural hearing loss were tested by pure tone audiometry(PTA),NB CE-Chirp ASSR and modulated acoustic ASSR.According to the results of pure tone audiometry,they were divided into mild to moderate group(48 ears)and severe to profound group(48 ears).The difference and correlation between pure tone hearing threshold and ASSR response threshold of different stimuli were compared between 500-4 000 Hz.RESULTS The absolute differences between the NB CE-Chirp ASSR response threshold and the PTA threshold in 48 children were all smaller than the differences between the modulated acoustic ASSR response threshold and the PTA threshold,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.001).Under the same stimulus sound,the absolute difference between ASSR response threshold and pure tone hearing threshold in the mild to moderate group was higher than that in the severe to very severe group.The correlation coefficients between NB CE-Chirp ASSR threshold and pure tone hearing threshold are higher than those between modulated sound ASSR threshold and pure tone hearing threshold at 500-4 000 Hz.The test time of NB CE-Chirp ASSR[(20.92±9.33)min]was significantly shorter than that of modulated acoustic ASSR[(33.68±10.97)min](P=0.004).CONCLUSION NB CE-Chirp ASSR can more accurately assess the hearing threshold of children with different degrees of hearing loss than modulated acoustic ASSR.

Objective:To analyze the safety and short-term efficacy of thoracic radiotherapy combined with anlotinib in the treatment of inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods:A prospective study was conducted on patients with unresectable locally advanced NSCLC who were intolerant to concurrent chemoradiotherapy and treated at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, from October 2020 to September 2023. Anlotinib was administered orally concurrently with radiotherapy (days 1-14, 21 days per cycle, for 3 cycles). Adverse effects and short-term tumor recurrence were observed from the beginning of radiotherapy to the 3-month post-radiotherapy. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates from the date of initial treatment (induction therapy), and intergroup comparisons were performed using the log-rank test.Results:The median age was 62 years (range:42-76 years), with a male predominance ( n=36, 88%) of the included 41 patients. The incidence of grade 3-4 acute hematologic adverse events was 20% (8 cases); the incidence of grade 3 hemoptysis was 2% (1 case), with no grade 4 hemoptysis; the incidence of grade 3-4 radiation pneumonitis was 10% (4 cases). No grade 5 adverse events were observed in the entire cohort. With a median follow-up of 19.7 months (range: 7.1-50.1 months), 19 patients (46%) experienced recurrence, including 4 patients (10%) with local recurrence, 6 patients (15%) with regional lymph node recurrence, and 11 patients (27%) with distant metastases. The 1-year PFS rate was 78.3%. 8 patients (20%) died, including 3 patients died from COVID-19 infection during the follow-up period, 1 patient who died from hypostatic pneumonia due to prolonged bed rest after cerebral infarction, and 4 patients died from tumor-related causes. The 1-year OS rate was 78.0%. Conclusions:Thoracic radiotherapy combined with anlotinib demonstrates good safety, manageable adverse events, and favorable short-term efficacy in NSCNC patients intolerant to concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has emerged as a pivotal tool in the detection and characterization of infectious pathogens in clinical settings, and it has been applied to donor assessment. This case report describes the effective application of mNGS in preventing the transplantation of organs from a donor infected with the rabies virus, who presented with myocarditis. The rapid and accurate identification of the rabies virus through mNGS potentially averted the risk of transmission to organ recipients.

Recruitment is a critical part of human resource management.Conducting recruitment with competency models can significantly enhance match candidates to positions.This paper outlines the theoretical support for competency models.By analyzing the construction process of competency models in public hospitals and their application in recruitment,it aims to explore problems in the implementation of competency models in recruitment and provide suggestions.

Objective:To compare the effects of standard cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia(CBT-I Plus) in patients with chronic insomnia disorder comorbid anxiety or depressive symptoms.Methods:This prospective study included 148 patients with chronic insomnia disorder and anxiety/depression symptoms who were treated at the Sleep Disorder clinic of Shanghai Mental Health Center between July 2020 and August 2023. Participants (56 males, 92 females; aged 18-65 years, mean age 35.08±10.30 years) were randomly assigned in a 1∶2 ratio to the CBT-I group ( n=54) or CBT-I Plus group ( n=94). The CBT-I Plus group received additional treatments targeting anxiety and depressive symptoms. Treatment lasted 8 weeks, with assessment conducted at baseline, weeks 2, 4, and 8. Depression severity was measured using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD 17), anxiety severity with the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), and sleep quality with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Paired sample t-tests were used to evaluate within-group changes, repeated-measures ANOVA compared treatment effects between groups, and ANCOVA was employed to adjust for confounding variables. Results:Significant reductions in PSQI, HAMD 17, and HAMA scores were observed in both groups after treatment: CBT-I group: PSQI ((14.15±2.54) vs. (7.50±3.35), t=13.25), HAMD 17 ((14.70±4.09) vs. (7.40±4.61), t=9.33), and HAMA ((14.94±4.11) vs. (5.56±3.67), t=12.38) (all P<0.001).CBT-I Plus group: PSQI ((14.87±3.01) vs. (7.19±3.86), t=18.75), HAMD 17 ((16.84±3.91) vs. (6.84±4.79), t=17.42), and HAMA ((15.57±3.93) vs. (6.10±4.57), t=18.39) (all P<0.001). After adjusting for HAMD 17 scores and medication use, no statistically significant between-group differences were observed in changes in PSQI, HAMD 17, and HAMA scores ( P>0.05). A significant time-by-group interaction was found for the PSQI daytime dysfunction subscale ( F=4.87, P<0.01). Conclusion:Both CBT-I and CBT-I Plus improve sleep and emotional symptoms in patients with chronic insomnia disorder and comorbid anxiety/depression symptoms. However, CBT-I Plus has no significant advantages over standard CBT-I. Further studies are needed to refine the timing and content of interventions.

Objective To provide basis for the formation of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(AECOPD-STES),the item weight of the syndrome therapeutic evaluation scale for AECOPD-STES was determined.Methods Based on the clinical survey data of 387 AECOPD patients,the random forest method was adopted,and the Spyder integrated development environment.Anaconda navigator software was used to call the"random forest Classifier"in the sklearn package to establish the initial random forest model and calculate the item weights.Factor analysis was used to extract common factors with cumulative variance contribution>80%,and the item weight was calculated according to the cumulative variance contribution and component score coefficient of common factors.The percentage weight method was used to calculate the item weight based on the importance score of each item by 29 experts.Finally,40%,30%and 30%of the above three methods were given respectively to determine the final weight of the items.Results The random forest method showed that the weights of wind cold syndrome,cold Yin syndrome,phlegm heat syndrome,phlegm dampness syndrome and blood stasis syndrome were 0.014-0.170,0.076-0.194,0.017-0.183,0.010-0.183 and 0.069-0.298,respectively.Factor analysis showed that the weights of wind cold syndrome,cold yin Syndrome,phlegm heat syndrome,phlegm dampness syndrome and blood stasis syndrome were 0.030-0.111,0.100-0.182,0.037-0.095,0.022-0.141 and 0.054-0.185,respectively.The percentage weight method shows that the weight ranges of wind cold syndrome,cold yin Syndrome,phlegm heat syndrome,phlegm dampness syndrome and blood stasis syndrome were 0.072-0.102,0.146-0.182,0.057-0.077,0.075-0.111 and 0.115-0.185,respectively.According to the three methods,the weights of wind cold syndrome,cold yin Syndrome,phlegm heat syndrome,phlegm dampness syndrome and blood stasis syndrome were 0.050-0.121,0.117-0.174,0.040-0.117,0.056-0.130 and 0.092-0.188,respectively.Conclusion This study determined the weight of each item of AECOPD-STES,providing a basis for the calculation of syndrome score.

Myxomatous mitral valve degeneration(MMVD)is one of the important pathogenic factors of primary mitral regurgitation.The pathological manifestations of MMVD include thickening,redundancy,and prolapse of the valve leaflets,which lead to structural and functional abnormalities of the mitral valve,eventually cause mitral regurgitation.The pathogenesis of MMVD involves abnormalities in three main cell types:valvular interstitial cells,endothelial cells,and monocyte-macrophages.Therefore,a deep understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of these cell types in MMVD is crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of MMVD.This article provides a comprehensive review of the normal tissue structure characteristics of the mitral valve,the morphological features of MMVD,and the research progress on the regulatory roles of the aforementioned cell types in MMVD,aiming to provide a scientific basis for early intervention and precise treatment of MMVD.

Objective To investigate the distribution of serum specific IgG antibodies against food in children with autism spectrum disorders(ASD),and provide experimental evidence for improving gastrointestinal symptoms of ASD children.Methods A retrospec-tive study was conducted on 411 children with ASD visited the Department of Psychology and Behavior of Hebei Children's Hospital from January 2021 to December 2022.Additionally,631 healthy children who underwent physical examination during the same period were collected as the healthy control group.Their venous blood samples were collected,and ELISA was used to detect the levels of 14 kinds of serum specific IgG antibodies against food.The distribution characteristics of food intolerance in children with different genders and ages were investigated.Results The total positive rate of specific IgG antibodies against food in children with ASD reached 91.84%(405/441).The top 3 positive rates of specific IgG antibodies were against egg(71.89%),milk(56.70%),and wheat(56.02%),respectively,which were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group(χ2=42.81,27.48,and 26.88,re-spectively,P＜0.05).The comparative results of gender composition showed that the positive rate of specific IgG antibody against rice in female ASD children(15.96%)was significantly higher than that in male ASD children(4.90%,χ2=11.84,P＜0.05).The posi-tive rates of specific IgG antibodies against egg and wheat in male and female ASD children were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group(χ2=19.44 and 4.42 for males,χ2=4.66 and 10.93 for females,P＜0.05).The positive rate of specific IgG anti-body against milk in male ASD children was significantly higher than that in the healthy control group(χ2=12.62,P＜0.05),while those against soybean and rice in female ASD children were also significantly higher than that in the healthy control group(χ2=7.00 and 5.42,P＜0.05).There were significant differences in the positive rates of food intolerance to milk and soybean in ASD children with different ages(χ2=13.74 and 9.70,P＜0.05)and they decreased with age.The positive rates of specific IgG antibody against wheat in ASD children aged 2-3 and 4-6 years were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group(χ2=5.78 and 4.55,P＜0.05).The positive rate of specific IgG antibody against milk in ASD children aged 4-6 years was significantly higher than that in the healthy control group(χ2=7.57,P＜0.05).Conclusion The highest positive rate of specific IgG antibodies against food in ASD chil-dren is against egg,which is not related to the patient's gender.Next are milk and wheat.The gastrointestinal issues and related food intolerance should be taken into account in the management of patients with ASD.

Objective To predict the lymphovascular invasion(LVI)status of breast cancer patients based on digital breast tomo-synthesis(DBT)intratumoral and peritumoral radiomics nomogram.Methods A total of 192 breast cancer patients from 2 institu-tions were retrospectively selected,in which institution 1 was used for train(n=113)and test(n=49),while institution 2 was used for external validation(n=30).Radiomics features were extracted and selected based on intratumoral and peritumoral 1 mm regions from DBT images.Different machine learning algorithms were used to construct intratumoral,peritumoral,and combined intratumoral and peritumoral models,respectively.Patient clinical data were analyzed by both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analy-ses to identify independent risk factors for the clinical imaging model.The performance of the models was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.The radiomics features with the optimal diagnostic performance and the selected clinical imaging features were combined to construct a comprehensive clinical-radiomics model,and a nomogram was drawn.Results The combined intratumoral and peritumoral model was the optimal radiomics model.Maximum tumor diameter[odds ratio(OR)=1.486,P=0.014],suspicious malignant calcifications(OR=2.898,P=0.015),and axillary lymph node(ALN)metastasis(OR=3.615,P<0.001)were independent risk factors for LVI positive.Furthermore,the area under the curve(AUC)of the comprehensive clinical-radiomics model in the training set,test set and external valida-tion set was 0.889,0.916,and 0.862,respectively,which was higher than those of the combined intratumoral and peritumoral model(0.858,0.849,0.844)and the clinical imaging model(0.743,0.759,0.732).Conclusion The predictive nomogram,derived from both radiomics and clinical imaging features,is relatively accurate in identifying future LVI occurrence in breast cancer,demonstra-ting its potential as an assistive tool for clinicians to devise individualized treatment regimes.