Lianggesan was first recorded in Taiping Huimin Heji Jufang， which was composed of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma， Natrii Sulfas， Gardeniae Fructus， Forsythiae Fructus， Scutellariae Radix， Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma（GRR）， Menthae Haplocalycis Herba， Lophatheri Herba and Mel. It was clinically applied to treat fire-heat syndrome in the upper and middle Jiao， and the curative effect was positive. In this study， the bibliometric method was used to conduct a detailed textual research on the formula name， medicinal composition， dosage evolution， origin and processing， functional indications and other aspects of Lianggesan. Research revealed that Lianggesan has six other names， such as Lianqiao Yinzi， Lianqiao Jiedusan， Jufang Lianggesan， Jiegu Lianggesan， Hejian Lianggesan and Qingji Lianggesan. Based on the edition of Taiping Huimin Heji Jufang， an analysis of the evolution of its formula composition revealed that the missing Chinese medicines were predominantly bamboo leaves and honey， while the added Chinese medicines were primarily supplements introduced to address changes in disease manifestations. After textual research， the dosage for one dose of Lianggesan from Taiping Huimin Heji Jufang was as follows：826 g of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma， 826 g of Natrii Sulfas， 826 g of GRR， 413 g of Gardeniae Fructus， 413 g of Menthae Haplocalycis Herba， 413 g of Scutellariae Radix， and 1652 g of Forsythiae Fructus. Decocting method was as following：Grinding the Chinese medicines into coarse powder（2-4 mm）， taking 8.16 g per dose， adding 300 mL of water， along with 2 g of Lophatheri Herba and 5 g of Mel， and decocting to 140 mL. The residue was removed and taken warmly 30 min after meals. It was recommended to take it three times daily until improvement was achieved. The origins of the 9 Chinese medicines were consistent with the 2020 edition of Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China. Except for GRR， which required single frying（stir-frying）， the remaining medicines were all raw products. The description of the function of this formula in ancient books was summarized as purging fire and promoting bowel movements， clearing heat from the upper body and purging the lower body， and the main syndromes included facial redness， tongue swelling， red eyes， etc. In modern applications， the formula is primarily used for respiratory and digestive system diseases， including acute lung injury， chronic obstructive pulmonary disease， herpetic angina and aphthous stomatitis， covering 142 types of diseases. In summary， this paper can provide a basis for further research and development of Lianggesan through the literature review and key information combing.

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a highly aggressive hematologic malignancy with a poor prognosis, despite advancements in treatment. Many patients struggle with relapse or refractory disease. Investigating the role of the super-enhancer (SE) regulated gene ubiquitin-specific protease 20 (USP20) in T-ALL could enhance targeted therapies and improve clinical outcomes. Analysis of histone H3 lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27ac) chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) data from six T-ALL cell lines and seven pediatric samples identified USP20 as an SE-regulated driver gene. Utilizing the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) and BloodSpot databases, it was found that USP20 is specifically highly expressed in T-ALL. Knocking down USP20 with short hairpin RNA (shRNA) increased apoptosis and inhibited proliferation in T-ALL cells. In vivo studies showed that USP20 knockdown reduced tumor growth and improved survival. The USP20 inhibitor GSK2643943A demonstrated similar anti-tumor effects. Mass spectrometry, RNA-Seq, and immunoprecipitation revealed that USP20 interacted with hypoxia-inducible factor 1 subunit alpha (HIF1A) and stabilized it by deubiquitination. Cleavage under targets and tagmentation (CUT&Tag) results indicated that USP20 co-localized with HIF1A, jointly modulating target genes in T-ALL. This study identifies USP20 as a therapeutic target in T-ALL and suggests GSK2643943A as a potential treatment strategy.

Retiform hemangioendothelioma (RH) is a rare vasogenic malignancy with a high local recurrence rate and rare distant metastasis. Hepatic RH in infants is extremely rare. Here we report a case of liver RH in a 7-month-old infant.

Objective:To investigate the alterations in brain dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) and their significance in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with postural instability/gait difficulty (PIGD).Methods:Ninety PD patients admitted to Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from May 2016 to August 2019 were recruited, and 54 healthy controls matched with gender and age were chosen; their clinical data and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) data were collected. PD patients were divided into PD with PIGD (PD-PIGD) group ( n=49) and PD without PIGD (PD-non-PIGD) group ( n=41) according to Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores. Independent component analysis (ICA), sliding window method and k-means clustering were used to analyze the dFNC and compare among groups. Correlations of dFNC alterations with clinical scales were verified by partial correlation analysis. Results:Four repeated recurring functional connectivity states were identified, and PD-PIGD patients had high frequency in state 3 (44%) and state 2 (23%) of the low dFNC. In terms of dFNC time attributes, PD-PIGD patients had longer mean dwell time in state 3 than PD-non-PIGD patients and had lower number of transitions in state 3 than PD-non-PIGD patients and healthy controls, with significant differences ( P<0.05); PD-PIGD patients had significantly higher fractional windows and statistically longer mean dwell time in state 2 than healthy controls ( P<0.05). In terms of dFNC strengths, compared with healthy controls, PD-PIGD patients showed significantly decreased functional connectivity within default mode network (DMN, between medial superior frontal gyrus and precuneus) and auditory network (AN, between superior temporal gyrus and middle temporal gyrus), but significantly increased functional connectivity between sensorimotor network (SMN, supplementary motor area) and DMN (precuneus) in state 2 ( P<0.05, false discovery rate [FDR]-corrected). Partial correlation analysis indicated positive correlation between mean dwell time in state 3 and PIGD scores in PD-PIGD patients ( r=0.450, P=0.039). Conclusion:PD-PIGD patients exhibit specific dFNC, mainly characterized by low connectivity of the brain functional network and prolonged dwell time; local functional network domains often separate between DMN, AN and SMN networks and within the networks.

Objectives:To construct a nomogram prediction model using common preoperative indicators for early weight loss (EWL) 1 year after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG).Methods:Relevant data of obese patients who had undergone LSG from January 2015 to May 2022 in Fujian Medical University Union Hospital and Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated Fujian Medical University were analyzed. Patients with a history of major abdominal surgery, severe gastroesophageal reflux disease, pregnancy within 1 year after surgery, or who were lost to follow-up were excluded, resulting in a total of 200 patients in the study (190 from Fujian Medical University Union Hospital and 10 from Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated Fujian Medical University). The participants were 51 men and 149 women of a mean age 29.9±8.2 years and a body mass index (BMI) 38.7±6.5 kg/m 2. All patients in this group underwent standardized LSG procedure. Achieving ideal weight (BMI≤25 kg/m 2) 1 year after LSG was defined as goal of EWL. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors that independently influenced EWL. These factors were incorporated into the nomogram model. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (the larger the area under the curve [AUC], the better the predictive ability and accuracy of the model), likelihood ratio test (higher likelihood ratio indicates greater model homogeneity), decision curve analysis (higher net benefit indicates a better model), Akaike information criterion (AIC; smaller AIC indicates a better model), and Bayesian information criterion (BIC; smaller BIC indicates a better model) were used to validate the predictive ability of the column line diagram model. Results:In this study of 200 obese patients who underwent LSG surgery, 136 achieved EWL goal, whereas the remaining 64 did not. The rate of EWL goal achievement of the entire group was 68.0%. Compared with patients who did not achieve EWL goal, those who did had lower BMI, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, triglycerides, and higher cholesterol. Additionally, the proportion of female was higher and the proportions of patients with fatty liver and hypertension lower in those who achieved EWL goal (all P<0.05). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that preoperative BMI (OR=0.852, 95%CI: 0.796-0.912, P<0.001), alanine transaminase (OR=0.992, 95%CI: 0.985-0.999, P=0.024), presence of fatty liver (OR=0.185, 95%CI: 0.038-0.887, P=0.035) and hypertension (OR=0.374, 95%CI: 0.144-0.969, P=0.043) were independently associated with failure to achieve EWL goal. Cholesterol (OR=1.428, 95%CI: 1.052-1.939, P=0.022) was independently associated with achieving EWL goal. We used the above variables to establish an EWL nomogram model. ROC analysis, the likelihood ratio test, decision curve analysis, and AIC all revealed that the predictive value of the model was better than that of BMI alone (nomogram model vs. BMI: area under the curve 0.840 vs. 0.798, P=0.047; likelihood ratio: 58.785 vs. 36.565, AIC: 193.066 vs. 207.063, BIC: 212.856 vs. 213.660). Conclusion:Our predictive model is more accurate in predicting EWL after LSG compared with using BMI.

Objectives:To construct a nomogram prediction model using common preoperative indicators for early weight loss (EWL) 1 year after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG).Methods:Relevant data of obese patients who had undergone LSG from January 2015 to May 2022 in Fujian Medical University Union Hospital and Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated Fujian Medical University were analyzed. Patients with a history of major abdominal surgery, severe gastroesophageal reflux disease, pregnancy within 1 year after surgery, or who were lost to follow-up were excluded, resulting in a total of 200 patients in the study (190 from Fujian Medical University Union Hospital and 10 from Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated Fujian Medical University). The participants were 51 men and 149 women of a mean age 29.9±8.2 years and a body mass index (BMI) 38.7±6.5 kg/m 2. All patients in this group underwent standardized LSG procedure. Achieving ideal weight (BMI≤25 kg/m 2) 1 year after LSG was defined as goal of EWL. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors that independently influenced EWL. These factors were incorporated into the nomogram model. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (the larger the area under the curve [AUC], the better the predictive ability and accuracy of the model), likelihood ratio test (higher likelihood ratio indicates greater model homogeneity), decision curve analysis (higher net benefit indicates a better model), Akaike information criterion (AIC; smaller AIC indicates a better model), and Bayesian information criterion (BIC; smaller BIC indicates a better model) were used to validate the predictive ability of the column line diagram model. Results:In this study of 200 obese patients who underwent LSG surgery, 136 achieved EWL goal, whereas the remaining 64 did not. The rate of EWL goal achievement of the entire group was 68.0%. Compared with patients who did not achieve EWL goal, those who did had lower BMI, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, triglycerides, and higher cholesterol. Additionally, the proportion of female was higher and the proportions of patients with fatty liver and hypertension lower in those who achieved EWL goal (all P<0.05). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that preoperative BMI (OR=0.852, 95%CI: 0.796-0.912, P<0.001), alanine transaminase (OR=0.992, 95%CI: 0.985-0.999, P=0.024), presence of fatty liver (OR=0.185, 95%CI: 0.038-0.887, P=0.035) and hypertension (OR=0.374, 95%CI: 0.144-0.969, P=0.043) were independently associated with failure to achieve EWL goal. Cholesterol (OR=1.428, 95%CI: 1.052-1.939, P=0.022) was independently associated with achieving EWL goal. We used the above variables to establish an EWL nomogram model. ROC analysis, the likelihood ratio test, decision curve analysis, and AIC all revealed that the predictive value of the model was better than that of BMI alone (nomogram model vs. BMI: area under the curve 0.840 vs. 0.798, P=0.047; likelihood ratio: 58.785 vs. 36.565, AIC: 193.066 vs. 207.063, BIC: 212.856 vs. 213.660). Conclusion:Our predictive model is more accurate in predicting EWL after LSG compared with using BMI.

Objective : To investigate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of cases with pertussis in Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province, so as to provide insights into pertussis diagnosis and control. Methods: A total of 186 patients with definitive diagnosis of pertussis in medical institutions in Yiwu City from November 1, 2020 to August 31, 2022 were recruited, and subjects' demographic, clinical symptoms and history of pertussis vaccination were collected using questionnaire surveys. The temporal, population, and spatial distribution and clinical symptoms of pertussis were analyzed using a descriptive epidemiological method, and the clinical characteristics of pertussis patients with different doses of pertussis vaccination were compared. Results: Pertussis was found to predominantly occur during the period between July and November (101 cases, 54.30%), and the three highest-incidence regions included Jiangdong Street, Beiyuan Street and Choujiang Street (87 cases, 46.77%). The 186 pertussis cases included 105 males (56.45%) and 81 females (43.55%), and included 144 cases with age of onset under 7 year (77.42%). Preschool and diaspora children were predominant among all pertussis cases, and the main clinical symptoms included spasmodic cough (97 cases, 52.15%), post-tussive vomiting (82 cases, 44.09%) and aggravated cough at night (77 cases, 41.40%). Routine blood tests measured 119 cases with abnormal white blood cell counts (63.98%), 137 cases with abnormal lymphocyte counts (73.66%), 39 cases with abnormal neutrophil counts (20.97%), 21 cases with abnormal platelet counts (11.29%) and 111 cases with abnormal hemoglobin concentrations (59.68%). There were 55 cases that were unvaccinated (29.57%), 23 cases that were not fully vaccinated (12.37%), and 108 cases that were fully vaccinated (58.06%). There were significant differences among pertussis cases with different doses of vaccination in terms of age, incidence of post-tussive vomiting, percentage of abnormal platelet counts and percentage of hemoglobin concentrations (all P<0.05). Conclusions The majority of pertussis cases are preschool and diaspora children in Yiwu City from November 1, 2020 to August 31, 2022, and the clinical symptoms mainly include spasmodic cough, post-tussive vomiting and aggravated cough at night, with atypical symptoms. The capability for differential diagnosis of pertussis is required to be improved in medical institutions.

Objective:To investigate the construction and application value of a predictive model for prolonged surgical duration in Da Vinci robotic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer.Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 534 patients who underwent Da Vinci robotic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer in the Fujian Medical University Union Hospital from August 2016 to August 2021 were collected. There were 389 males and 145 females, aged (60±11)years. All 534 patients were randomly divided into the training dataset of 374 cases and the validation dataset of 160 cases with a ratio of 7∶3 based on random number method in the SPSS 25.0 software. Observation indicators: (1) incidence of prolonged surgical duration; (2) intraoperative and postoperative conditions in patients with prolonged surgical duration and without prolonged surgical duration; (3) complications in patients with prolonged surgical duration and without prolonged surgical duration; (4) analysis of risk factors influencing prolonged surgical duration; (5) construction and evaluation of an artificial neural network predictive model for pro-longed surgical duration. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the independent sample t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers or per-centages, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Comparison of ordinal data was analyzed using the nonparametric test. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using the Logistic regression model. Based on the results of univariate analysis, a multilayer perceptron was employed to train an artificial neural network pre-dictive model for prolonged surgical duration. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn, and the area under curve (AUC), the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were used to assess the model′s performance. Results:(1) Incidence of prolonged surgical duration. Of 534 patients, 284 cases underwent total gastrectomy, and 250 cases underwent distal gastrectomy, with operation time of (206±42)minutes and (187±36)minutes, res-pectively. Cases with prolonged surgical duration and without prolonged surgical duration who under-went total gastrectomy were 41 and 243, and cases with prolonged surgical duration and without prolonged surgical duration who underwent distal gastrectomy were 40 and 210. The gender (male, female), age, body mass index (BMI), tumor diameter, tumor location (upper stomach, middle stomach, lower stomach, mixed type), cases with neoadjuvant therapy, cases with preoperative American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score as 1, 2, 3, cases with clinical T staging as stage T1, stage T2, stage T3, stage T4a, cases with clinical N staging as stage N0, stage N1, stage N2, stage N3, cases with clinical TNM staging as stage Ⅰ, stage Ⅱ, stage Ⅲ, cases with surgical resection scope as total gastrec-tomy or distal gastrectomy, cases with digestive tract reconstruction method as Billroth-Ⅰ anasto-mosis, Billroth-Ⅱ anastomosis, Roux-en-Y anastomosis, cases with surgeon experiences as ≤20 cases or >20 cases were 61,20, (61±9)years, (24±3)kg/m2, 4.0(2.5, 5.0)cm, 34, 10, 33, 4, 1, 3, 73, 5, 3, 6, 26, 46, 14, 41, 19, 7, 5, 13, 63, 41, 40, 1, 33, 47, 5, 76 in the 81 patients with prolonged surgical duration, versus 328, 125, (60±11)years, (23±3)kg/m2, 3.5(2.0, 5.0)cm, 129, 71, 227, 26, 6, 45, 382, 26, 73, 100, 118, 162, 211, 180, 52, 10, 138, 108,207, 243, 210, 13,200, 240, 15, 438 in the 453 patients without prolonged surgical duration, showing significant differences in the BMI, clinical T staging, clinical N staging, clinical TNM staging ( t=-3.68, Z=-4.63, -5.53, -5.56, P<0.05), and no significant difference in the gender, age, tumor diameter, tumor location, preoperative ASA score, surgical resec-tion scope, digestive tract reconstruction method, and surgeon experiences ( χ2=0.29, t=-0.95, Z=-1.27, χ2=5.92, Z=-1.46, χ2=0.25, 1.35, 0.87, P>0.05). There was no significant difference in cases with neoadjuvant therapy between them ( P>0.05). (2) Intraoperative and postoperative conditions in patients with prolonged surgical duration and without prolonged surgical duration. The operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss, the number of lymph nodes dissected, time to postopera-tive first ambulation, time to postoperative anal exhaust, time to postoperative first intake of liquid diet, time to postoperative first intake of semi-liquid diet, duration of postoperative hospital stay were (261±34)minutes, 50(30, 50)mL, 39±15, (2.3±0.6)days, (3.4±0.9)days, (4.1±1.2)days, (5.7±1.2)days, 8.0(7.0, 9.0)days in the 81 patients with prolonged surgical duration, versus (186±29)minutes, 30(20,50)mL, 42±14, (2.2±0.6)days, (3.4±0.8)days, (4.1±1.1)days, (5.7±1.4)days, 8.0(7.0, 9.0)days in the 453 patients without prolonged surgical duration, showing significant differences in operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss ( t=-20.46, Z=-3.32, P<0.05), and no significant difference in the number of lymph nodes dissected, time to postoperative first ambulation, time to postopera-tive anal exhaust, time to postoperative first intake of liquid diet, time to first intake of semi-liquid diet, duration of postoperative hospital stay ( t=1.87, -0.87, -0.16, 0.28, 0.03, Z=-1.45, P>0.05). (3) Complications in patients with prolonged surgical duration and without prolonged surgical duration. The overall incidence of complications, incidence of surgical complications (abdominal infection, anastomotic fistula, abdominal bleeding, incision-related complications, intestinal obstruction, lymphatic fistula), incidence of medical complications (pulmonary infection, liver-related complications) were 22.22%(18/81), 0, 0, 2.47%(2/81), 0, 8.64%(7/81), 1.23%(1/81), 12.35%(10/81), 1.23%(1/81) in the 81 patients with prolonged surgical duration, versus 13.47%(61/453), 2.65%(12/453), 0.44%(2/453), 1.77%(8/453), 0.44%(2/453), 3.31%(15/453), 0, 7.28%(33/453), 1.55%(7/453) in the 453 patients without prolonged surgical duration, showing a significant difference in the overall incidence of complications ( χ2=4.18, P<0.05), and no significant difference in the incidence of abdo-minal infection, anastomotic fistula, abdominal bleeding, incision-related complications, intestinal obstruction, lymphatic fistula, liver-related complications ( P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of pulmonary infection between them ( χ2=2.38, P>0.05). (4) Analysis of risk factors influencing prolonged surgical duration. Results of univariate analysis showed that BMI ≥25 kg/m2, tumor located in the lower stomach, clinical T3-T4a stage, clinical N1-N3 stage were correlated factors influencing prolonged surgical duration in Da Vinci robotic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer ( odds ratio=1.88, 0.40, 6.24, 6.51, 3.08, 3.39, 17.15, 95% confidence interval as 1.03-3.42, 0.21-0.76, 1.40-27.76, 1.50-28.30, 1.43-6.60, 1.29-8.92, 4.84-60.74, P<0.05). Results of multivariate analysis showed that BMI ≥25 kg/m2, clinical T3 stage, clinical N3 stage were independent risk factors influencing prolonged surgical duration in Da Vinci robotic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer ( odds ratio=2.31, 4.97, 11.08, 95% confidence interval as 1.19-4.46, 1.05-23.55, 2.72-45.13, P<0.05). (5) Construction and evaluation of an artificial neural network predictive model for pro-longed surgical duration. The BMI, tumor location, clinical T staging, and clinical N staging were incorporated into a multilayer perceptron to construct an artificial neural network predictive model for prolonged surgical duration. Results of ROC curve showed that the AUC, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value of the predictive model in the training dataset were 0.73 (95% confidence interval as 0.68-0.78), 91.4%, 68.1%, 94.8%, 65.3%, 95.4%. The above indicators of the predictive model in the validation dataset 0.72 (95% confidence interval as 0.65-0.79), 88.1%, 67.6%, 93.7%, 74.2%, 91.5%. Conclusions:BMI ≥25 kg/m2, clinical T3 stage, clinical N3 stage are independent risk factors influencing prolonged surgical duration in Da Vinci robotic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer. The artificial neural network predictive model con-structed based on BMI, tumor location, clinical T staging, and clinical N staging can effectively predict patients at high risk of prolonged surgical duration in Da Vinci robotic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer.

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional bowel disorder (FBD). Objectives: To assess the therapeutic effects of paeoniflorin (PF) on IBS in rats.Method: Sixty male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal, model, positive drug, low-dose PF, medium-dose PF and high-dose PF groups (n = 10). After gavage for 2 consecutive weeks, the effect of PF on abdominal pain symptoms was assessed based on the abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) score, fecal water content and pathological changes in colon tissues. D-lactate, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and phosphorylated nuclear factor kappa B (p-NF-κB) p65 was detected by Western blotting. The abundance and diversity changes of intestinal flora were explored using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing.Result: In PF groups, the mucosal morphology of colon tissues was intact, and the glands were arranged neatly and structured clearly, without obvious inflammatory cell infiltration.Compared with the model group, PF groups had significantly elevated pain threshold, and mRNA and protein levels of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and occludin, decreased AWR score at 20 mmHg pressure, fecal water content, mRNA levels of IL-1β, TGF-β, and TNF-α, protein level of p-NF-κB p65 and level of serum D-lactate, and reduced levels of serum IL-1β, TGF-β, and TNF-α (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). PF groups had higher abundance of Lactobacillus, Akkermansia, Alistipes, and Bacteroides, but lower abundance of Desulfovibrio, Parasutterella, and Enterococcus than those of the model group. Conclusions PF exerts therapeutic effects on IBS in rats probably by regulating the intestinal flora, and then up-regulating the expressions of ZO-1 and occludin in colon tissue while down-regulating the levels of IL-1β, TGF-β, TNF-α, D-lactate and p-NF-κB p65.

Objective:To investigate the alterations of amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and functional connectivity (FC) in patients with Parkinson′s disease (PD) with apathy.Methods:From May 2016 to August 2019, PD patients and age-, gender-and education level-matched healthy controls (HC) in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were prospectively recruited. The clinical and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) data of PD patients and HC were analyzed. According to the Starkstein Apathy Scale (SAS) scores, PD patients were divided into PD with apathy (PD-A) group and PD without apathy (PD-NA) group. Rs-fMRI images were processed by DPABI based on MATLAB. ALFF values were calculated and the standard ALFF (zALFF) were obtained. ANOVA and Post-Hoc t test were performed to compare the differences in local brain activity among the three groups. The brain regions with significant different zALFF values were selected as the seeds to calculate the FC values of the whole brain. The associations between FC values and the SAS scores were performed using pearson correlation analyses. Results:A total of 75 PD patients (50 males, 25 females, aged from 44 to 88 years) and 41 HC (25 males, 16 females, aged from 54 to 72 years) were enrolled. There were 42 patients in the PD-A group and 33 patients in the PD-NA group. Significant differences were found in zALFF values among the PD-A, PD-NA and HC groups ( P<0.05). After Post-Hoc t test, compared with the HC group, zALFF values were significantly increased in the right middle frontal gyrus in the PD-A group ( P<0.05) and significantly decreased in the left precuneus in the PD-NA group; The zALFF values of the right middle frontal gyrus and left precuneus in the PD-A group were significantly higher than those in PD-NA group ( P<0.05). Brain regions with different zALFF values were used as seeds for whole-brain FC. Compared with PD-NA group, FC values between the right middle frontal gyrus and bilateral precuneus, left superior frontal gyrus and its medial side, left middle frontal gyrus, left angular, left anterior cingulate gyrus, left posterior cingulate gyrus, left parahippocampal gyrus were significantly decreased in the PD-A group ( P<0.05). Additionally, FC values of PD patients between the right middle frontal gyrus with the left precuneus, the left superior frontal gyrus and its medial side, and the left middle frontal gyrus were negatively correlated with SAS scores ( r=-0.31, -0.30 and -0.34, both P<0.05). Conclusion:PD-A and PD-NA patients have different brain functional activities and connections in the frontal lobe, parietal lobe and limbic system, suggesting that apathy in PD may be associated with the abnormal functional connections of the frontal-parietal cortical circuit and the frontal-limbic-striatal loop.