Pulmonary electrical impedance tomography (EIT), a noninvasive, continuous, dynamic, and radiation-free bedside imaging technique for monitoring pulmonary ventilation, is now widely utilized in the diagnosis and management of critically ill patients. Beyond ventilation monitoring, hypertonic saline contrast-enhanced EIT for bedside pulmonary perfusion assessment has recently garnered significant attention. This article describes the application of hypertonic saline contrast-enhanced EIT to evaluate pulmonary perfusion in two patients following pulmonary endarterectomy, providing a reference for its perioperative application in such patients.

To provide auxiliary decision-making support to improve incentive policies for pediatric drug development and approval, we systematically review the current status of research on and approval of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) for children at home and abroad, and comprehensively analyze the existing barriers in China’s pediatric AED development and market approval process. Findings reveal that China lags behind some countries and regions included in this comparative study (United State of America, European Union, Japan and Australia, etc.) in terms of research and development (R&D) capability and progress in pediatric AEDs, with significant disparity in the diversity of approved drugs, formulations, and dosage forms. It is recommended that China enhance its policy support for R&D, optimize the drug evaluation and approval system, strengthen the management of drug allocation and utilization, promote rational drug use, reinforce post-marketing incentive policies and help foster a more favorable policy environment for the development and approval of pediatric medications.

OBJECTIVE To explore the correlation between childhood obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome and otitis media with effusion,to provide evidence-based basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.METHODS A total of 985 children were diagnosed in the Department of Otolaryngology,Heping Hospital Affiliated to Changzhi Medical College from September 2019 to March 2025.Combined or no OME patients for multivariate logistics regression analysis and construct related risk prediction model,obtain data of OSAHS(exposure factors)and OME(outcome)from the public database of genome-wide association studies(GWAS),two-sample Mendelian randomization(MR)analysis.RESULTS The risk prediction model for OME in children with OSAHS,Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test(χ2=12.541,P=0.157),C index of 0.749,Calibration calibration curve fitting,and correlation between children OSHAS and OME.Furthermore,the MR analysis using inverse variance weighting observed a positive causal relationship between OSAHS and OME in children(OR=1.05,95%CI=0.999-1.051,P=0.005).MR Egger test results(Q=42.358,P=0.716)and IVW(Q=43.271,P=0.759)showed no heterogeneity in the analysis,MR Egger intercept(intercept=-0.004,P=0.921)showed no horizontal pleiotropy,and the MR analysis results were stable.CONCLUSION There is a correlation between pediatric OSAHS and OME,and it increases the risk of OME.

To review the clinical characteristics, short-term outcomes, and risk factors of patients with infective endocarditis(IE) who underwent surgical treatment at a single center, and to summarize treatment experience.

In order to ensure the safety and efficacy of generic drugs for the substitution of narrow therapeutic index(NTI)drugs,and to improve and optimize China's generic drug substitution policy,we searched foreign literature databases and government websites to collect and sort out the typical measures taken by some foreign countries to ensure the safety and efficacy of generic drugs for the substitution of NTI drugs,including R&D registration,generic drug substitution and post-market surveillance.On the basis of comparative analysis,this paper summarizes the practices China can learn from.It can be seen that there are problems and challenges in China's generic drug substitution for NTI drugs,such as unclear targets for bioequivalence studies of NTI drugs,insufficient rational decision-making basis for generic substitution of NTI drugs,and imperfect post-market surveillance system,etc.It is recommended that we should formulate a list of NTI drugs,play the roles of physicians and pharmacists in generic drug substitution,adjust the generic drug substitution for NTI drugs according to the level of risk of drug use,and improve the reporting system for adverse reactions due to generic drug substitution.

OBJECTIVE To explore the causal relationship of circulating cytokines and sensorineural deafness by Mendelian randomization.METHODS Large-scale genome-wide association studies(GWAS)data sets based on UK Biobank were used to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNP)associated with exposure and outcome.The SNP(F>10)significantly associated with exposure data(P<5e-6)and strongly associated with exposure in the F statistic was selected as the instrumental variable for a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis.The causal effect was estimated using MR-Egger,regression and inverse variance weighting(IVW).Sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the robustness of the results.RESULTS This study confirmed that VEGF(OR=1.04,95%CI:1.01-1.07,P=0.00),SDF-1α(OR=1.10,95%CI:1.02-1.18,P=0.01)and IL-13(OR=1.04,95%CI:1.01-1.06,P=0.01),IL-10(OR=1.06,95%CI:1.02-1.11,P=0.01),IL-7(OR=1.05,95%CI:1.01-1.08,P=0.00)increased the risk of sensorineural deafness.The backward analysis did not find that sensorineural deafness significantly affected the levels of these cytokines.No significant heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy was observed among the instrumental variables.CONCLUSION This study reveals a positive correlation between elevated levels of VEGF,SDF-1α,IL-13,IL-10,and IL-7 with sensorineural hearing loss,providing novel targets for further development of biomarkers for the prediction,treatment,and prevention of sensorineural hearing loss.

Objective: To explore the linear associations between social support, coping strategies, depression, anxiety, and cognitive function among people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using a path-analytic method. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 496 individuals hospitalized due to T2DM. Well-trained investigators conducted face-to-face interviews with the participants using the Social Support Rating Scale, the Chinese version of Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale, and the Mini Mental State Examination to measure social support (including objective support, subjective support, and support utilization), coping strategies (including confrontation, avoidance, and acceptance-resignation), depression/anxiety, and cognitive function, respectively. A path analysis was used to elucidate the linear associations between social support, coping strategies, depression, anxiety, and cognitive function. Results: In the final path model with satisfactory model fit, objective support was found to be associated with cognitive function not only directly but also indirectly through confrontation coping and depression, and acceptance-resignation coping and depression/anxiety. Further, subjective support was found to be associated with cognitive function indirectly through depression/anxiety, as well as serially through acceptance-resignation coping and depression/anxiety. Support utilization was found to be associated with cognitive function indirectly through confrontation coping and depression, as well as through acceptance-resignation coping and depression/anxiety. Conclusion Social support, coping strategies, depression, and anxiety were associated with cognitive function among people with T2DM, and these associations were best explained by a serial mediation model from social support, coping strategies, and depression and anxiety to cognitive function.

Objective:To explore the predictive value of multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) arterial enhancement fraction (AEF) in the risk degree of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).Methods:The clinical data of 178 patients with GIST in Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital from January 2013 to May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. According to tumor size, primary site, mitotic figure and whether the tumor was ruptured or not, the patients were divided into extremely low risk group (24 cases), low risk group (44 cases), medium risk group (48 cases), and high risk group (62 cases). One-way ANOVA was used to compare MSCT AEF value and conventional plain and enhanced scan values among the 4 groups. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was drawn to assess the predictive efficacy of AEF value, conventional plain value, enhanced scan value, Ki-67 and AEF value combined with Ki-67 for high-risk GIST.Results:Except for CT value in the venous phase and CT value in added arterial phase, the comparison of AEF value, plain scan CT value, arterial phase CT value, and added venous phase CT value of GIST patients in the 4 groups showed statistically significant differences (all P < 0.05). In the predictive efficacy evaluation of high-risk GIST, the area under the curve (AUC) of the ROC curve for AEF value was 0.753, which was higher than that for plain scan CT value (0.593), arterial phase CT value (0.592) and added venous phase CT value (0.631), lower than AEF combined with Ki-67 (0.799). Kappa consistency test showed that the AEF value, plain scan CT value and arterial phase CT value were consistent with the pathological examination results (Kappa values were 0.375, 0.168 and 0.168, respectively), however, the added venous phase CT value was inconsistent with the pathological examination results (Kappa = -0.224). The AUC of AEF value combined with Ki-67 for predicting high-risk GIST was 0.799, and the Kappar value was 0.528. Conclusions:MSCT AEF value varies in GIST with different risk degree, and its preoperative efficacy in predicting high-risk GIST is superior to that of conventional plain scan and enhanced scan; especially the combination of AEF value with Ki-67 shows a higher predictive efficacy.

Objective:To observe the effect of gait training assisted by an end-effector-based robot on the gait, balance, walking and general lower limb motor functioning of stroke survivors.Methods:Thirty-nine stroke survivors were randomized into a training group ( n=21) and a control group ( n=18). In addition to routine hemiplegia rehabilitation, the control group was given medium frequency electrical stimulation while the training group underwent 20 minutes of gait training assisted by an end-effector-based robot six days a week for 4 weeks. Before and after the intervention, both groups were evaluated using the functional ambulatory categories (FAC), the Fugl-Meyer lower extremity assessment, the Wisconsin Gait Scale and the Berg balance scale (BBS). Results:There were no significant differences between the groups before the intervention. Afterward significant improvement was observed in both groups in all measurements, with the training group scored better in terms of FAC and BBS.Conclusion:Using an end-effector-based robot in gait training might be more advantageous for improving the gait, balance, walking and general lower limb functioning of stroke survivors.

BACKGROUND: Revascularization is a challenge for the tissue-engineered bone carrying cells after implanted into human body. Previous studies have found that tanshinol can improve the functions of endothelial progenitor cells and exert vascular protective effects.OBJECTIVE: To prepare the β-calcium phosphate (β-TCP) scaffold with tanshinol coating, and to observe its cytocompatibility.METHODS: The β-TCP scaffolds coated with 10-7, 10-6 and 10-5 mol of tanshinol were constructed by negative pressure absorption method. The distribution of tanshinol coating on the scaffold was observed using scanning electron microscopy,and the inner ingredients were analyzed by infrared spectrum. Human endothelial progenitor cells (hEPCs) were cultured in the extracts of β-TCP and β-TCP scaffolds with 10-7, 10-6, 10-5 mol of tanshinol coatings, respectively. The cell proliferation was detected at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 days of culture; the levels of nitric oxide and vascular endothelial growth factor in the supernatants were detected at 1, 7 and 14 days of culture; the lumen formation on the matrigel was observed after 14-day culture. hEPCs were respectively seeded onto the β-TCP and β-TCP scaffolds with different dosages of tanshinol coating,and then the cell growth was observed under scanning electron microscope at 7 days.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The tanshinol coating evenly distributed on the inner surface of the pores, and its crystalline structure became dense with dosage increasing. Infrared spectrum analysis revealed no changes in the characteristic absorption peak of tanshinol and TCP in the scaffold. The β-TCP scaffolds with tanshinol coating could promote the proliferation of hEPCs, especially the scaffolds with 10-6 and 10-5 mol tanshinol coating. Compared with the β-TCP scaffold, the scaffolds with 10-6 and 10-5 mol tanshinol coating significantly upregulated the nitric oxide level at 14 days of culture, and significantly increased the level of vascular endothelial growth factor at 7 and 14 days of culture (P <0.05). Although it could be found in all β-TCP scaffolds with tanshinol coating, the lumen formation was the maturest in the scaffold with 10-5 mol tanshinol coating. These results suggest the β-TCP scaffolds with tanshinol coating can promote the proliferation and endothelial differentiation of hEPCs, and hold a good cytocompatibility.