Objective:To investigate the effects of the Epley and Semont procedures with varying lateral angles of the head on posterior semicircular canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo （PC-BPPV）. Methods:A total of 115 patients with unilateral PC-BPPV were randomly divided into five groups: Epley group, Semont group, Semont+10° group, Semont+20° group, and Semont+30° group, with 23 patients in each group. Corresponding reduction treatments were performed. Results:The total effective rates for the Epley group, Semont group, Semont+10° group, Semont+20° group, and Semont+30° group were 95.7% （22/23）, 4.3% （1/23）, 30.4% （7/23）, 52.2% （12/23）, and 87.0% （20/23） respectively. The inefficiencies were 4.3% （1/23）, 95.7% （22/23）, 69.6% （16/23）, 47.8% （11/23）, and 13.0% （3/23）. Statistically significant differences were observed in the total effective rates among the five groups （χ²=54.11, P<0.01）. The total effective rates in the Semont group, Semont+10° group, and Semont+20° group were significantly different from that of the Epley group （P<0.01）, while no statistically significant difference was found between the Semont+30° group and the Epley group （P= 0.608>0.012 5）. Conclusion:Among the four Semont methods with different lateral lying angles, the total effective rate of reduction treatment increased with the elevation of the lateral lying angle on the affected side. The efficacy of the Semont+30° group in treating PC-BPPV was not significantly different from the Epley group's reduction effect, which was markedly superior to that of the other four Semont methods at different angles. Therefore, the Semont+30° reduction technique is recommended for the treatment of PC-BPPV.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo/therapy* ; Head ; Posture ; Semicircular Canals/physiopathology* ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:To explore the latent classes of fatigue trajectories and influencing factors in elderly patients with chronic pneumonia.Methods:A convenience sampling method was used to select 188 elderly patients with chronic pneumonia admitted to the Department of Geriatrics at Zhejiang Provincial Tongde Hospital from January 2023 to January 2024. General Data Questionnaires, Nutrition Risk Screening 2002, Athens Insomnia Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Community Commitment Scale, and Fatigue Scale were used to assess the patients. Patients were followed up for fatigue Scale at the time of consultation (T0) , and at the third (T1) and sixth (T2) months after consultation. Latent class growth analysis was used to model the trajectory of fatigue changes in elderly patients with chronic pneumonia.Results:A total of 188 questionnaires were distributed, with 165 valid responses, yielding an effective response rate of 87.8% (165/188) . The Fatigue Scale scores at T0, T1, and T2 were (4.63±1.74) , (5.54±1.90) , and (7.82±2.84) , respectively. The fatigue trajectories could be classified into three latent classes: low fatigue-slow increase group (74.5%, 123/165) , low fatigue-worsening group (10.3%, 17/165) , and high fatigue-slow increase group (15.2%, 25/165) . Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, smoking index, number of chronic diseases, sleep, anxiety, and duration of cough and sputum were significant influencing factors for the fatigue trajectory in elderly patients with chronic pneumonia ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:Fatigue trajectories in elderly patients with chronic pneumonia exhibit group heterogeneity. Healthcare providers should develop targeted nursing measures based on different trajectory classes to alleviate fatigue and improve quality of life.

Objective:To explore the latent classes of fatigue trajectories and influencing factors in elderly patients with chronic pneumonia.Methods:A convenience sampling method was used to select 188 elderly patients with chronic pneumonia admitted to the Department of Geriatrics at Zhejiang Provincial Tongde Hospital from January 2023 to January 2024. General Data Questionnaires, Nutrition Risk Screening 2002, Athens Insomnia Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Community Commitment Scale, and Fatigue Scale were used to assess the patients. Patients were followed up for fatigue Scale at the time of consultation (T0) , and at the third (T1) and sixth (T2) months after consultation. Latent class growth analysis was used to model the trajectory of fatigue changes in elderly patients with chronic pneumonia.Results:A total of 188 questionnaires were distributed, with 165 valid responses, yielding an effective response rate of 87.8% (165/188) . The Fatigue Scale scores at T0, T1, and T2 were (4.63±1.74) , (5.54±1.90) , and (7.82±2.84) , respectively. The fatigue trajectories could be classified into three latent classes: low fatigue-slow increase group (74.5%, 123/165) , low fatigue-worsening group (10.3%, 17/165) , and high fatigue-slow increase group (15.2%, 25/165) . Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, smoking index, number of chronic diseases, sleep, anxiety, and duration of cough and sputum were significant influencing factors for the fatigue trajectory in elderly patients with chronic pneumonia ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:Fatigue trajectories in elderly patients with chronic pneumonia exhibit group heterogeneity. Healthcare providers should develop targeted nursing measures based on different trajectory classes to alleviate fatigue and improve quality of life.

Background The population with diabetes in China is increasing year by year. Current research has found that either air pollution or temperature has an impact on the occurrence and development of diabetes, but the interaction between the two is unclear yet. Objective To investigate the effects and the lag effects of air pollutants and temperature on the risk of hospital admission for type 2 diabetes in Hefei, Anhui Province from 2016 to 2019, as well as to verify potential interaction between air pollutants and temperature. Methods This study collected hospital admission data for patients with type 2 diabetes from a tertiary hospital in Hefei, Anhui Province, and the corresponding monitoring data on air pollutants and meteorological factors from 2016 to 2019. Firstly, a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) was used to explore the effects of air pollutants and temperature on the risk of hospital admission for type 2 diabetes. Subsequently, a bivariate response surface model was used to explore potential interaction between temperature and various pollutants on frequency of hospital admission due to diabetes. Temperature was further divided into lower, medium, and higher levels by percentiles during the study period, and the potential interaction between air pollutants and temperature strata were verified . Results After controlling long-term trend, seasonal trend, holiday effect, and day of the week effect, the results of single pollutant models showed that for every 10 μg·m⁻³ increase in fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), inhalable particulate matter (PM₁₀), and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), the relative risk (RR) values for hospital admission due to type 2 diabetes were 1.032 (95%CI: 1.021, 1.043), 1.018 (95%CI: 1.008, 1.026), and 1.037 (95%CI: 1.016, 1.058), respectively; for every 1 mg·m⁻³ increase in carbon monoxide (CO), the RR value for hospital admission due to type 2 diabetes was 1.319 (95%CI: 1.163, 1.495); the increases in sulfur dioxide (SO₂), ozone (O₃), and daily average temperature showed no statistically significant impact on hospital admission due to type 2 diabetes. The results of bivariate response surface models suggested that daily average temperature and various pollutant levels spontaneously affected the risk of hospital admission for type 2 diabetes, but the stratified analysis did not find significant differences in the effect of PM_2.5 on the risk of hospital admission due to type 2 diabetes across different temperature strata. Conclusion Increases in the concentrations of PM_2.5, PM₁₀, NO₂, and CO elevate the risk of hospital admission for type 2 diabetes. This study could not confirm the interactions between daily average temperature and various pollutants.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of combining contralateral high-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with biofeedback-controlled empty swallowing training on dysphagia among stroke survivors.Methods:Eighty dysphagic stroke survivors were divided at random into a control group, a biofeedback group, an rTMS group and a combined treatment group, each of 20. In addition to routine dysphagia rehabilitation, the biofeedback group and the rTMS group received empty swallowing training based on biofeedback or high-frequency rTMS applied to the healthy motor cortex as appropriate. The combined treatment group was given both. The treatment was administered once daily, 5 days a week for 3 consecutive weeks. Before and after the treatment, all of the subjects′ swallowing was evaluated using the penetration aspiration scale (PAS), functional oral intake scale (FOIS) and a standardized swallowing assessment (SSA). The latency and amplitude of the mylohyoid muscle′s motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were also recorded before and after the treatment.Results:After the treatment, significant improvement was observed in the average PAS, FOIS and SSA scores as well as in the latency and amplitude of the MEPs in the four groups. The average results in the combined treatment group were significantly better than in the other 3 groups. The latency of the mylohyoid muscle′s MEP was significantly shorter in the combined group than in the control and biofeedback groups on average, while the amplitude was significantly greater than in the control group.Conclusion:Combining contralateral high frequency rTMS with empty swallowing training based on biofeedback can better improve the swallowing of dysphagic stroke survivors.

Objective To investigate the value of quantitative CT(QCT)parameters related to abdominal and dorsal fat content for predicting early postoperative complications of esophageal cancer.Methods A total of 184 patients who underwent radical esophageal cancer surgery were retrospectively collected and divided into complication group(n=76)and control group(n=108)according to whether early postoperation complication(within 30 days after surgery)occurred or not.QCT was used to obtain parameters related to abdominal and dorsal fat content,including visceral fat area(VFA),subcutaneous fat area(SFA),VFA/SFA and the degree of muscle fat infiltration(MFI)of posterior vertebral muscles based on L3 central-level CT images.Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze clinical and pathological data as well as QCT parameters related to abdominal and dorsal fat content to screen independent risk factors for early postoperative complications of esophageal cancer.Then receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn,and the area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to evaluate the efficacy of each independent risk factor alone and their combination for predicting early postoperative complications of esophageal cancer.Results VFA/SFA and MFI degree of posterior vertebral muscles were both independent risk factors for early postoperative complications of esophageal cancer(OR=5.121,1.110,both P＜0.05).The AUC of VFA/SFA and MFI degree of posterior vertebral muscle was 0.81 and 0.77,respectively,while of their combination was 0.84.Conclusion QCT parameters related to abdominal and dorsal fat content could be used to effectively predict early complications of esophageal cancer after surgery.

Objective:To systematically evaluate the risk factors of sarcopenia in patients with chronic heart failure, and to provide a basis for delaying the occurrence of sarcopenia and preventing the adverse outcome of sarcopenia.Methods:Cross-sectional studies, cohort studies and case-control studies of sarcopenia in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMBase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China biomedical database (Sinomed), VIP database, Wanfang medical database were searched from database establishment to November 30, 2023. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 and Stata18.0 software.Results:In total, 16 articles were included, including 11 risk factors. The results showed that the incidence of chronic heart failure was 31.00%. The age of sarcopenia in chronic heart failure ( OR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.06-1.11), other chronic diseases ( OR = 6.57, 95% CI 3.29-13.10), cardiac function grade ( OR = 3.24, 95% CI 1.48-7.08), left ventricular ejection fraction ( OR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.94-0.97). Conclusions:Advancedage, comorbididy with other chronic diseases, and high cardiac function class are the risk factors for the development of sarcopenia in patients with chronic heart failure, and high left ventricular ejection fraction is a protective factor. Medical staff should screen early, identify high-risk groups early, strengthen health education, and give targeted interventions to slow down the development of sarcopenia to improve the quality of life of patients.

Objective:To systematically evaluate the risk factors of sarcopenia in patients with chronic heart failure, and to provide a basis for delaying the occurrence of sarcopenia and preventing the adverse outcome of sarcopenia.Methods:Cross-sectional studies, cohort studies and case-control studies of sarcopenia in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMBase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China biomedical database (Sinomed), VIP database, Wanfang medical database were searched from database establishment to November 30, 2023. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 and Stata18.0 software.Results:In total, 16 articles were included, including 11 risk factors. The results showed that the incidence of chronic heart failure was 31.00%. The age of sarcopenia in chronic heart failure ( OR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.06-1.11), other chronic diseases ( OR = 6.57, 95% CI 3.29-13.10), cardiac function grade ( OR = 3.24, 95% CI 1.48-7.08), left ventricular ejection fraction ( OR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.94-0.97). Conclusions:Advancedage, comorbididy with other chronic diseases, and high cardiac function class are the risk factors for the development of sarcopenia in patients with chronic heart failure, and high left ventricular ejection fraction is a protective factor. Medical staff should screen early, identify high-risk groups early, strengthen health education, and give targeted interventions to slow down the development of sarcopenia to improve the quality of life of patients.

Objective:To seek any differential effect of combining repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with a modified version of constraint-induced movement therapy (mCIMT) on the walking ability of stroke survivors.Methods:Seventy-five stroke survivors were randomly divided into a sham rTMS group, an rTMS group and a combined group, each of 25. In addition to 40 minutes of routine rehabilitation daily, including balance training, transfer training, muscle strength training, and proprioceptive training five times a week for 4 weeks, the sham rTMS group and rTMS group received sham or genuine rTMS. The combined group received 20 minutes of rTMS followed by mCIMT training 30 minutes later. The treatment was performed once a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks. Before and after the treatment, all groups were evaluated using the Fugl-Meyer lower extremity assessment, the Berg balance scale, a 10-metre walk test and the modified Barthel index.Results:Significant improvement was observed in the average scores of all three groups in all of the assessments. The combined group′s averages were, however, significantly better than those of the other two groups.Conclusion:Supplementing mCIMT with rTMS can better improve the walking and other abilities in the activities of daily living of stroke survivors.