BACKGROUND: Death burden of stroke is severe with over one-third rural residents in China, but there is still a lack of specific national and high-quality reports on the urban-rural differences in stroke burden, especially for subtypes. We aimed to update the understanding of urban-rural differences in stroke deaths. METHODS: This is a descriptive observational study. Data from the national mortality surveillance system, which covers 323.8 million with 605 disease surveillance points (DSPs) across all 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China. All deaths from stroke as the underlying cause from 2015 to 2020 according to DSPs. Crude mortality rate and age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) were estimated through DSPs. Average annual percentage change was used to explain the change in mortality rate. RESULTS: From 2015 to 2020, the majority of deaths from all stroke subtypes occurred in rural areas. There were significant differences between the changes of urban and rural ASMRs. On the whole, the changes in urban areas were evidently better, and the ASMR differences were basically expanding. Stroke ASMR in urban China decreased by 15.5%. The rural ASMR of ischemic stroke increased by 12.9%. The rural and urban ASMRs of intracerebral hemorrhage decreased by 24.9% and 27.4%, and those of subarachnoid hemorrhage decreased by 29.5% and 40.4%, respectively. The highest ASMRs of all stroke subtypes and the increasing trend of ischemic stroke ASMR make rural males the focus of stroke management. CONCLUSIONS The death burden of stroke varies greatly between urban and rural China. Rural residents face unique challenges.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Stroke/mortality* ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Male ; Female ; Urban Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Adult

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of two types of micro-focused ultrasound devices combined with botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) injection for facial rejuvenation.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted, including 60 female patients aged 28-70 (41.3±7.9) years, who received facial rejuvenation treatment at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, from April 2023 to April 2024. Patients were divided into two groups based on the treatment method: the control group (received only micro-focused ultrasound treatment, n=30) and the combined group (received both micro-focused ultrasound and BoNT-A injection, n=30). Additionally, patients were further categorized into four subgroups based on the type of micro-focused ultrasound device used: Peninsula Microultra? (PM) device group ( n=15), Intelligent Ultrasound? (IU) device group ( n=15), PM device + BoNT-A injection group ( n=15), and IU device + BoNT-A injection group ( n=15). The severity of facial wrinkles was assessed using the wrinkle severity rating scale (WSRS), the Merz aesthetic scale (MAS), and the global aesthetic improvement scale (GAIS) at baseline and 6 months post-treatment. Adverse event rates were also recorded. Results:At 6 months post-treatment, the combined group showed significantly lower WSRS and MAS scores than the control group (both P<0.001). No significant differences were found between the PM and IU device groups, or between the PM + BoNT-A and IU + BoNT-A groups regarding WSRS and MAS scores (all P>0.05). Self-reported GAIS improvement was 56.7% (17/30) for the control group and 80.0% (24/30) for the combined group, with the combined group showing superior results ( P=0.015). The physician-assessed GAIS improvement was 70.0% (21/30) for the control group and 96.7% (29/30) for the combined group, again with the combined group showing superior results ( P=0.007). No significant differences were found in self-reported or physician-assessed GAIS improvement between the PM and IU device groups, or between the PM + BoNT-A and IU + BoNT-A groups (all P>0.05). No severe adverse reactions, such as blisters, scabbing, purpura, bruising, scarring, peripheral facial paralysis, allergies, muscle weakness, dysphagia, or dysphonia, were observed in any patient. Conclusion:The combination of micro-focused ultrasound and BoNT-A injection for facial rejuvenation is more effective than micro-focused ultrasound alone, while there are no significant differences in efficacy between the two micro-focused ultrasound devices.

Objective:To explore the efficacy and safety of the ballistic-ultrasound-negative pressure three-in-one energy platform (Trilogy) for micro-channel percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-PCNL).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 140 patients with upper urinary tract stones treated at Tianjin Medical University Second Hospital from February to October 2024. All patients underwent mini-PCNL and were divided into the holmium laser group and the Trilogy group based on the stone fragmentation equipment used during the procedure. There were 69 patients in the holmium laser group and 71 in the Trilogy group. The two groups had similar mean ages (55.1±10.2 years vs. 53.4±10.8 years), male patient proportions (50 cases, 72.5% vs. 50 cases, 70.4%), body mass indices (25.2±3.6 kg/m 2 vs. 25.3±4.0 kg/m 2), incidence rates of hypertension (29 cases, 42.0% vs. 31 cases, 43.7%), diabetes (15 cases, 21.7% vs. 12 cases, 16.9%), mean cumulative stone lengths (39.2±12.6 mm vs. 35.9±14.8 mm), total stone volumes preoperatively (6 184.3±3 653.5 mm 3 vs. 5 644.9±4 173.8 mm 3), mean CT values for stones (1 138.2±264.3 HU vs. 1 151.3±208.0 HU), stone locations (ureter 14 cases, 20.3% vs. 22 cases, 31.0%; kidney 48 cases, 69.6% vs. 39 cases, 54.9%; both ureter and kidney 7 cases, 10.1% vs. 10 cases, 14.1%), preoperative mean urinary white blood cell counts [9.6(3.6, 31.2) cells/HPF vs. 11.9(3.8, 34.5) cells/HPF], proportions of patients with preoperative urinary white blood cells (+ + + ; 23 cases, 33.3% vs. 25 cases, 35.2%), nitrite positivity rates (4 cases, 5.8% vs. 3 cases, 4.2%), and urine culture positivity rates (12 cases, 17.4% vs. 18 cases, 25.4%) showed no statistically significant differences. The proportion of patients with moderate or higher hydronephrosis in the holmium laser group was lower than that in the Trilogy group (32 cases, 46.4% vs. 47 cases, 66.2%, P=0.018). The holmium laser group utilized holmium laser lithotripsy, where stone fragments were either flushed out with a vortex or retrieved with a stone basket. The Trilogy group employed a three-in-one energy platform to break the stones. This device incorporated pneumatic ballistic, ultrasound, and negative pressure suction capabilities within the same metallic probe, allowing the stone to be fragmented into small pieces while simultaneously performing ultrasonic negative pressure stone clearance. The parameters for the three-in-one energy platform were adjusted based on intraoperative conditions, typically setting negative pressure at 30%-50%, ultrasound power at 80%-100%, ballistic power at 80%, and frequency at 8 Hz. During the stone fragmentation process, the ballistic device fragmented the stones while ultrasound further reduced larger fragments and removed them. Some fragments that were difficult to break could also be flushed out or retrieved with a stone basket. The efficiency of stone clearance (volume of stones cleared per unit time) was compared between the two groups, as well as the stone-free rates on postoperative day 1 and day 30. Stone clearance time was defined as the duration from the start of fragmentation to the placement of the nephrostomy tube. Changes in postoperative white blood cells, hemoglobin, and albumin levels compared to preoperative levels, as well as the incidence of Clavien-Dindo complications, were compared between the two groups. Equipment failure incidents were recorded (fiber fracture in the holmium laser group indicating it could not be used; probe fracture in the Trilogy group). Patients were sub-grouped based on stone CT values into CT ≥ 1 000 HU and CT < 1 000 HU categories to compare stone clearance efficiency between the two devices within each sub-group. In the CT≥1 000 HU sub-group, there were 51 cases in the holmium laser group and 54 in the Trilogy group, there were no significant differences in preoperative total stone volume (6 785.0±3 902.3 mm 3 vs. 5 678.1±4 297.7 mm 3). In the CT < 1 000 HU sub-group, there were 18 cases in the holmium laser group and 17 in the Trilogy group. There were no significant differences between the groups in preoperative total stone volume (4 482.2±2 110.6 mm 3 vs. 5 530.9±3 845.3 mm 3). Results:The overall stone clearance efficiency in the Trilogy group was higher than that in the holmium laser group (87.9±35.7 mm 3/min vs. 77.1±24.3 mm 3/min, P=0.038). There were no significant differences in residual stone volume before discharge [5.5(0, 84.0) mm 3 vs. 5.3(0, 175.0) mm 3], stone clearance time (79.4±43.2 min vs. 66.6±49.7 min), or the proportion of patients using stone baskets during the procedure (33 cases, 47.8% vs. 36 cases, 50.7%). Postoperative changes in white blood cells, hemoglobin, and albumin compared to preoperative levels were not significantly different [(4.1±2.9)×10 9/L vs. (3.3±2.2)×10 9/L; (-2.9±10.5) g/L vs. (-1.6±9.3) g/L; (-2.5±3.6) g/L vs. (-1.8±5.0) g/L] Furthermore, there were no statistically significant differences in equipment failure rates (1 case, 1.4% vs. 4 cases, 5.6%), stone-free rates (postoperative day 1: 43 cases, 62.3% vs. 47 cases, 66.2%; postoperative day 30: 50 cases, 72.5% vs. 53 cases, 74.6%), or Clavien-Dindo complication rates (grade Ⅰ: 11 cases, 15.9% vs. 8 cases, 11.3%; grade Ⅱ: 2 cases, 2.8% vs. 0 cases; grade Ⅲ: 1 case, 1.4% vs. 0 cases). In the CT ≥ 1 000 HU sub-group, the clearance time for the holmium laser was longer than that for Trilogy (93.3±41.0 min vs. 74.6±51.9 min, P=0.044), there were no significant differences in residual stone volume before discharge [6.3(1.6, 173.8) mm 3 vs. 4.5(0, 69.0) mm 3] between the two groups. In the CT < 1 000 HU sub-group, the overall stone clearance efficiency of the Trilogy group exceeded that of the holmium laser group (134.2±38.0 mm 3/min vs. 105.5 ± 7.1 mm 3/min, P=0.004), there were no significant differences between the groups in residual stone volume before discharge [0(0, 51.1) mm 3 vs. 16.3(0, 957.2) mm 3], or stone clearance time (40.2±18.1 min vs. 39.1±27.5 min). Conclusions:In mini-PCNL surgery, the stone fragmentation efficiency of the three-in-one lithotripsy energy platform is superior to that of the holmium laser, while the overall complication rate is comparable to that of the holmium laser.

Objective:To analyze the changes and significance in clinical cardiac indicators of early cardiac myocardial dysfunction and cardiac substructure dose during conventional radiotherapy for N 2-N 3 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with mediastinal lymph node metastases. Methods:The data of 34 NSCLC patients with lymph node metastases in regions 4-8 admitted to the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Guizhou Medical University from June 2022 to August 2023 were observed and analyzed. All patients were treated with volumetric modulated arc therapy with a prescribed dose of 60-70 Gy. Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were measured at 6 time points: within 1 week before radiotherapy ( t0); when the cumulative radiotherapy dose reaches 20 Gy ( t20), 40 Gy ( t40), 60 Gy ( t60) during radiotherapy; within 1 week after radiotherapy ( tp); 1 month after radiotherapy( tp1). Left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) and left atrial global longitudinal strain (LAGLS) were assessed at 4 time points: t0, t40, tp and tp1, respectively. The changes in cardiac indicators at different time points during radiotherapy and their correlation with substructure doses were analyzed using analysis of variance, linear regression analysis, and Pearson correlation. Results:The correlation between cardiac substructure dose and mean heart dose (MHD) in the study cohort in the descending order was as follows: left ventricle ( B=0.43, P<0.001), right ventricle ( B=0.37, P=0.002), left atrium ( B=0.16, P<0.001), and right atrium ( B=0.15, P=0.001). There were significant differences in the changes of LVGLS and LAGLS across different time points ( F=3.13, P=0.029; F=17.18, P<0.001). At 1 month after radiation, LAGLS was significantly decreased compared to pre-radiation levels ( P=0.009), whereas no significant difference was observed in LVGLS ( P=1.000). No significant differences were observed in the changes of cTnT and NT-proBNP across different time points (all P>0.05). Significant correlations were identified between cTnT and right ventricle mean dose at t40 ( r=0.38, P=0.025), as well as between NT-proBNP and right atrium mean dose at t60 and tp ( r=0.54, P=0.001; r=0.41, P=0.016). Conclusions:At present, there is no significant difference between the sensitive serum markers of myocardial injury and LVGLS in detecting early myocardial injury. LAGLS may hold substantial clinical value. There is uncertainty about radiation injury and repair of various cardiac substructures.

Objective:To construct an information management system based on the back-end framework of React componentization and front-end framework of Uni scalable enterprise,so as to explore its application effect in management for operation room.Methods:React was used as the backend framework to construct JavaScript program code library of user interface,and all front-end applications that adopted Uni as the development system of frontend framework were used to construct informatization management system based on React and Uni framework,so as to manage operation room of hospital.A total of 100 surgical equipment that were used in the operation room of Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital from January 2023 to December 2023 were selected.According to different management methods,the conventional management method was adopted to manage equipment during January and June 2023,while the management method of informatization management system(informatization management)based on React and Uni frameworks was adopted to manage these equipment during July and December 2023.The frequency of leaving operation room of nursing personnel due to non-nursing events,the timeliness rate of transporting surgical patients and incidence of adverse events of nursing,as well as implementation rates of"five confirmations"included confirmed equipment,confirmed staff,confirmed time,confirmed quality and confirmed quantity,between two kinds of management methods were compared.Results:In the 200 surgeries of adopting informatization management method,the frequency of leaving operation room of nursing personnel due to non-nursing events was 2.5%,which was lower than 7.5%of conventional management method,and the difference was statistically significant(x2=5.213,P<0.05).The implementation rate of the"five confirmations"for equipment was 100%,which was higher than that of conventional management methods,and the difference was statistically significant(x2=15.232,P<0.05).The timeliness rate of transporting surgical patients was 100%in 100 surgeries,which was higher than 85%of conventional management method,and the difference was significant(x2=15.136,P<0.05).The incidence of various kinds of adverse events of nursing in the operating room was 0 in 100 surgeries,which was lower than that of conventional management method,and the difference was statistically significant(x2=0.226,P<0.05).Conclusion:The informatization management system based on React and Uni framework can significantly reduce the frequency of leaving operation room of nursing personnel due to non-nursing events in operation room,and improve the work efficiency in operation room,and reduce the incidences of work errors and adverse events in management for surgery.

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of Delphian lymph node (DLN) metastasis (DLNM) in predicting regional lymph node involvement in patients with intrathyroidal papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).Methods:Clinical and pathological data from 345 consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed DLN status, who underwent initial surgical treatment at the Department of Surgical Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine between Jan 2020 and Dec 2022, were retrospectively analyzed.Results:DLNM was identified in 61 patients (17.7%). Univariate analysis revealed significant associations between DLNM and male sex, elevated preoperative thyroglobulin levels, larger tumor size, maximum tumor diameter >10 mm, bilateral lesions, multifocality, lymphovascular invasion, and lymph nodes metastases in pretracheal, paratracheal, and lateral cervical(all P ≤0.001). Elevated thyroglobulin antibody levels ( χ2=6.201, P=0.013) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis ( χ2=11.340, P<0.001) were protective factors for DLNM. Multivariate analysis identified male sex, lymphovascular invasion, pretracheal, and paratracheal lymph node metastases ( χ2=6.689, P=0.010; χ2=8.163, P=0.004; χ2=7.605, P=0.006; χ2=8.324, P=0.004) as independent risk indicators for DLNM. Patients with DLNM exhibited significantly higher risks of lymph nodes metastases in pretracheal ( χ2=27.307, P<0.001), paratracheal ( χ2=38.697, P<0.001), and lateral cervical ( χ2=36.459, P<0.001). Conclusion:DLNM demonstrates predictive value for both central compartment and lateral cervical lymph node metastases, warranting particular attention to meticulous dissection of the prelaryngeal region during surgery.

Objective:To construct an information management system based on the back-end framework of React componentization and front-end framework of Uni scalable enterprise,so as to explore its application effect in management for operation room.Methods:React was used as the backend framework to construct JavaScript program code library of user interface,and all front-end applications that adopted Uni as the development system of frontend framework were used to construct informatization management system based on React and Uni framework,so as to manage operation room of hospital.A total of 100 surgical equipment that were used in the operation room of Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital from January 2023 to December 2023 were selected.According to different management methods,the conventional management method was adopted to manage equipment during January and June 2023,while the management method of informatization management system(informatization management)based on React and Uni frameworks was adopted to manage these equipment during July and December 2023.The frequency of leaving operation room of nursing personnel due to non-nursing events,the timeliness rate of transporting surgical patients and incidence of adverse events of nursing,as well as implementation rates of"five confirmations"included confirmed equipment,confirmed staff,confirmed time,confirmed quality and confirmed quantity,between two kinds of management methods were compared.Results:In the 200 surgeries of adopting informatization management method,the frequency of leaving operation room of nursing personnel due to non-nursing events was 2.5%,which was lower than 7.5%of conventional management method,and the difference was statistically significant(x2=5.213,P<0.05).The implementation rate of the"five confirmations"for equipment was 100%,which was higher than that of conventional management methods,and the difference was statistically significant(x2=15.232,P<0.05).The timeliness rate of transporting surgical patients was 100%in 100 surgeries,which was higher than 85%of conventional management method,and the difference was significant(x2=15.136,P<0.05).The incidence of various kinds of adverse events of nursing in the operating room was 0 in 100 surgeries,which was lower than that of conventional management method,and the difference was statistically significant(x2=0.226,P<0.05).Conclusion:The informatization management system based on React and Uni framework can significantly reduce the frequency of leaving operation room of nursing personnel due to non-nursing events in operation room,and improve the work efficiency in operation room,and reduce the incidences of work errors and adverse events in management for surgery.

Objective:To explore the efficacy and safety of the ballistic-ultrasound-negative pressure three-in-one energy platform (Trilogy) for micro-channel percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-PCNL).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 140 patients with upper urinary tract stones treated at Tianjin Medical University Second Hospital from February to October 2024. All patients underwent mini-PCNL and were divided into the holmium laser group and the Trilogy group based on the stone fragmentation equipment used during the procedure. There were 69 patients in the holmium laser group and 71 in the Trilogy group. The two groups had similar mean ages (55.1±10.2 years vs. 53.4±10.8 years), male patient proportions (50 cases, 72.5% vs. 50 cases, 70.4%), body mass indices (25.2±3.6 kg/m 2 vs. 25.3±4.0 kg/m 2), incidence rates of hypertension (29 cases, 42.0% vs. 31 cases, 43.7%), diabetes (15 cases, 21.7% vs. 12 cases, 16.9%), mean cumulative stone lengths (39.2±12.6 mm vs. 35.9±14.8 mm), total stone volumes preoperatively (6 184.3±3 653.5 mm 3 vs. 5 644.9±4 173.8 mm 3), mean CT values for stones (1 138.2±264.3 HU vs. 1 151.3±208.0 HU), stone locations (ureter 14 cases, 20.3% vs. 22 cases, 31.0%; kidney 48 cases, 69.6% vs. 39 cases, 54.9%; both ureter and kidney 7 cases, 10.1% vs. 10 cases, 14.1%), preoperative mean urinary white blood cell counts [9.6(3.6, 31.2) cells/HPF vs. 11.9(3.8, 34.5) cells/HPF], proportions of patients with preoperative urinary white blood cells (+ + + ; 23 cases, 33.3% vs. 25 cases, 35.2%), nitrite positivity rates (4 cases, 5.8% vs. 3 cases, 4.2%), and urine culture positivity rates (12 cases, 17.4% vs. 18 cases, 25.4%) showed no statistically significant differences. The proportion of patients with moderate or higher hydronephrosis in the holmium laser group was lower than that in the Trilogy group (32 cases, 46.4% vs. 47 cases, 66.2%, P=0.018). The holmium laser group utilized holmium laser lithotripsy, where stone fragments were either flushed out with a vortex or retrieved with a stone basket. The Trilogy group employed a three-in-one energy platform to break the stones. This device incorporated pneumatic ballistic, ultrasound, and negative pressure suction capabilities within the same metallic probe, allowing the stone to be fragmented into small pieces while simultaneously performing ultrasonic negative pressure stone clearance. The parameters for the three-in-one energy platform were adjusted based on intraoperative conditions, typically setting negative pressure at 30%-50%, ultrasound power at 80%-100%, ballistic power at 80%, and frequency at 8 Hz. During the stone fragmentation process, the ballistic device fragmented the stones while ultrasound further reduced larger fragments and removed them. Some fragments that were difficult to break could also be flushed out or retrieved with a stone basket. The efficiency of stone clearance (volume of stones cleared per unit time) was compared between the two groups, as well as the stone-free rates on postoperative day 1 and day 30. Stone clearance time was defined as the duration from the start of fragmentation to the placement of the nephrostomy tube. Changes in postoperative white blood cells, hemoglobin, and albumin levels compared to preoperative levels, as well as the incidence of Clavien-Dindo complications, were compared between the two groups. Equipment failure incidents were recorded (fiber fracture in the holmium laser group indicating it could not be used; probe fracture in the Trilogy group). Patients were sub-grouped based on stone CT values into CT ≥ 1 000 HU and CT < 1 000 HU categories to compare stone clearance efficiency between the two devices within each sub-group. In the CT≥1 000 HU sub-group, there were 51 cases in the holmium laser group and 54 in the Trilogy group, there were no significant differences in preoperative total stone volume (6 785.0±3 902.3 mm 3 vs. 5 678.1±4 297.7 mm 3). In the CT < 1 000 HU sub-group, there were 18 cases in the holmium laser group and 17 in the Trilogy group. There were no significant differences between the groups in preoperative total stone volume (4 482.2±2 110.6 mm 3 vs. 5 530.9±3 845.3 mm 3). Results:The overall stone clearance efficiency in the Trilogy group was higher than that in the holmium laser group (87.9±35.7 mm 3/min vs. 77.1±24.3 mm 3/min, P=0.038). There were no significant differences in residual stone volume before discharge [5.5(0, 84.0) mm 3 vs. 5.3(0, 175.0) mm 3], stone clearance time (79.4±43.2 min vs. 66.6±49.7 min), or the proportion of patients using stone baskets during the procedure (33 cases, 47.8% vs. 36 cases, 50.7%). Postoperative changes in white blood cells, hemoglobin, and albumin compared to preoperative levels were not significantly different [(4.1±2.9)×10 9/L vs. (3.3±2.2)×10 9/L; (-2.9±10.5) g/L vs. (-1.6±9.3) g/L; (-2.5±3.6) g/L vs. (-1.8±5.0) g/L] Furthermore, there were no statistically significant differences in equipment failure rates (1 case, 1.4% vs. 4 cases, 5.6%), stone-free rates (postoperative day 1: 43 cases, 62.3% vs. 47 cases, 66.2%; postoperative day 30: 50 cases, 72.5% vs. 53 cases, 74.6%), or Clavien-Dindo complication rates (grade Ⅰ: 11 cases, 15.9% vs. 8 cases, 11.3%; grade Ⅱ: 2 cases, 2.8% vs. 0 cases; grade Ⅲ: 1 case, 1.4% vs. 0 cases). In the CT ≥ 1 000 HU sub-group, the clearance time for the holmium laser was longer than that for Trilogy (93.3±41.0 min vs. 74.6±51.9 min, P=0.044), there were no significant differences in residual stone volume before discharge [6.3(1.6, 173.8) mm 3 vs. 4.5(0, 69.0) mm 3] between the two groups. In the CT < 1 000 HU sub-group, the overall stone clearance efficiency of the Trilogy group exceeded that of the holmium laser group (134.2±38.0 mm 3/min vs. 105.5 ± 7.1 mm 3/min, P=0.004), there were no significant differences between the groups in residual stone volume before discharge [0(0, 51.1) mm 3 vs. 16.3(0, 957.2) mm 3], or stone clearance time (40.2±18.1 min vs. 39.1±27.5 min). Conclusions:In mini-PCNL surgery, the stone fragmentation efficiency of the three-in-one lithotripsy energy platform is superior to that of the holmium laser, while the overall complication rate is comparable to that of the holmium laser.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of two types of micro-focused ultrasound devices combined with botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) injection for facial rejuvenation.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted, including 60 female patients aged 28-70 (41.3±7.9) years, who received facial rejuvenation treatment at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, from April 2023 to April 2024. Patients were divided into two groups based on the treatment method: the control group (received only micro-focused ultrasound treatment, n=30) and the combined group (received both micro-focused ultrasound and BoNT-A injection, n=30). Additionally, patients were further categorized into four subgroups based on the type of micro-focused ultrasound device used: Peninsula Microultra? (PM) device group ( n=15), Intelligent Ultrasound? (IU) device group ( n=15), PM device + BoNT-A injection group ( n=15), and IU device + BoNT-A injection group ( n=15). The severity of facial wrinkles was assessed using the wrinkle severity rating scale (WSRS), the Merz aesthetic scale (MAS), and the global aesthetic improvement scale (GAIS) at baseline and 6 months post-treatment. Adverse event rates were also recorded. Results:At 6 months post-treatment, the combined group showed significantly lower WSRS and MAS scores than the control group (both P<0.001). No significant differences were found between the PM and IU device groups, or between the PM + BoNT-A and IU + BoNT-A groups regarding WSRS and MAS scores (all P>0.05). Self-reported GAIS improvement was 56.7% (17/30) for the control group and 80.0% (24/30) for the combined group, with the combined group showing superior results ( P=0.015). The physician-assessed GAIS improvement was 70.0% (21/30) for the control group and 96.7% (29/30) for the combined group, again with the combined group showing superior results ( P=0.007). No significant differences were found in self-reported or physician-assessed GAIS improvement between the PM and IU device groups, or between the PM + BoNT-A and IU + BoNT-A groups (all P>0.05). No severe adverse reactions, such as blisters, scabbing, purpura, bruising, scarring, peripheral facial paralysis, allergies, muscle weakness, dysphagia, or dysphonia, were observed in any patient. Conclusion:The combination of micro-focused ultrasound and BoNT-A injection for facial rejuvenation is more effective than micro-focused ultrasound alone, while there are no significant differences in efficacy between the two micro-focused ultrasound devices.