Objective To investigate the correlation between novel bone metabolism markers and the degree of aortic calcification as well as cardiovascular event risk in elderly patients treated by PD.Methods A prospective trial was conducted on 230 elderly patients receiving continuous am-bulatory PD in our department from February 2022 to February 2024.According to the occur-rence of cardiovascular events during dialysis treatment,they were divided into a cardiovascular event group(n=92)and a control group(n=138).Relevant clinical data were collected,aortic calcification was assessed using AAC scores,and serum levels of bone metabolism markers,inclu-ding osteoprotegerin,TRACP,and PINP were measured.Results The serum levels of osteoprote-gerin,TRACP and PINP were significantly higher in the cardiovascular event group than the con-trol group(P＜0.01).The cardiovascular event group had obviously severe calcification and higher AAC score than the control group(P＜0.01).The serum levels of the three bone metabolism markers were notably higher in the patients with severe calcification than those with moderate calcification,followed by mild calcification in turn(P＜0.01).Spearman correlation analysis indi-cated that the levels of the three indicators were positively correlated with the degree of aortic cal-cification in elderly PD patients(r=0.465,P=0.000;r=0.396,P=0.000;r=0.434,P=0.000).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that these three indicators were risk factors for cardiovascular events in elderly PD patients(P＜0.01).Conclusion The three bone metabolism markers are significantly correlated with aortic calcification severity and cardiovascular event risk in elderly PD patients.Monitoring these marker levels may be helpful for the assessment and man-agement of cardiovascular risk.

Objective To compare TyG index between the patients with CHF and ADHF to eluci-date the metabolic difference between these two stages.Methods A total of 1156 HF patients ad-mitted in Taizhou People's Hospital between January 2020 and December 2022 were enrolled,and according to 2021 ESC Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute and Chronic Heart Fail-ure,they were divided into CHF group(365 cases)and ADHF group(791 cases).The clinical da-ta,results of laboratory tests,and cardiovascular history were collected,and TyG index was calcu-lated.All-cause death outcome was observed in ADHF patients during a follow-up of 1 year.Results The TyG index was significantly lower in the ADHF group than the CHF group[8.27(7.99,8.62)vs 8.35(8.04,8.75),P=0.001].In the ADHF group,the TyG index was positively correlated with SBP,DBP,TC,TG,LDL-C,FPG,HbA1c,BMI,and LVEF,and negatively with age(P＜0.01).In the CHF group,the index was positively correlated with DBP,TC,TG,LDL-C,FPG,BMI,and HbA1c,and negatively with age(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Both univariate and multiva-riate logistic regression analyses indicated that the TyG index was a protective factor for ADHF(OR=0.647,95％CI:0.503～0.832,P=0.001;OR=0.694,95％CI:0.536～0.898,P=0.005).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the index in ADHF patients was a protective factor for one-year all-cause mortality(OR=0.483,95％CI:0.254-0.916;P=0.026).Conclusion TyG index might be regarded as an important marker for assessing the metabolic status in HF patients and predicting the prognosis in ADHF patients.

Objective To investigate the role of additional platelet protein kinase C epsilon(PKCε)assay in risk stratification and additional diagnostic testing in elderly patients with acute chest pain and normal hypersensitive cardiac troponin I(hs-cTnI)level.Methods A prospective trial was conducted on 220 consecutive elderly patients with angina-like acute chest pain and normal hs-cTnI level in our hospital from April 2022 to April 2023.According to whether major adverse cardiovascular events(MACE)occurred during the 1-year follow-up period,they were assigned in-to MACE group(24 cases)and non-MACE group(196 cases).Their general clinical data and platelet PKCε expression were compared between the two groups.Kaplan-Meier survival curve was plotted to analyzed the event-free time between the platelet PKCε expression＜2.05％group and the≥2.05％group.Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to investigate the impact of baseline data on the occurrence of MACE during the 1-year follow-up period.Decision tree model was employed to analyze the influencing factors for MACE.Results During 1-year follow-up,24 patients(10.91％)developed MACE.The platelet PKCε expression was significantly higher in the MACE group than the non-MACE group[9.25％(6.60％,15.25％)vs 1.70％(0.80％,3.25％),Z=-7.596,P＜0.01].Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that the patients in the PKCε＜2.05％group had no events within 360 d,while those in the ≥2.05％group had an average event-free time of 297.13±12.77 d,with a statistical difference(log rank Chi-square=27.051,P=0.000).Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that highly suspicious angina,hs-cTnI and platelet PKCε were independent risk factors for MACE within 1 year of follow-up(HR=3.011,95％CI:1.049-8.641,P=0.040;HR=1.216,95％CI:1.044-1.418,P=0.012;HR=1.160,95％CI:1.104-1.218,P=0.000).In the decision tree model,the 1-year incidence of MACE was notably higher in the platelet PKCε≥2.05％group than the＜2.05％group(P=0.011).The probability of severe coronary artery stenosis or myocardial ischemia in the platelet PKCε≥2.05％group was remarkably higher than the＜2.05％group(P=0.006).Conclusion In elderly patients suffering from acute chest pain with normal hs-cTnI level,additional platelet PKCε detection appears to have a good prognostic gain.

Objective To explore the influence of function-oriented training combined with proprio-ceptive neuromuscular facilitation(PNF)technique on stroke patients during convalescence.Methods A total of 106 patients with cerebral infarction during convalescence admitted to the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University and Hebei provincial of Tradifional Chinese Medicine Hospital from January 2021 to December 2023 were recruited and then randomly divided into combined group(53 cases)and control group(53 cases).The control group only received function-oriented training,while the combined group received function-oriented training combined with PNF technique.The neurological function,balance function,walking ability and motor function were compared before and after intervention and between groups.Results After intervention,the NIHSS score and central nervous system specific protein(S100β)and neuron specific enolase(NSE)levels were significantly lower in the two groups than those before intervention(P＜0.05),and the score and levels after intervention were significantly lower in combined group than the control group(13.28±0.86 vs 15.76±0.94,P＜0.01;1.56±0.24 μg/L vs 1.79±0.23 μg/L,P＜0.0 1;20.46±3.12 μg/L vs 24.75±3.69 μg/L,P＜0.01).The Berg balance scale(BBS)score,step speed and step length in 10-meter walking test(10 MWT)and Fugl-Meyer assessment score were significantly higher in both groups after intervention than those before intervention(P＜0.05),and the above indicators in the combined group were obviously higher than those in refer-ence group after intervention(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Conclusion For the patients during cerebral infarction convalescence,function-oriented training combined with PNF technique can not only promote the recovery of neurological function,but also enhance the balance ability and walking a-bility,and improve the limb motor function.

Objective To investigate the influencing factors for frailty in elderly patients with mild ischemic stroke(MIS),construct a risk prediction model based on random forest algorithm and evaluate its application performance.Methods A total of 322 elderly MIS patients subjected by cluster sampling in the Neurodiagnosis and Treatment Center of our hospital during January and June 2022 were enrolled and divided into non-frailty group(n=261)and frailty group(n=61)according to the results of frailty screening scale.The general clinical data,and the scores of Daily Living Ability Scale,Simplified Geriatric Depression Scale,Social Support Rating Scale,36-Item Concise Health Questionnaire,and Simplified Intelligent State Examination Scale were compared between two groups.Random forest algorithm was used to construct a risk prediction model for frailty in the elderly MIS patients,and ROC curve was plotted to analyze the predictive value of the model.Results The incidence of frailty in elderly MIS patients was 18.94％.There were sta-tistical differences in age,marital status,monthly income,medical expense payment,sleep condi-tion and comorbidities in the frail group(P＜0.01).The frail group had significantly lower scores of support utilization,concise health status,physiological function,body pain,general health,social function,and emotional function,and higher scores of Activities of Daily Living Scale and the Simplified Geriatric Depression Scale than the non-frail group(P＜0.05).The random forest model obtained an accuracy of 88.28％,a sensitivity of 88.24％,a specificity of 88.89％,an F1 score of 0.933,and an AUC value of 0.816.Random forest algorithm ranked the important varia-bles influencing frailty in elderly MIS patients through variable importance scores,and the top five predictors were types of basic diseases(≥2 types),sleep condition,quality of life score,self-care ability score,and personal monthly income(＜2000 Yuan).Conclusion A risk prediction model for frailty in elderly MIS patients is constructed by using random forest algorithm.The model is helpful to identify key factors of frailty as early as possible,provide empirical evidence for clinical medical staff to implement early intervention,improve the health and quality of elderly MIS patients,and prevent or delay the occurrence of frailty.

Objective To explore the effect of fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT)combined with probiotics on cognitive function and intestinal barrier function in elderly patients with mod-erate Alzheimer's disease(AD).Methods A total of 184 elderly patients with moderate AD ad-mitted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanyang Medical College from January 2021 to June 2023 were enrolled,and randomly divided into control group(92 cases)and study group(92 ca-ses).The control group received treatment with memantine hydrochloride,while the study group was given memantine hydrochloride and FMT combined with probiotics.The changes in cognitive function related indicators,inflammatory factors,oxidative stress and intestinal barrier function indicators were compared before and after treatment and between the two groups.Results After treatment,the ADAS-cog scores and Activities of Daily Living(ADL)score were significantly de-creased,the scores of Simple Intelligence Status Examination Scale(SISES)was obviously in-creased in both groups(P＜0.05).The study group had notably lower ADAS-cog and ADL scores,and higher SISES score than the control group after treatment(P＜0.01).The levels of TNF-α,IL-6,IL-8,MAD and homocysteine after treatment were notably lower(9.1±2.1 ng/L vs 11.3±2.2 ng/L,P=0.027;11.1±3.4 μg/L vs 16.5±3.1 μg/L,P=0.000;21.0±4.7 μg/L vs 27.2±5.0 μg/L,P=0.000;6.3±1.2 μmol/L vs 7.0±1.3 μmol/L,P=0.009;38.2±4.8 μg/L vs 45.7±6.2 μg/L,P=0.000),and SOD level was remarkably higher(104.3±8.9 U/L vs 80.2±7.5 U/L,P=0.000)in the study group than the control group.In the study group,the levels of MAD and homocysteine were decreased,while that of SOD was increased after treatment(P＜0.05).The levels of endotoxin,diamine oxidase,and urinary lactulose/mannitol ratio in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group after treatment(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Conclusion FMT combined with probiotics can significantly improve cognitive function and in-testinal barrier function in elderly patients with moderate AD.

Objective To compare the effects of stereotactic endoscopic hematoma evacuation on elderly patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage.Methods A total of 220 patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage in the basal ganglion admitted to our hospital from January 2020 to December 2023 were retrospectively recruited.According to their surgical treat-ment,they were divided into an observation group(stereotactic endoscopic hematoma evacuation,n=100)and a control group(craniotomy hematoma removal surgery,n=120).Postoperative recovery was observed and compared between the two groups.Results There was no significant difference in operation time between the observation group and the control group(94.56±14.75 min vs 94.03±14.50 min,t=0.268,P=0.789).No statistical differences were observed in the NIHSS score before operation between the two groups(P=0.058),but the observation group obtained significantly lower NIHSS scores in 3 and 6 months after surgery(5.90±4.02 vs 9.23±3.47,P=0.000;4.54±2.56 vs 6.50±3.07,P=0.000).There were no significant differences in GOS score and incidence of postoperative complications between the two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion Stereotactic endoscopic hematoma evacuation can improve postoperative neurological function in patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage in the basal ganglia region.

Objective To investigate the relationship of serum programmed cell death 4(PDCD4)and a disintegrin and metalloprotease 10(ADAM10)levels with short-term prognosis in elderly patients with large artery atherosclerosis(LAA)-related acute cerebral infarction(AIS).Methods A total of 122 elderly patients with LAA-related AIS admitted in Nanyang Second People's Hos-pital during April 2022 and April 2024 were retrospectively enrolled and served as observation group.According to their neurological function,they were categorized into mild,moderate and se-vere subgroups(29,68 and 25 cases,respectively),and based on their prognosis,they were as-signed into good and poor prognosis subgroups(72 and 50 cases,respectively).Another 125 indi-viduals taking physical examination in above hospital during the same period were included as the control group.ELISA was applied to detect serum PDCD4 and ADAM10 levels.Multivariate logis-tic regression analysis was employed to investigate the relationship of above two indicators with short-term prognosis of LAA-related AIS patients.ROC curves were plotted to analyze the predic-tive value of the indicators for short-term prognosis of the patients.Results The serum PDCD4 and ADAM10 levels were significantly higher in the observation group than the control group(P＜0.01),in the moderate and severe subgroups than the mild subgroups(P＜0.05),and in the severe than the moderate subgroups(P＜0.05).Larger proportions of severe neurologic deficit and hypertension,and higher Hcy level were observed in the poor than the good prognosis sub-groups(P＜0.01).PDCD4 and ADAM10 were correlated with poor short-term prognosis in pa-tients with LAA-related AIS(OR=2.759,95％CI:1.479-5.146,P=0.001;OR=2.818,95％CI:1.559-5.093,P=0.001).The AUC value of PDCD4 and ADAM10 alone and their combination in predicting poor short-term prognosis was 0.840,0.864,and 0.935,respectively,and the combina-tion showed better predictive performance than alone(Z=2.687,2.008,P＜0.05).Conclusion Serum PDCD4 and ADAM10 levels are higher in patients with LAA-related AIS.Their combina-tion showed good predictive efficacy for poor short-term prognosis of these patients.

Objective To investigate the effect of osthole(Ost)on neuroinflammation in IS rats by regulating the HMGB1-RAGE signaling pathway.Methods After rat IS model was established with middle cerebral artery occlusion by intraluminal suture,40 model rats were grouped into model group,low-and high-dose Ost(Ost-L and Ost-H)groups,and Ost-H+recombinant rHMGB1(Ost-H+rHMGB1)group,with 10 rats in each groups.Another 10 rats served as sham operation group.Zea-Longa scoring was used to evaluate the neurological function.Serum nerve growth factor(NGF)and LDH levels,and hippocampal TNF-α,IL-10,and IL-1β contents were detected by ELISA.Triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining,Nissl staining,and TUNEL staining were applied respectively to observe the volume of cerebral infarction,hippocampal morphology,and apoptosis in hippocampal tissue cells.The activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD)in the hip-pocampus was detected by hydroxylamine assay,and that of catalases(CAT)was by ammonium molybdate.The content of malonic dialdehyde(MDA)was determined by thiobarbituric acid method.Western blotting was used to measure the protein expression of cleaved Caspase-3,HMGB1,RAGE,NF-κB,and p-NF-κB in brain tissue.Results The model group showed obvious damage in the hippocampal tissues,higher neurological function score,increased stroke volume percentage,serum LDH level and hippocampal TNF-α and IL-1βlevels,elevated neuronal apoptot-ic rate and MDA content,and up-regulation of cleaved Caspase-3,HMGB1,RAGE,and p-NF-κB/NF-κB proteins,while decreased serum NGF level,hippocampal IL-10 content and SOD and CAT activities when compared with the sham group(P＜0.05).Low-and high-dose Ost treatment re-sulted in obviously declined damage in the hippocampal tissue,decreased neurological function score,lower stroke volume percentage,reduced serum LDH level and hippocampal tissue TNF-αand IL-1β contents,lower neuronal apoptotic rate and MDA content,and down-regulated cleaved Caspase-3,HMGB1,RAGE,and p-NF-κB/NF-κB protein,while raised serum NGF level,hipp-ocampal IL-10 content and SOD and CAT activities when compared with the model group(265.84±34.76 pg/ml and 394.52±41.68 pg/ml vs 187.56±23.54 pg/ml,P＜0.05;41.84±5.67 pg/ml and 68.57±8.39 pg/ml vs 16.73±3.52 pg/ml,P＜0.05;87.49±12.53 U/mg and 109.86±14.67 U/mg vs 52.73±8.46 U/mg,P＜0.05;45.38±5.72 U/mg and 67.43±8.91 U/mg vs 21.54±3.47 U/mg,P＜0.05).rHMGB1 could alleviate the improvement effect of Ost on nerve damage in IS rats.Conclusion Ost can attenuate neuroinflammation,oxidative stress,and neuronal apoptosis in IS rats,which may be through its inhibiting the HMGB1-RAGE signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the neuroprotective effect of TGP on PS rats and determine the impact on the Ste20-like proline/alanine-rich kinase/Na+-K+-Cl cotransport(SPAK/NKCC1)signaling pathway.Methods After PS model was successfully established in 60 male SD rats(7 weeks old),they were randomly divided into model group,low-and high-dose TGP groups,high-dose TGP+negative control group,and high-dose TGP+WNK3 overexpression group,with 12 rats in each group.Another 12 healthy rats served as the control group.After modeling,50 or 200 mg/kg TGP was given to the rats of corresponding groups intragastrically,the overexpression plasmids of WNK3 were given to the rats from the high-dose TGP+WNK3 overexpression group through tail vein injection,and same volume of normal saline was given to the control group.All of these agents were administrated once per day for 7 consecutive days.ELISA was applied to de-tect serum levels of IL-6,IL-1β,MDA and SOD.HE staining was applied to detect the pathological morphology of the substantia nigra region in brain tissue.TUNEL staining was used to observe neuronal apoptosis.Immunohistochemistry was conducted to measure the expression of α-synucle-in(α-syn),and Western blotting for the expression of Bax,Bcl-2 and SPAK/NKCC1 signaling pathway related proteins(WNK3,p-SPAK,SPAK,p-NKCC1 and NKCC1).Results Compared with the model group,the pathological damage of neurons in substantia nigra was reduced in low-and high dose TGP groups,reduced contents of IL-6,IL-1β and MDA,lower neuronal apoptotic rate,and declined expression of Bax,α-syn,WNK3,p-SPAK/SPAK,and p-NKCC1/NKCC1,but raised SOD content and Bcl-2 expression level(88.39±8.96 U/mg,119.57±12.01 U/mg vs 60.28±6.14 U/mg,P＜0.05;0.57±0.06,0.82±0.09 vs 0.38±0.04,P＜0.05).The intervention with WNK3 overexpression resulted in more severe pathological damage to neurons in the sub-stantia nigra,increased contents of IL-6,IL-1β and MDA,higher neuronal apoptotic rate,enhanced expression of Bax,α-syn,WNK3,p-SPAK/SPAK,and p-NKCC1/NKCC1,and reduced SOD con-tent and Bcl-2 expression level when compared with the high-dose TGP+negative control group(P＜0.05).Conclusion TGP exerts neuroprotective effects on PS rats,and its mechanism is re-lated to the inhibition of the SPAK/NKCC1 signaling pathway.