ObjectiveTo develop an assessment tool for apraxia of speech (AOS) of Chinese Putonghua speakers and test its reliability and validity. MethodsThe Chinese Apraxia of Speech Assessment and Diagnostic Tool (CAADT) was developed based on the Apraxia of Speech Rating Scale 3.5, combined with the linguistic characteristics of Chinese and clinical experience. The tool consistsed of eleven items across three sections: articulation, prosody and alternating motion rates. Six experts evaluated the content validity. From November, 2024 to May, 2025, 51 patients with post-stroke AOS (experimental group) and ten patients with post-stroke aphasia without AOS (control group) were recruited from Anhui Wannan Rehabilitation Hospital (the Fifth People's Hospital of Wuhu), and tested with CAADT. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's α coefficient, Kendall's coefficient of concordance W and Pearson correlation coefficient. Validity was evaluated using the content validity index (CVI) and Spearman correlation coefficient. Discriminative effect was analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. ResultsThe Cronbach's α coefficients for the articulation and prosody sections and the total scale were all > 0.9, while it was 0.454 for the alternating motion rates. Inter-rater reliability was good (W ≥ 0.598, P < 0.001). Test-retest reliability showed high positive correlations for the three sections and the total score between the two assessments (r ≥ 0.84, P < 0.001). The scale-level CVI was 0.95, and the item-level CVI ≥ 0.83. The Spearman correlation coefficients among the sections ranged from 0.30 to 0.70. ROC analysis revealed an area under the curve of 0.953, with a cut-off value of 11, yielding a sensitivity of 0.92 and a specificity of 0.90. ConclusionCAADT demonstrates good reliability, validity and discriminative effect, which can be used for clinical assessment and auxiliary diagnosis of Chinese Putonghua speaking patients with post-stroke AOS.

For middle-aged and elderly patients with conditions such as spinal fractures and degenerative spinal diseases, spinal internal fixation is a core surgical procedure for reconstructing spinal stability, heavily relying on the biomechanical stability provided by pedicle screw systems. Whereas, these patients are often complicated by osteoporosis that can significantly compromise the stability of the bone-pedicle screw interface, leading to a marked increase in pedicle screw loosening and surgical failure rates. The bone cement-augmented pedicle screw technique, which involves injecting bone cement into the vertebral body or screw trajectory to optimize the mechanical properties of the bone-pedicle screw composite, has been proven to significantly enhance fixation strength and effectively prevent screw-related failures, thereby reducing the incidence of internal fixation failure in high-risk populations undergoing spinal fusion. However, the widespread clinical application of this technique has faced challenges such as inaccurate clinical decision-making (indication and contraindication selection), non-standardized operative practices, and insufficient awareness of complication prevention, resulting in considerable variability in clinical outcomes and even severe complications. To address this, Prof. Luo Fei from First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University initiated the project and the Chinese Association Orthopaedic Surgeons organized relevant experts to develop the Evidence-based clinical practice guideline for bone cement-augmented pedicle screw technique ( version 2025), based on current evidence. The guidelines put forward 8 recommendations regarding the clinical value, scope of application, and operational standards of the technique, aiming to provide evidence-based medical support and technical standardization for clinical decision-making.

Objective:To investigate the prognostic effect of femoral resection on patients with soft tissue sarcoma of the thigh with cortical bone involvement.Methods:This retrospective study included patients with soft tissue sarcoma of the thigh diagnosed and treated in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2014 to December 2021. Patients were divided into two groups based on whether femoral resection and reconstruction were performed with 20 in the resection group and 86 in the non-resection group. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to control confounding variables. Overall Survival, recurrence free survival, metastasis free survival, and postoperative functional outcomes were compared between groups before and after PSM. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify risk factors for death, recurrence, and metastasis.Results:Before PSM, the 5-year overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were 46.7% and 36.7% in the resection group, compared to 69.7% and 60.3% in the non-resection group without significant differences ( P>0.05). However, the 5-year metastasis-free survival (MFS) rate was significantly lower in the resection group (40.0%) compared to the non-resection group (73.1%) ( P=0.021). After PSM, the 5-year OS, RFS, and MFS in the resection group were 46.7%, 36.7%, and 35.9%, respectively, compared to 45.0%, 39.4%, and 67.7% in the non-resection group, with no significant differences ( P>0.05). The median postoperative MSTS functional score after PSM was significantly lower in the resection group 23(18, 25) points than in the non-resection group 26.5(24.3, 27.8) points ( U=43.000, P=0.007). Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified grade III histology ( HR=3.794, P=0.002) and tumor involvement angle around the femur greater than 180° ( HR=2.729, P=0.030) as independent risk factors for death. Age over 55 years ( HR=4.185, P=0.015), tumor diameter greater than 8 cm ( HR=4.290, P=0.014), and involvement of the intermuscular compartment ( HR=3.794, P=0.017) were associated with increased risk of local recurrence. Grade III histology ( HR=3.848, P=0.006) and involvement of the intermuscular compartment ( HR=2.500, P=0.045) were associated with distant metastasis. Conclusion:For patients with thigh soft tissue sarcoma involving femoral cortex involvement but no medullary cavity invasion, bone resection did not improve survival, recurrence or metastasis compared with patients in non-resection group. A relatively more conservative surgical approach may be advisable to preserve limb function without compromising oncological prognosis.

Objective To study the syntactic impairment characteristics of wh-question comprehension and expression in Chinese non-fluent aphasic patients.Methods The differences in comprehension and expression be-tween 25 non-fluent aphasic patients and 25 normal subjects were tested in the form of sentence-figure matching and elicitation-repetition to analyze syntactic impairment characteristics related to sentence patterns,question objects,and question words.Results The patients with non-fluent aphasia had impaired comprehension and expression of specific interrogative sentences,and the order of correct comprehension was:(active interrogative sentence,object pseudo-split interrogative sentence)＞(subject pseudo-split interrogative sentence,passive interrogative sentence),and the order of correct expression was:active interrogative sentence＞(pseudo-split interrogative sentence,pas-sive interrogative sentence).Conclusion The pattern of impaired comprehension and expression of wh-question was similar in patients with Chinese non-fluent aphasia.The main influences on syntactic structure included the object of questioning(subject-object)and the type of sentence.Obstacles were more pronounced in sentences with wh-move-ment and non-canonical order.

There are complex neural mechanisms involved in speech production,and being well understood by clinicians and speech therapists can help them identify the abnormal speech and predict the severity of disorders.Dysarthria is a typical speech production problem by nerve injury,which would reduce the speech charity and intel-libility,and seriously affects patients'social communication and reduces the quality of life.The author summarizes the characteristics of dysarthria,neural pathway of normal speech production and neuromechanism of dysarthria based on the theory of motion control.The aim of this paper is to provide theoretical basis to conduct effective clini-cal assessment,management and treatment of speech disorders for clinians and speech therapists.

Objective:To investigate the prognostic effect of femoral resection on patients with soft tissue sarcoma of the thigh with cortical bone involvement.Methods:This retrospective study included patients with soft tissue sarcoma of the thigh diagnosed and treated in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2014 to December 2021. Patients were divided into two groups based on whether femoral resection and reconstruction were performed with 20 in the resection group and 86 in the non-resection group. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to control confounding variables. Overall Survival, recurrence free survival, metastasis free survival, and postoperative functional outcomes were compared between groups before and after PSM. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify risk factors for death, recurrence, and metastasis.Results:Before PSM, the 5-year overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were 46.7% and 36.7% in the resection group, compared to 69.7% and 60.3% in the non-resection group without significant differences ( P>0.05). However, the 5-year metastasis-free survival (MFS) rate was significantly lower in the resection group (40.0%) compared to the non-resection group (73.1%) ( P=0.021). After PSM, the 5-year OS, RFS, and MFS in the resection group were 46.7%, 36.7%, and 35.9%, respectively, compared to 45.0%, 39.4%, and 67.7% in the non-resection group, with no significant differences ( P>0.05). The median postoperative MSTS functional score after PSM was significantly lower in the resection group 23(18, 25) points than in the non-resection group 26.5(24.3, 27.8) points ( U=43.000, P=0.007). Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified grade III histology ( HR=3.794, P=0.002) and tumor involvement angle around the femur greater than 180° ( HR=2.729, P=0.030) as independent risk factors for death. Age over 55 years ( HR=4.185, P=0.015), tumor diameter greater than 8 cm ( HR=4.290, P=0.014), and involvement of the intermuscular compartment ( HR=3.794, P=0.017) were associated with increased risk of local recurrence. Grade III histology ( HR=3.848, P=0.006) and involvement of the intermuscular compartment ( HR=2.500, P=0.045) were associated with distant metastasis. Conclusion:For patients with thigh soft tissue sarcoma involving femoral cortex involvement but no medullary cavity invasion, bone resection did not improve survival, recurrence or metastasis compared with patients in non-resection group. A relatively more conservative surgical approach may be advisable to preserve limb function without compromising oncological prognosis.

Objective To study the syntactic impairment characteristics of wh-question comprehension and expression in Chinese non-fluent aphasic patients.Methods The differences in comprehension and expression be-tween 25 non-fluent aphasic patients and 25 normal subjects were tested in the form of sentence-figure matching and elicitation-repetition to analyze syntactic impairment characteristics related to sentence patterns,question objects,and question words.Results The patients with non-fluent aphasia had impaired comprehension and expression of specific interrogative sentences,and the order of correct comprehension was:(active interrogative sentence,object pseudo-split interrogative sentence)＞(subject pseudo-split interrogative sentence,passive interrogative sentence),and the order of correct expression was:active interrogative sentence＞(pseudo-split interrogative sentence,pas-sive interrogative sentence).Conclusion The pattern of impaired comprehension and expression of wh-question was similar in patients with Chinese non-fluent aphasia.The main influences on syntactic structure included the object of questioning(subject-object)and the type of sentence.Obstacles were more pronounced in sentences with wh-move-ment and non-canonical order.

There are complex neural mechanisms involved in speech production,and being well understood by clinicians and speech therapists can help them identify the abnormal speech and predict the severity of disorders.Dysarthria is a typical speech production problem by nerve injury,which would reduce the speech charity and intel-libility,and seriously affects patients'social communication and reduces the quality of life.The author summarizes the characteristics of dysarthria,neural pathway of normal speech production and neuromechanism of dysarthria based on the theory of motion control.The aim of this paper is to provide theoretical basis to conduct effective clini-cal assessment,management and treatment of speech disorders for clinians and speech therapists.

For middle-aged and elderly patients with conditions such as spinal fractures and degenerative spinal diseases, spinal internal fixation is a core surgical procedure for reconstructing spinal stability, heavily relying on the biomechanical stability provided by pedicle screw systems. Whereas, these patients are often complicated by osteoporosis that can significantly compromise the stability of the bone-pedicle screw interface, leading to a marked increase in pedicle screw loosening and surgical failure rates. The bone cement-augmented pedicle screw technique, which involves injecting bone cement into the vertebral body or screw trajectory to optimize the mechanical properties of the bone-pedicle screw composite, has been proven to significantly enhance fixation strength and effectively prevent screw-related failures, thereby reducing the incidence of internal fixation failure in high-risk populations undergoing spinal fusion. However, the widespread clinical application of this technique has faced challenges such as inaccurate clinical decision-making (indication and contraindication selection), non-standardized operative practices, and insufficient awareness of complication prevention, resulting in considerable variability in clinical outcomes and even severe complications. To address this, Prof. Luo Fei from First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University initiated the project and the Chinese Association Orthopaedic Surgeons organized relevant experts to develop the Evidence-based clinical practice guideline for bone cement-augmented pedicle screw technique ( version 2025), based on current evidence. The guidelines put forward 8 recommendations regarding the clinical value, scope of application, and operational standards of the technique, aiming to provide evidence-based medical support and technical standardization for clinical decision-making.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of pleural effusion after spinal separation surgery for patients with spinal metastatic tumors.Methods:A total of 427 patients with spinal metastatic tumors from January 2014 to January 2022 in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine were retrospectively analyzed. There were 252 males and 175 females, with an average age of 59±12 years (range, 15-87 years). All patients underwent separation surgery. Based on the chest CT within 1 month after surgery, the volume of pleural effusion was measured individually by reconstruction software. Pleural effusion was defined as small volume (0-500 ml), moderate volume (500-1 000 ml), and large volume (above 1 000 ml). Baseline data and perioperative clinical outcomes were compared between the groups, and indicators with statistically significant differences were included in a binary logistic regression analysis to determine the independent risk factors for the development of pleural effusion after isolation of spinal metastatic cancer. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were conducted to calculate the area under the curve (AUC) for each independent risk factor.Results:All patients successfully completed the operation. Among the 427 patients, there were 35 cases of large pleural effusion, 42 cases of moderate pleural effusion, and 350 cases of small pleural effusion. There were significant differences in tumor size (χ 2=9.485, P=0.013), intraoperative blood loss ( Z=-2.503, P=0.011), blood transfusion ( Z=-2.983, P=0.003), preoperative total protein ( Z=2.681, P=0.007), preoperative albumin ( Z=1.720, P= 0.085), postoperative hemoglobin ( t=2.950, P=0.008), postoperative total protein ( Z=4.192, P<0.001), and postoperative albumin ( t=2.268, P=0.032) in the large pleural effusion group versus the small and moderate pleural effusion group. Logistic regression analysis showed that decreased preoperative albumin ( OR=0.89, P=0.045) and metastases located in the thoracic spine ( OR=4.01, P=0.039) were independent risk factors for the occurrence of large pleural effusion after separation surgery. The ROC curve showed that the AUC and 95% CI for preoperative albumin, lesion location, and the combined model were 0.637 (0.54, 0.74), 0.421 (0.36, 0.48), and 0.883 (0.81, 0.92). The combined predictive model showed good predictive value. Conclusion:The volume of pleural effusion can be measured individually and quantitatively based on chest CT. Decreased preoperative albumin and metastases located in the thoracic spine are independent risk factors for the occurrence of large pleural effusion after separation surgery. The combined prediction of the two factors has better predictive efficacy.