ObjectiveTo analyze the trend of stroke mortality among residents in Handan City of Hebei Province from 2017 to 2023, to evaluate the impact of this mortality on life expectancy, and to provide data support for formulating stroke prevention and control strategies. MethodsStroke mortality surveillance data were collected in Handan City from 2017 to 2023. The crude mortality rate, standardized mortality rate, gender-specific mortality rate, and subtype-specific mortality rate of stroke were calculated. The average annual percentage change (AAPC) was used to analyze the trend of stroke mortality. Arriaga’s decomposition method was used to estimate the influence of stroke mortality on life expectancy across all age groups and different stroke subtypes. ResultsThe standardized mortality rate of stroke in Handan City fluctuated from 63.51/100 000 to 103.54/100 000 from 2017 to 2023, showing a significant decreasing trend (AAPC=-7.46%, P<0.001). The changes in stroke mortality positively contributed 0.94 years to life expectancy growth. The positive contribution from the 65 to 69 years old group was the greatest, with a contribution of 0.23 years. The declines in the mortality rates of hemorrhagic stroke, ischemic stroke and unclassified stroke contributed 19.94%, 14.61% and 0.44% to life expectancy, respectively. The positive contribution in the 65 to 69 years old group was the greatest, with a contribution of 4.90% and 3.57% for hemorrhagic stroke and ischemic stroke, respectively. The 85 years old and above group made the greatest positive contribution to life expectancy for unclassified stroke, with a contribution of 0.08%. ConclusionThe standardized mortality rate of stroke in Handan City showed a declining trend from 2017 to 2023, which positively contributed to the increase of life expectancy. However, it is still recommended to strengthen the prevention and control of stroke, especially for men and people aged 60 years old and above. At the same time, attention should also be paid to the impact of different factors influencing hemorrhagic stroke and ischemic stroke on life expectancy.

A total of 1 159 measles cases were reported in Zhuhai City from 2005 to 2022, with an average annual incidence rate of 4.21/10 5 (0-30.51/10 5). The M( Q1, Q3) age of the cases was 6.10 years old (10 months,23.20 years old), with the youngest cases being 2 months and the oldest age of 55 years old. The distribution of cases by age group was as follows: individuals aged18 years and older (34.94%), 8-23 months (22.95%), 2-6 years old (16.74%), 7-17 years old(12.86%) and infants under 8 months (12.51%), respectively. The primary groups affected by the disease included scattered children, workers, and students. The regional distribution exhibited distinct clustering characteristics in urban areas or streets with a high concentration of the migrant population. Following the initiation of Measles-containing Vaccine Supplementary Immunization Activities (MCV SIA) in 2009, the incidence of measles in Zhuhai City has significantly decreased, and there is no evident seasonal distribution of cases.

Objective:To explore the changes of brain excitation/inhibition balance and gray matter volume (GMV) and their correlations with clinical features in benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS).Methods:A cross-sectional study was performed; 83 BECTS children enrolled from Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University from January 2015 to January 2024 were selected as BECTS group. During the same period, 101 age- and gender-matched healthy children were recruited as healthy control group through advertisements in local primary schools. Data of conventional MRI and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) of the two groups were collected. Whole brain GMV was analyzed by voxel-based morphometry (VBM), and Hurst index was calculated based on time series data of blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal of rs-fMRI. Correlations of GMV and Hurst index with disease duration and onset age in children with BECTS were explored by Pearson correlation analysis.Results:Compared with the healthy control group, the BECTS group had significantly increased GMV and decreased Hurst index in the bilateral Rolandic region ( P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that in the BECTS group, GMV in bilateral Rolandic region was negatively correlated with onset age ( r=-0.267, P=0.015) and positively correlated with disease course ( r=0.267, P=0.015); Hurst index in bilateral Rolandic region was positively correlated with onset age ( r=0.323, P=0.003) and negatively correlated with disease course ( r=-0.240, P=0.029); Hurst index was negatively correlated with GMV in bilateral Rolandic region ( r=-0.328, P=0.003). Conclusion:BECTS children have excitation/inhibition imbalance in epilepsy-related regions and cortical structural delay, and both of them are related to onset age and disease course.

A total of 1 159 measles cases were reported in Zhuhai City from 2005 to 2022, with an average annual incidence rate of 4.21/10 5 (0-30.51/10 5). The M( Q1, Q3) age of the cases was 6.10 years old (10 months,23.20 years old), with the youngest cases being 2 months and the oldest age of 55 years old. The distribution of cases by age group was as follows: individuals aged18 years and older (34.94%), 8-23 months (22.95%), 2-6 years old (16.74%), 7-17 years old(12.86%) and infants under 8 months (12.51%), respectively. The primary groups affected by the disease included scattered children, workers, and students. The regional distribution exhibited distinct clustering characteristics in urban areas or streets with a high concentration of the migrant population. Following the initiation of Measles-containing Vaccine Supplementary Immunization Activities (MCV SIA) in 2009, the incidence of measles in Zhuhai City has significantly decreased, and there is no evident seasonal distribution of cases.

Objective:To investigate the differences of the glymphatic system (GS) function between patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (mTLE-HS) and healthy controls and between different seizure types by using diffusion tensor imaging along perivascular space (DTI-ALPS), and to analyze the correlation between GS function and the course of disease, as well as the efficacy of predicting the surgical outcome.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. A total of 171 patients with mTLE-HS (mTLE-HS group) and 75 healthy volunteers (HC group) were retrospectively enrolled from July 2009 to July 2021 at Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University. The general information of all subjects, such as seizure type (partial seizure, secondary generalized seizure), surgical outcome, etc., was analyzed. The 3D magnetization prepared rapid gradient echo T 1WI and DTI sequence images were collected. The VBM analysis method was used to segment cerebrospinal fluid and calculate the volume. The ALPS index of the bilateral brain was calculated using the Atlas-based DTI-ALPS method. Independent sample t-test or paired t test were used to compare the ALPS index between the mTLE-HS group and HC group, and between patients with different seizure types. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between bilateral ALPS index and disease duration in mTLE-HS group. The predictive value of the ALPS index for surgical outcomes was evaluated by receiver operating characteristics curve and area under the curve. Results:Among the 171 mTLE-HS patients, 98 patients were mTLE with left-side HS (mTLE-LHS) and 73 patients were mTLE with right-side HS (mTLE-RHS); 37 patients underwent surgical treatment, including 27 with good prognosis and 10 with poor prognosis. Compared with the HC group, the left-side ALPS index of mTLE-LHS and mTLE-RHS were both decreased ( P<0.05). The right-side ALPS index in mTLE-RHS was lower than that in the HC group ( P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the right-side ALPS index between mTLE-LHS and HC group ( P=0.080). The ALPS index on the affected side of patients with secondary generalized seizures was significantly lower than that of patients with only partial seizures (all P<0.05), but the difference in ALPS index on the healthy side was not statistically significant( P>0.05). The left-side and right-side ALPS index in mTLE-LHS were negatively correlated with disease duration ( r=-0.272, P=0.007; r=-0.307, P=0.002), but no significant correlation was found between the left-side or right-side ALPS index in mTLE-RHS (all P>0.05). The DTI-ALPS index on the affected side in mTLE-HS patients exhibited good diagnostic accuracy for surgical outcome classification, with an area under the curve of 0.778. Conclusions:The patients with mTLE-HS exhibit dysfunction of the GS, and the degree of impairment is related to the type of seizure and the course of epilepsy. The ALPS index, which characterizes the function of GS, demonstrates good diagnostic accuracy for classifying surgical outcomes.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of mitral valve transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) in patients with non-central degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR).Methods:This retrospective study included patients with non-central DMR who underwent TEER at Fuwai Hospital between January 2021 and February 2024. Patients were categorized into two groups: the commissure-involved group and the non-commissure group, based on whether the mitral valve commissures were involved. Clinical data, surgical outcomes, and echocardiographic findings at 3 months postoperatively were collected and compared, and patients were followed up. The primary endpoint was the procedural success rate at discharge.Results:A total of 59 patients were included, aged (68.6±9.3) years, including 23 females (39%). In the overall study population, 78% (46/59) of patients had severe mitral regurgitation. Forty-two cases were in the non-commissure group, and 17 cases were in the commissure-involved group. Patients in the non-commissure group mainly had lesions in the A1/P1 region, while patients in the commissure-involved group mainly had lesions in the A3/P3 region. There was no significant difference in the procedural success rate at discharge (93% vs. 88%, P=0.95) and the incidence of postoperative complications (5% vs. 6%, P=1.00) between the two groups. Two patients in the commissure-involved group experienced single leaflet device attachment, with one of them requiring conversion to surgical mitral valve surgery; In the non-commissure group, two patients experienced single-valve clamping, and one of them was converted to surgical mitral valve surgery. The follow-up time of the entire cohort was (15.5±10.3) months. In the non-commissure group, 2 patients died and 2 were readmitted. While in the commissure-involved group, no patients died and only 1 patient was readmitted. Conclusion:TEER is an effective treatment for patients with non-central DMR involving the commissures, without increasing the incidence of postoperative complications.

Objective:To explore the changes of brain excitation/inhibition balance and gray matter volume (GMV) and their correlations with clinical features in benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS).Methods:A cross-sectional study was performed; 83 BECTS children enrolled from Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University from January 2015 to January 2024 were selected as BECTS group. During the same period, 101 age- and gender-matched healthy children were recruited as healthy control group through advertisements in local primary schools. Data of conventional MRI and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) of the two groups were collected. Whole brain GMV was analyzed by voxel-based morphometry (VBM), and Hurst index was calculated based on time series data of blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal of rs-fMRI. Correlations of GMV and Hurst index with disease duration and onset age in children with BECTS were explored by Pearson correlation analysis.Results:Compared with the healthy control group, the BECTS group had significantly increased GMV and decreased Hurst index in the bilateral Rolandic region ( P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that in the BECTS group, GMV in bilateral Rolandic region was negatively correlated with onset age ( r=-0.267, P=0.015) and positively correlated with disease course ( r=0.267, P=0.015); Hurst index in bilateral Rolandic region was positively correlated with onset age ( r=0.323, P=0.003) and negatively correlated with disease course ( r=-0.240, P=0.029); Hurst index was negatively correlated with GMV in bilateral Rolandic region ( r=-0.328, P=0.003). Conclusion:BECTS children have excitation/inhibition imbalance in epilepsy-related regions and cortical structural delay, and both of them are related to onset age and disease course.

Objective:To investigate the differences of the glymphatic system (GS) function between patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (mTLE-HS) and healthy controls and between different seizure types by using diffusion tensor imaging along perivascular space (DTI-ALPS), and to analyze the correlation between GS function and the course of disease, as well as the efficacy of predicting the surgical outcome.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. A total of 171 patients with mTLE-HS (mTLE-HS group) and 75 healthy volunteers (HC group) were retrospectively enrolled from July 2009 to July 2021 at Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University. The general information of all subjects, such as seizure type (partial seizure, secondary generalized seizure), surgical outcome, etc., was analyzed. The 3D magnetization prepared rapid gradient echo T 1WI and DTI sequence images were collected. The VBM analysis method was used to segment cerebrospinal fluid and calculate the volume. The ALPS index of the bilateral brain was calculated using the Atlas-based DTI-ALPS method. Independent sample t-test or paired t test were used to compare the ALPS index between the mTLE-HS group and HC group, and between patients with different seizure types. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between bilateral ALPS index and disease duration in mTLE-HS group. The predictive value of the ALPS index for surgical outcomes was evaluated by receiver operating characteristics curve and area under the curve. Results:Among the 171 mTLE-HS patients, 98 patients were mTLE with left-side HS (mTLE-LHS) and 73 patients were mTLE with right-side HS (mTLE-RHS); 37 patients underwent surgical treatment, including 27 with good prognosis and 10 with poor prognosis. Compared with the HC group, the left-side ALPS index of mTLE-LHS and mTLE-RHS were both decreased ( P<0.05). The right-side ALPS index in mTLE-RHS was lower than that in the HC group ( P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the right-side ALPS index between mTLE-LHS and HC group ( P=0.080). The ALPS index on the affected side of patients with secondary generalized seizures was significantly lower than that of patients with only partial seizures (all P<0.05), but the difference in ALPS index on the healthy side was not statistically significant( P>0.05). The left-side and right-side ALPS index in mTLE-LHS were negatively correlated with disease duration ( r=-0.272, P=0.007; r=-0.307, P=0.002), but no significant correlation was found between the left-side or right-side ALPS index in mTLE-RHS (all P>0.05). The DTI-ALPS index on the affected side in mTLE-HS patients exhibited good diagnostic accuracy for surgical outcome classification, with an area under the curve of 0.778. Conclusions:The patients with mTLE-HS exhibit dysfunction of the GS, and the degree of impairment is related to the type of seizure and the course of epilepsy. The ALPS index, which characterizes the function of GS, demonstrates good diagnostic accuracy for classifying surgical outcomes.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of mitral valve transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) in patients with non-central degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR).Methods:This retrospective study included patients with non-central DMR who underwent TEER at Fuwai Hospital between January 2021 and February 2024. Patients were categorized into two groups: the commissure-involved group and the non-commissure group, based on whether the mitral valve commissures were involved. Clinical data, surgical outcomes, and echocardiographic findings at 3 months postoperatively were collected and compared, and patients were followed up. The primary endpoint was the procedural success rate at discharge.Results:A total of 59 patients were included, aged (68.6±9.3) years, including 23 females (39%). In the overall study population, 78% (46/59) of patients had severe mitral regurgitation. Forty-two cases were in the non-commissure group, and 17 cases were in the commissure-involved group. Patients in the non-commissure group mainly had lesions in the A1/P1 region, while patients in the commissure-involved group mainly had lesions in the A3/P3 region. There was no significant difference in the procedural success rate at discharge (93% vs. 88%, P=0.95) and the incidence of postoperative complications (5% vs. 6%, P=1.00) between the two groups. Two patients in the commissure-involved group experienced single leaflet device attachment, with one of them requiring conversion to surgical mitral valve surgery; In the non-commissure group, two patients experienced single-valve clamping, and one of them was converted to surgical mitral valve surgery. The follow-up time of the entire cohort was (15.5±10.3) months. In the non-commissure group, 2 patients died and 2 were readmitted. While in the commissure-involved group, no patients died and only 1 patient was readmitted. Conclusion:TEER is an effective treatment for patients with non-central DMR involving the commissures, without increasing the incidence of postoperative complications.

Objective To examine the influence of hormonal fluctuations on the perioperative outcomes of patients undergoing congenital heart surgery. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of clinical data from fertile women diagnosed with congenital heart disease at the Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, between January 1, 2015, and July 30, 2019. Initially, patients were categorized into groups based on serum progesterone levels: a low progesterone group (n=31) and a high progesterone group (n=153). Furthermore, based on serum estrogen levels, they were divided into a low estrogen group (n=10), a medium estrogen group (n=32), and a high estrogen group (n=118) for comparative analysis. A control group (n=24) consisted of patients who received progesterone injections before their menstrual period. Results We finally included 184 patients. The patients’ average age was 27.6±5.7 years, with 142 (77.17%) presenting with complex congenital heart conditions. There were statistically significant differences in total postoperative standard thoracic drainage volume and postoperative albumin level between the high and low progesterone groups (P<0.05), while other perioperative outcome indicators showed no statistical differences (P>0.05). Among the different serum estrogen level groups, there were statistically significant differences in postoperative blood urea nitrogen levels, total postoperative standard thoracic drainage volume, and hospital stay (P<0.05), while other perioperative outcome indicators showed no statistical differences (P>0.05). Conclusion Considering the overall clinical significance, the physiological changes in sex hormone levels appear to have a negligible effect on the perioperative outcomes of fertile women with congenital heart disease.