BackgroundInvasive vagus nerve stimulation therapy has been approved for the adjunctive treatment of treatment-resistant depression， which may contribute to the anti-inflammatory properties of vagus nerve stimulation （VNS）， whereas the efficacy of non-invasive transcutaneous cervical vagus nerve stimulation （tcVNS） in treating major depressive disorder （MDD） and its impact on plasma inflammatory factors remain unclear. ObjectiveTo observe the effect of escitaloprom combined with tcVNS on the status of depression， anxiety and sleep quality as well as the plasma levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6） and interleukin-10 （IL-10） in MDD patients， in order to provide references for the recovery and treatment of MDD patients. MethodsFrom August 21， 2019 to April 17， 2024， 45 patients who met the diagnostic criteria for MDD in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders， fifth edition （DSM-5） were recruited from the psychosomatic outpatient clinic of the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University. Subjects were divided into study group （n=23） and control group （n=22） using random number table method. All patients were treated with escitalopram. On this basis， study group added a 30-minute tcVNS therapy once a day for 4 weeks. While control group was given corresponding sham stimulation， and the duration of each stimulation lasted 30 seconds. Before and after 4 weeks of treatment， Hamilton Depression Scale-17 item （HAMD-17） was used to assess depressive symptoms， and HAMD-17 anxiety/somatization subfactor and insomnia subfactor were used to assess patients' anxiety/somatization symptoms and sleep quality. Levels of plasma IL-6 and IL-10 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. ResultsThe generalized estimating equation model yielded a significant time effect for HAMD-17 total score， anxiety/somatization subfactor score and insomnia subfactor score in both groups （Wald χ²=315.226， 495.481， 82.420， P<0.01）. After 4 weeks of treatment， HAMD-17 total score and anxiety/somatization subfactor score of study group were lower than those of control group， with statistically significant differences （Wald χ²=4.967， 32.543， P<0.05 or 0.01）， while no statistically significant difference was found in the insomnia subfactor score between two groups （Wald χ²=0.819， P=0.366）. Significant time effects were reported on plasma IL-6 and IL-10 levels in both groups （Wald χ²=21.792， 5.242， P<0.05 or 0.01）. Compared with baseline data， a reduction in plasma IL-6 levels was detected in both groups （Wald χ²=22.015， 6.803， P<0.01）， and an increase in plasma IL-10 levels was reported in study group （Wald χ²=5.118， P=0.024） after 4 weeks of treatment. ConclusionEscitalopram combined with tcVNS therapy is effective in improving depressive symptoms， anxiety/somatization symptoms and sleep quality in patients with MDD. Additionally， it helps reduce plasma IL-6 levels and increase IL-10 levels. ［Funded by Shaanxi Provincial Key Research and Development Program-General Project （number， 2023-YBSF-185）， www.clinicaltrials.gov number， NCT04037111］

ObjectiveTo introduce a fixation technique with the modified levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system （LNG-IUS） and evaluate its efficacy in the treatment of adenomyosis patients with previous LNG-IUS expulsion. MethodsA retrospective analysis was done on 22 adenomyosis patients who underwent modified LNG-IUS fixation due to LNG-IUS expulsion at three hospitals from June 2022 to June 2023. The baseline clinical characteristics， operative and postoperative details were collected and analyzed. The Visual analogu scale （VAS） scores and pictorial blood loss assessment chart （PBAC） scores were measured and compared before， 3 and 6 months after the LNG-IUS fixation. ResultsThe mean operative time was （19.51±7.41） min and intraoperative bleeding was （6.71±5.30） mL. Of the patients， 13 were operated under local anaesthesia and the other 9 under intravenous anaesthesia. There were 4 operations performed by a resident doctor， 15 by an attending doctor and 3 by a senior doctor. No intraoperative or postoperative complication was found. The mean follow-up was 11.51 months and no patient had a recurrence of LNG-IUS expulsion during the follow-up period. The mean level of hemoglobin at 1 month after operation was significantly higher than that before （P<0.001）. VAS scores and PBAC scores at 3 and 6 months postoperatively were all improved significantly than those preoperatively （P<0.001）. ConclusionsEffectively preventing the recurrence of LNG-IUS expulsion， modified LNG-IUS fixation is a safe and efficient method for adenomyosis patients with previous LNG-IUS expulsion. Modified LNG-IUS fixation deserves the clinical application due to its easy operation and wide range of use on women.

Objective:To study the distribution of TCM constitutions in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients.Methods:This is a multicenter cross-sectional study. The general clinical data, dialysis-related parameters and physical and chemical examination data of MHD patients from 6 dialysis centers in Sichuan were collected. At the same time, DS01-A tongue and facial pulse information collection system was used for TCM constitution discrimination.Results:A total of 232 MHD patients were enrolled , and 417 kinds of TCM constitutions were detected, including 59 patients (25.43%) with moderate constitution and 173 patients (74.57%) with biased constitution. Phlegm-dampness was the most common type of solid constitution 47 patients (20.26%). The most common deficiency constitution was qi deficiency 86 patients (37.07%). There were certain differences in the physical distribution of patients with different gender, age, dialysis age, BMI, and whether they had diabetes, hypertension or anemia.Conclusions:The TCM constitutions of MHD patients are mainly biased constitution. Gender, age, BMI, diabetes or hypertension have a certain impact on the distribution of TCM constitutions. At the same time, different constitutions may have an impact on the anemia of MHD patients. The intervention of TCM constitutions on MHD patients may be beneficial to the prognosis of MHD patients.

Objective:To study the influence of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy on peritoneal wound recovery after abdominoperineal resection (APR).Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study of data of 219 patients who had been pathologically diagnosed with low rectal cancer and undergone APR in the Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology between January 2018 and December 2021. Of these patients, 158 had undergone surgery without any pre-surgical treatment (surgery group), 35 had undergone surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (neoadjuvant chemotherapy group), and 26 had undergone surgery after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy group). The primary outcome was perineal wound complications occurring within 30 days. The status of wound healing was classified into the following three levels: Level A: abnormal wound seepage that improved after wound discharge; Level B: wound infection and dehiscence; and Level C: Level B plus fever. The patients' general condition, tumor status, perianal wound healing level, and intra- and post-operative recovery were recorded.Results:None of the study patients had any complications during surgery. The duration of surgery was 240.0 (180.0–300.0) minutes, 240.0 (225.0–270.0) minutes and 270.0 (240.0–356.2) minutes in the surgery, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy groups, respectively ( H=6.508, P=0.039). The rates of perineal wound complications were 34.6% (9/26) and (22.9%, 8/35)in the neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy group and the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group, being significantly higher than that in the surgery group (10.1%, 16/158). After adjusting for patient age and sex using a logistic regression model, the risk of complications was still higher in the neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy than in the surgery group (OR=4.6, 95%CI: 1.7–12.7; OR=2.6, 95%CI: 1.0–6.8), these differences being statistically significant (both P<0.05). The duration of hospital stay was 9.5 (7.0–12.0) days, 10.0 (8.0–17.0) days and 11.5 (9.0–19.5) days for patients in the surgery, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy groups, respectively ( H=0.569, P=0.752). However, after adjusting for patient age and sex by using a generalized linear model, hospital stay was longer in the neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy than in the surgery group (β [95% CI]: 4.4 [0.5–8.4], P=0.028). After surgery, 155 of 219 patients required further adjuvant chemotherapy. A higher proportion of patients with than without wound complications did not attend for follow-up (32.2% [10/31] vs. 16.1% [20/124]); this difference is statistically significant (χ 2=4.133, P=0.023). Conclusions:In patients with low rectal cancer, neoadjuvant radiotherapy may be associated with an increased risk of perineal wound infection and non-healing.

Objective:To study the influence of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy on peritoneal wound recovery after abdominoperineal resection (APR).Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study of data of 219 patients who had been pathologically diagnosed with low rectal cancer and undergone APR in the Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology between January 2018 and December 2021. Of these patients, 158 had undergone surgery without any pre-surgical treatment (surgery group), 35 had undergone surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (neoadjuvant chemotherapy group), and 26 had undergone surgery after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy group). The primary outcome was perineal wound complications occurring within 30 days. The status of wound healing was classified into the following three levels: Level A: abnormal wound seepage that improved after wound discharge; Level B: wound infection and dehiscence; and Level C: Level B plus fever. The patients' general condition, tumor status, perianal wound healing level, and intra- and post-operative recovery were recorded.Results:None of the study patients had any complications during surgery. The duration of surgery was 240.0 (180.0–300.0) minutes, 240.0 (225.0–270.0) minutes and 270.0 (240.0–356.2) minutes in the surgery, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy groups, respectively ( H=6.508, P=0.039). The rates of perineal wound complications were 34.6% (9/26) and (22.9%, 8/35)in the neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy group and the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group, being significantly higher than that in the surgery group (10.1%, 16/158). After adjusting for patient age and sex using a logistic regression model, the risk of complications was still higher in the neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy than in the surgery group (OR=4.6, 95%CI: 1.7–12.7; OR=2.6, 95%CI: 1.0–6.8), these differences being statistically significant (both P<0.05). The duration of hospital stay was 9.5 (7.0–12.0) days, 10.0 (8.0–17.0) days and 11.5 (9.0–19.5) days for patients in the surgery, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy groups, respectively ( H=0.569, P=0.752). However, after adjusting for patient age and sex by using a generalized linear model, hospital stay was longer in the neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy than in the surgery group (β [95% CI]: 4.4 [0.5–8.4], P=0.028). After surgery, 155 of 219 patients required further adjuvant chemotherapy. A higher proportion of patients with than without wound complications did not attend for follow-up (32.2% [10/31] vs. 16.1% [20/124]); this difference is statistically significant (χ 2=4.133, P=0.023). Conclusions:In patients with low rectal cancer, neoadjuvant radiotherapy may be associated with an increased risk of perineal wound infection and non-healing.

Objective: To explore the correlation between different nutritional status and depressive symptoms among adolescents, so as to provide a theoretical basis for targeted improvement of nutritional status and depressive symptoms in adolescents. Methods: A total of 8 102 adolescents aged 12-17 years in Shanghai, Urumqi, Changsha and Kunming were selected by random cluster sampling. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale(CES-D). Height and weight were measured. Kruskal Wallis H test, Chi square test and ordinal Logistic regression were used to analyze the relationship between nutritional status and depressive symptoms in adolescents. Results: The overall detection rate of depressive symptoms in adolescents was 25.6%, with girls (30.1%) higher than that of boys (21.1%) ( χ 2=87.60, P <0.01). There were statistically significant differences in the scores of depressive symptoms among girls with different nutritional status ( Z =8.34, P <0.05). The detectable rate of depressive symptoms increased with BMI among girls( χ 2 trend =6.04, P <0.05). After controlling for confounding factors, ordinal Logistic regression showed that the obese girls had higher risks in depressive symptoms detection compared with normal weight girls ( OR=1.45, 95%CI=1.10-1.91, P <0.05). Conclusion The nutritional status of girls is better than boys, but the prevalence of depressive symptoms is higher than boys. The risk of depressive symptoms in girls increases with BMI.

Objective: To explore the correlation between non suicidal self injury(NSSI) behaviors and depressive symptoms in adolescents and to provide a theoretical basis for improvement of adolescent physical and mental health. Methods: A total of 8 102 adolescents aged 12-17 years were selected by random cluster sampling method in Shanghai, Urumqi, Changsha and Kunming, using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Adolescent Non Suicidal Self Injurious Behavior Assessment Questionnaire. Depressive symptoms and the occurrence of NSSI behaviors were assessed. The relationship between NSSI behaviors and depressive symptoms was analyzed using Chi square test, one way analysis and Logistic regression analysis. Results: The overall detection rate of NSSI in adolescents, 24.6%, with a significantly lower detection rate in boys (23.1%) than in girls (26.2%) ( χ 2=10.97, P <0.05), and 24.7%, 24.6% in the middle school and high school segments, respectively, but the difference was not statistically significant ( χ 2=0.01, P >0.05). The overall detection rate of adolescent depressive symptoms was 49.7 % in the group with NSSI and 17.7% in the group without NSSI, with statistically significant differences ( χ 2=808.80, P < 0.01 ). The detection rates of adolescent depressive symptoms in the group with NSSI (male:44.0%, female:54.7%, middle school:49.6%, high school:49.8%) and the group without NSSI (male:14.2%, female:21.4%, middle school:14.3%, high school: 21.0 %) were statistically significant by sex and age groups ( χ 2=385.58, 412.44, 520.60, 313.78, P ＜0.01). Logistic regression models, after adjusting for gender and age, the risk for depressive symptoms was 2.65 times (95% CI =2.27-3.09) and 7.28 times (95% CI = 6.34- 8.37) more frequently in adolescents with episodic self injurious behavior and frequent self injurious behavior, respectively, compared to those without self injurious behavior. The association between NSSI status and depressive symptoms did not show sex differences ( P >0.05). Conclusion Adolescent NSSI behavior is positively associated with depressive symptoms, the attention should be paid to adolescent physical and mental health to reduce the occurrence of NSSI.

Objective: To analyze the correlation between physical activity and depressive symptoms in adolescents, so as to provide a reference for the early prevention of depression among adolescents. Methods: Using a random cluster sampling method, 8 102 adolescents from Shanghai, Urumqi, Changsha and Kunming were investigated via the Physical Activity Assessment Questionnaire of Chinese Children and Adolescents aged 7 to 18 and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) for physical activity and depressive symptoms. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the correlation between physical activity and depressive symptoms in adolescents. Results: The proportion of adolescents who met moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) standard was 37.0%, and the detection rate of depressive symptoms was 25.6%. The detection rate of depressive symptomsin compliant with MVPA standard group was significantly lower than that in non compliant group among different age and gender( χ 2=7.62-34.54, P <0.05). Adolescents with severe depressive symptoms had high light intensity physical activity(LPA) duration and low vigorous intensity physical activity(VPA) duration, while adolescents with mild depressive symptoms or asymptomatic adolescents had higher MVPA duration. There were differences in LPA and VPA among adolescents with different levels of depressive symptoms in the overall sample, and the differences were still significant among girls, middle school and statistically significant differences in LPA, moderate intensity physical activity(MPA), MVPA were also found among the high school subgroup. However, differences only in LPA were observed among boys with different levels of depression( H=46.48, 10.31, 25.02, 29.54, 30.25, 19.80, 22.20, 9.54, 8.62, 18.06, P <0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression model showed that gender and duration of MVPA were significantly related to risk of depressive symptoms( OR=1.56, 1.42, P <0.05). Conclusion Physical activity among adolescents is significantly related to depressive symptoms. MVPA may be an effective measure to reduce the degree of depressive symptoms.To improve the physical health and prevent depression among adolescents, it is important to choose appropriate physical activity types and effectively increase the duration of MVPA.

Background/Aims: The aim of this study was to analyze the chronological changes in postoperative complications in surgical ulcerative colitis patients over the past decade in China and to investigate the potential parameters that contributed to the changes. Methods: Ulcerative colitis patients who underwent surgery during 2008–2017 were retrospectively enrolled from 13 hospitals in China. Postoperative complications were compared among different operation years. Risk factors for complications were identified by logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 446 surgical ulcerative colitis patients were analyzed. Fewer short-term complications (24.8% vs. 41.0%, P=0.001) and more laparoscopic surgeries (66.4% vs. 25.0%, P<0.001) were found among patients who received surgery during 2014–2017 than 2008–2013. Logistic regression suggested that independent protective factors against short-term complications were a higher preoperative body mass index (odds ratio [OR], 0.870; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.785–0.964; P=0.008), laparoscopic surgery (OR, 0.391; 95% CI, 0.217–0.705; P=0.002) and elective surgery (OR, 0.213; 95% CI, 0.067–0.675; P=0.009). The chronological decrease in short-term complications was associated with an increase in laparoscopic surgery. Conclusions Our data revealed a downward trend of short-term postoperative complications among surgical ulcerative colitis patients in China during the past decade, which may be due to the promotion of minimally invasive techniques among Chinese surgeons.

Objective:To analyze the distribution characteristics of plasma renin concentration (PRC) in patients with aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) and its impact on diagnosis.Methods:In this retrospective case series, clinical data from 200 patients with APA (80 men and 120 women; mean age 45.6 years) in the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from November 2013 to January 2022 were evaluated. PRC was determined by automated chemiluminescence immunoassay. The distribution characteristics of PRC were analyzed, and 8.2 mU/L was used as the low renin cutoff to evaluate whether renin was suppressed.Results:The median PRC was 1.6 mU/L (range, 0.4-41.5 mU/L). There were 116 patients with APA with PRC of ≤2 mU/L, 41 patients with 28.2 mU/L) in 8.0% (16/200) of the patients with APA. And PRC was not suppressed in 2.5% (5/200) of the patients with APA, resulting in a primary aldosteronism negative screening outcome.Conclusions:Although most patients with APA have low PRC, there are a small number (8%) of patients whose PRC has not been fully suppressed, which can lead to missed diagnoses during primary aldosteronism screening. While primary aldosteronism is highly suspected, further investigations are required to determine the diagnosis, even if PRC is not fully suppressed at screening.