Objective To investigate the efficacy of botulinum toxin type A injection with ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) for the treatment of post-stroke lower limb spasticity.Methods One hundred and three stroke patients with lower limb spasticity were randomly divided into control group,observation group and treatment group.The patients in control group were given routine treatment,those in observation group were given botulinum toxin type A injection in addition to routine treatment,and those in treatment group were treated with AFO on the basis of the interventions of observation group.Before treatment and at 1,3 and 6 months after treatment,clinic spasticity index (CSI) and Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA),Berg balance scale (BBS) and functional independence measure (FIM) were used to evaluate the efficacy of all groups.Results When compare the assessment results at 1 month after treatment with those before treatment,statistically significant difference in terms of scores of CSI,FMA and FIM were revealed in treatment group and observation group (P ＜ 0.05),but not in the control group (P ＞ 0.05).Within-group comparison with the results at 1 month after treatment,the scores of CSI at 3 and 6 months increased in control group and observation group,while decreased in treatment group(P ＜ 0.05),although the scores of FMA and FIM increased in all groups and the increase was statistically significant only in treatment group(P ＜ 0.05).Between-group comparison of the scores in CSI,FMA and FIM showed no significant difference between the observation and control groups(P ＞ 0.05).It was shown that the scores of BBS at 1,3,and 6 months improved continuously in all groups(P ＜0.05),the improvements in treatment group were significantly greater than that of observation group and control group (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Ultrasound-guided botulinum toxin type A injection with AFO could further improve lower limb muscle spasticity,and enhance motor,balance and activities of daily life for stroke patients.

In order to facilitate the accurate comprehension and correct implemention of the national occupational health standard Health standard for operators of nuclear power plants (GBZ/T 164-2022), this article presents an in-depth elucidation encompassing the significance of the standard promulgation, the background of its revision, the current status of the relevant domestic and international standards, the basis for revision of the principal technical inclusion and the application scope of the standard. The aim is to provide a guidance the selection, appropriate evaluation, and occupational health monitoring of nuclear power plant operators, ultimately ensuring the safe operation of nuclear facilities.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer patients with ipsilateral supraclavicular lymph node metastasis (ISLNM) but without distant metastasis are considered to have a poor prognosis. This study aimed to develop a nomogram to predict the overall survival (OS) of breast cancer patients with ISLNM but without distant metastasis. METHODS: Medical records of breast cancer patients who received surgical treatment at the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Jiyuan People's Hospital and Huaxian People's Hospital between December 21, 2012 and June 30, 2020 were reviewed retrospectively. Overall, 345 patients with pathologically confirmed ISLNM and without evidence of distant metastasis were identified. They were further randomized 2:1 and divided into training (n = 231) and validation (n = 114) cohorts. A nomogram to predict the probability of OS was constructed based on clinicopathologic variables identified by the univariable and multivariable analyses. The predictive accuracy and discriminative ability were measured by calibration plots, concordance index (C-index), and risk group stratification. RESULTS: Univariable analysis showed that estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), progesterone receptor-positive (PR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) with Herceptin treatment, and a low axillary lymph node ratio (ALNR) were prognostic factors for better OS. PR+, HER2+ with Herceptin treatment, and a low ALNR remained independent prognostic factors for better OS on multivariable analysis. These variables were incorporated into a nomogram to predict the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS of breast cancer patients with ISLNM. The C-indexes of the nomogram were 0.737 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.660-0.813) and 0.759 (95% CI: 0.636-0.881) for the training and the validation cohorts, respectively. The calibration plots presented excellent agreement between the nomogram prediction and actual observation for 3 and 5 years, but not 1 year, OS in both the cohorts. The nomogram was also able to stratify patients into different risk groups. CONCLUSIONS In this study, we established and validated a novel nomogram for predicting survival of patients with ISLNM. This nomogram may, to some extent, allow clinicians to more accurately estimate prognosis and to make personalized therapeutic decisions for individual patients with ISLNM.
Breast Neoplasms ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Nomograms ; Retrospective Studies

Objective: To detect gene mutations in a pedigree with Rothmund-Thomson syndrome (RTS) . Methods: Clinical data were collected from two patients (an older sister and a younger brother) and their family members in a Chinese pedigree of Han nationality with RTS. Blood samples were obtained from the two patients, their unaffected older brother, their parents and 100 unrelated healthy controls. DNA was extracted, and all the exons in the encoding area of the RECQL4 gene were amplified by PCR. Gene mutations were detected by a skin-targeted next-generation sequencing panel, and verified by Sanger sequencing. Results: Two heterozygous mutations were identified in the RECQL4 gene of the two patients, including a splice site mutation c.2886-1G>A and an insertion mutation c.1013_1014insC, which were inherited from the father and mother of the patients respectively. Meanwhile, neither of the two mutations was observed in 100 unrelated healthy controls or the older brother of the patients. Conclusion The splice site mutation c.2886-1G>A and the insertion mutation c.1013_1014insC in the RECQL4 gene may contribute to the clinical phenotype of the patients in this pedigree with RTS.