Objective To investigate the effects of music therapy in treating cognitive dysfunction in early stroke patients. Methods Forty patients who had suffered a stroke in the previous four weeks were randomly di-vided into two groups of 20. One received music therapy as part of their cognitive training ( observation group) , and the other did not (control group). Before and after 6 weeks of treatment, cognitive functioning was evaluated using the second Chinese edition of Loewenstein's occupational therapy cognitive assessment (LOTCA). The patients' a-bility in the activities of daily living was also evaluated using the modified Barthel index (MBI). Results After treatment, the total LOTCA and MBI scores in both groups were significantly higher than before. Both LOTCA and MBI scores in the observation group were significantly higher than in the control group, and there were also signifi-cant differences between the observation and control groups on all of the LOTCA sub-items except spatial percep-tion. Conclusions Music therapy can improve the effects of rehabilitation on cognition and the ADL ability of early stroke patients.

Objective: To analyze the correlation between the Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sacroiliac joint inflammation score (SPARCC score)/structural score (SSS) and the disease activity as well as the functional indexs. The correlation between the MRI score and inflammatory indicators [erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP)] in patients with active axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) before and after treatment was explored. In addition, the contribution of the two MRI scoring method in evaluating conditions was also explored. Methods: According to the inclusion criteria, 24 patients with active axial SpA were recruited and received the recombinant hauman tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α receptor Ⅱ: IgG Fc fusion protein(rhTNFR:Fc), sulfasalazine and thalidomide for 12 weeks. Subjects were scored at week 0 and 12 by SPARCC/SSS scores. Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI), Assessment of Spondyloarthritis Intemational Society (ASAS)-endorsed disease activity score(ASDAS)-CRP, bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI). Bath ankylosing spondylitis metrology index(BASMI), ESR and CRP. The correlation between the SPARCC/SSS scores and that of clinical indicators were analyzed. Paired sample t test, Wilcoxon signedrank test, Spearman correlation analysis and Pearson correlation analysis were used for statistical analysis, and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to evaluate the effectiveness of SPARCC score decline as a response to treatment. Results: ① Compared with baseline, after 12 weeks treatment, SPARCC scores [(15±4) and(33±10)], BASDAI [(3.2±0.9) and (5.2±1.1)], BASFI [(2.3±0.6) and (4.6±1.0)], BASMI [(2.3±0.7) and (4.1±1.1)], ASDAS-CRP scores [(2.0±0.8) and (3.7±0.9)], ESR [(16±12) mm/1 h and (49±26) mm/1 h], CRP [(7.2±2.8) mg/L and (30.4±19.3) mg/L] were significantly decreased (t values were 7.822, 6.950, 10.707, 7.204, 6.281,-4.015 and-4.257, respectively), and the differences were statistically significant (P=0.000). There was no significant difference in SSS scores between baseline [(20±6) and (19±7)] and after 12 weeks treatment (t=-0.761, P=0.455). ② Before treatment, SPARCC score showed positive linear correlation with BASDAI (r=0.630, P=0.001), ASDAS-CRP (r=0.646, P=0.001), CRP (r=0.574, P=0.003) and ESR (r=0.559, P=0.004), and the correlation of the above indexes disappeared after treatment (P>0.05). The association between SPARCC structral scores and the above indicators was not significant before and after treatment. ③ Areas under curve(AUC) of ROC for assessing treatment response by reduced SPARCC scores was 0.809. The cut-off value for response to treatment was 20.5, with the sensitivity of 68.8% and specificity of 75.0%. Conclusion The SPARCC MRI SIJ inflamm-ation score has certain value in evaluating disease activity and efficacy, while the SPARCC SSS is not.