Objective:To investigate the effect and toxicity of short-course and hypofractionated palliative thoracic radiotherapy (PTR) for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods:A total of 25 patients with stageⅢB and stageⅣNSCLC, who underwent PTR from September 2010 to July 2006, were retrospectively analyzed. The PTR regime was 45 Gy in 15 fractions. Symptom relief, effect, and toxicity after completion of PTR were assessed. Survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results:Except for one patient who completed only 36 Gy in 12 fractions, all other patients completed all plans. The thoracic symptoms of 18 patients were relieved. The response rates for the five main symptoms were:hemoptysis 87.5%(7/8), cough 70.6%(12/17), pain 73.3%(11/15), dyspnea 57.1%(8/14), and hoarseness 50%(1/2). The complete response and partial response after PTR was 28%, and no grade 3 or higher toxicities occurred. The median time of overall survival (OS) is 13 months (95%CI:6.6 months to 19.5 months), and one-year OS is 51.5%. According to the univariate analysis, KPS before PTR, the number of post-PTR was significantly related to the survival. Conclusion:For advanced NSCLC patients, the PTR regime given as 45 Gy in 15 fractions evidently relieved thoracic symptoms, improved OS, and shortened treatment time. Recent relevant adverse radiotherapy reactions are low, and more prospective clinical studies must be conducted.

Objective:To evaluate the radiotherapeutic strategy for the treatment of recurrent esophageal cancer after radical re-section and determine relevant prognostic factors. Methods:A total of 66 patients with esophageal carcinoma and exhibited recurrence after radical surgery were retrospectively reviewed from Jan 2007 to Jun 2010. The median interval of recurrence from the initial sur-gery was 10.6 months. Among the 66 patients, 50 suffered from loco-regional recurrences alone, and 16 developed distant metastases in addition to loco-regional recurrences. Among the 66 patients, 10 were treated with radiotherapy after recurrence, 23 were treated with chemotherapy alone, and 33 were treated with radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy. Among the 33 patients, 22 were initially treat-ed with chemotherapy and 11 were initially treated with radiotherapy. The median total dose of the external radiotherapy was 60 Gy with 6 MV X-ray of a linear accelerator. Results:The median survival period after recurrence was 14.3 months (95%CI=12.4~16.2 months). The 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates were 61.9%, 25.9%, and 16.5%, respectively. The median survival period after recurrence in the patients who were treated with chemotherapy alone, radiotherapy alone, and radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy were 11.4, 25.5, and 14.3 months, respectively. The patients who developed distant metastases treated with chemotherapy initially showed better survival outcome than those treated with radiotherapy (P=0.032). Univariate analysis results showed the following prognostic factors:tumor location before surgery;operation mode;whether or not recurrence was detected with distant metastases;and therapy af-ter recurrence. Multivariate analysis results showed that tumor location before surgery was an independent prognostic factor. Conclu-sion:Tumor location may indicate prognosis after recurrence. Patients with recurrent esophageal carcinoma and developed distant me-tastases treated with chemotherapy may initially benefit from a longer survival rate.

Objective:This study aims to analyze the relationship between the effect of induction chemotherapy and the timing of radiotherapy in limited-disease or limited-stage small-cell lung cancer (LSCLC). Methods: Data from 148 LSCLC patients who re-ceived induction chemotherapy and radiotherapy between January 2009 and December 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. The effect of two to three cycles of induction chemotherapy was evaluated according to the RECIST version 1.1, which includes complete re-sponse (CR), partial response (PR), stable disease, and progressive disease. CR and PR were used to calculate response rate. The pa-tients were divided into early and late groups based on immediate radiotherapy after two to three cycles of induction chemotherapy. The survival rate was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Log-rank test and Cox regression model were used to evaluate the influenc-ing factors of the survival rate. Results: The median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 22.8 and 13.0 months, respectively. The early and late radiotherapy groups exhibited OS of 34.0 and 18.0 months, respectively, and corresponding PFS of 16.8 and 10.9 months. In the subgroup analysis, for the patients who responded to the induction chemotherapy, the early and late radiotherapy groups showed median OS of 18.0 and 19.5 months, respectively, and corresponding PFS of 19.4 and 11.7 months. For the patients who had no response to the induction chemotherapy, the early and late radiotherapy groups exhibited median OS of 18.0 and 9.5 months, respectively, and corresponding PFS of 12.4 and 10.3 months. Conclusion:All LSCLC patients who received two to three cycles of induction chemotherapy should receive radiotherapy as soon as possible after chemotherapy, regardless of their response to the induction chemotherapy.

Objective To identify the independent risk factors of cognitive impairment(CI)in patients with cerebral small vessel disease(CSVD)and construct a clinical prediction model.Methods Patients with CSVD who were hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from January 1,2017 to December 31,2022 were retrospectively enrolled,and were divided into a group with cognitive impairment(CSVD-CI group,n=83)and a group without cognitive impairment(CSVD-NCI group,n=164)according to the mini-mental state examination(MMSE).The influence factors of cognitive impairment were screened by logistic regression.The clinical prediction model of the nomogram was further developed based on the screened factors,and the efficacy of the model was tested.Results Compared with patients in the CSVD-NCI group,patients in the CSVD-CI group had higher neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio(NLR)(3.03±2.56 vs 2.33±1.34)and(1.58±0.27 vs 1.49±0.28),and a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate[eGFR:88.59±16.59 ml/(min·1.73m2)vs 94.02±12.45 ml/(min·1.73m2)],with significant differences(t=2.282,2.426,2.689,all P＜0.05).Compared with patients in the CSVD-NCI group,patients in the CSVD-CI group had lower proportion of males(43.4％vs 67.7％)and level of education(2.13±1.50 vs 2.86),and the differences were significant(x2=13.516,t=4.283,all P＜0.05).NLR(OR:1.20,95％CI:1.01～1.43),sex(OR:0.43,95％CI:0.24～0.79),eGFR(OR:0.97,95％CI:0.95～0.99)and education degree(OR:0.72,95％CI:0.57～0.91)were the impact factors for cognitive impairment in CSVD patients.The nomogram prediction model based on these four factors had good efficacy in predicting cognitive impairment(AUC=0.704,95％CI:0.633～0.766).Conclusion The nomogram constructed in this study has moderate accuracy and clinical utility in predicting the occurrence of cognitive impairment in CSVD patients.

Objective To study the effects of vision on human postural control and the connection mechanisms of the brain's functional network.Methods 15 healthy male adults were required to perform 30 s of balanced standing on both legs with eyes open and eyes closed.The center of pressure(COP)and electroencephalograph(EEG)were recorded during balance.The sample entropy(sample En)of the COP was calculated.The phase lag index(PLI)in θ-,α-,β-band of EEG was calculated to construct the brain functional networks,and the clustering coefficient(C),characteristic path length(L),and the criteria(σ)of the small-world network were calculated based on graph theory.Results During balanced standing on both legs,the SampleEn of the COPY with eyes closed was significantly higher than that with eyes open(P＜0.05).The mean value of PLI in the α-band under the eyes closed state was significantly higher than that under the eyes open state(P＜0.05).The C and σ values in the α-band under the eyes closed state were significantly higher than those under the eyes open state,and the L value was significantly lower than that under the eyes open state(P＜0.05).The frontal-central-parietal connectivity and the central-parietal connectivity strength in the α-band under the eyes closed state were significantly higher than those under the eyes open state(P＜0.05).The average PLI and C values in the α-band were moderately negatively correlated with the SampleEn of COPY (P＜0.05).The average PLI of the left prefrontal area,left parietal area,and left occipital area in the α-band under the eyes closed state had a moderate negative correlation with the SampleEn of COPY.The average PLI of the left central region and the right occipital area in the eyes-closed state was moderately negatively correlated with the SampleEn of COPY.Conclusions During the standing balance,when there is no visual input,the stability of body balance decreases,accompanied by enhanced brain network connectivity in α-band and the requirement for efficiency enhancement in information processing in the brain.The brain adopts different neural strategies when performing postural control under various visual conditions.