ObjectiveTo clarify the associations between plasma fibrinogen （Fbg） and volumetric bone mineral density （vBMD） as well as osteoporosis measured by quantitative computed tomography （QCT）， and to explore the role of plasma Fbg in early screening and diagnosis of osteoporosis. MethodsPatients with hypertension who were hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2018 to June 2022 and underwent QCT examinations were included for cross-sectional analysis. The study analyzed the correlation between plasma Fbg and osteoporosis in patients. The diagnostic efficacy of plasma Fbg for osteoporosis was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve （AUC）. ResultsTotally 441 subjects were included in the analysis， with an average age of 46.0±14.5 years and a prevalence of osteoporosis of 6.4% （28/441）. As the level of plasma fibrinogen increased， the incidence of osteoporosis significantly increased （P<0.000 1）while the average bone mineral density of L1 and L2 were significantly decreased （P<0.05）. Compared with the first quartile of plasma Fbg（1.99g/L -2.37g/L）， the risk of osteoporosis in the fourth quartile of plasma Fbg （3.67g/L-4.46g/L） increased by 8.85 times after adjusting for related confounding factors. ConclusionThis study found a negative correlation between plasma fibrinogen levels and bone density in patients with hypertension. Plasma fibrinogen levels may serve as a potential screening indicator for osteoporosis， aiding in early diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring. This discovery offers a new perspective for the study of bone metabolic diseases and warrants further investigation.

Objective To investigatethe relationship between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms and clinicopathological characteristics, p53 expression, and survival of Chinese patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma. Methods A total of 3882 patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma, 970 matched patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and 970 matched patients with gastric cardia adenocarcinoma were included to compare the incidence of GERD symptoms. Patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma were divided into two groups according to the presence and absence of GERD symptoms. The differences in clinicopathological characteristics and p53 expression between the two groups were compared by chi-square test, and the differences in survival between the two groups were compared by landmark analysis. Results The incidence of GERD symptoms increased successively in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, esophageal adenocarcinoma, and gastric cardia adenocarcinoma. In patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma, the proportions of male, less than 65 years old, lower thoracic tumors, tumors without squamous cell carcinoma, poorly differentiation, early tumors (stage 0-I), and p53-positive tumors in the group with GERD symptoms were higher than those in the group without GERD symptoms; moreover, the long-term survival (≥15 years) was better. Conclusion GERD symptom is an important clinical sign of esophageal adenocarcinoma. It is closely related to specific clinicopathological characteristics, p53 overexpression, and good long-term prognosis.

Acute mitral regurgitation(MR)in the setting of myocardial infarction(MI)may be the result of papillary muscle rupture(PMR).The clinical presentation can be catastrophic,with refractory cardiogenic shock.This condition is associated with high morbidity and mortality.Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair(TEER)has become increasingly common in treating severe mitral regurgitation.This case details a successful TEER is feasible and safe in patients with acute MR following MI.TEER is an emerging treatment option in this clinical scenario that should be taken into consideration.

Objective:To systematically appraise and summarize existing evidence on enteral nutrition in patients receiving radiotherapy for head and neck cancer.Methods:Based on the 6S Pyramid of Evidence-based Resources, a systematic search was conducted to identify guidelines, expert consensuses, and evidence summaries related to enteral nutrition for radiotherapy patients with head and neck cancer published from January 2018 to September 2023. The search covered relevant websites of guidelines, websites of academic societies, and databases (in Chinese and English). Literature screening, quality assessment, and data extraction were performed independently by the researchers.Results:A total of 19 studies were included, consisting of 10 guidelines, 7 expert consensuses, and 2 evidence summaries. Four aspects and 67 items of best evidence on organizational management, nutritional screening and assessment, enteral nutritional intervention programs, and monitoring and follow-up were summarized.Conclusion:This study summarized the best evidence for enteral nutrition in patients receiving radiotherapy for head and neck cancer, which can inform the standardized nutritional management and promote the translation of evidence-based knowledge into practice.

Objective: This study aims to overcome challenges in lumbar spine imaging, particularly lumbar spinal stenosis, by developing an automated segmentation model using advanced techniques. Traditional manual measurement and lesion detection methods are limited by subjectivity and inefficiency. The objective is to create an accurate and automated segmentation model that identifies anatomical structures in lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging scans. Methods: Leveraging a dataset of 539 lumbar spinal stenosis patients, the study utilizes the residual U-Net for semantic segmentation in sagittal and axial lumbar spine magnetic resonance images. The model, trained to recognize specific tissue categories, employs a geometry algorithm for anatomical structure quantification. Validation metrics, like Intersection over Union (IOU) and Dice coefficients, validate the residual U-Net’s segmentation accuracy. A novel rotation matrix approach is introduced for detecting bulging discs, assessing dural sac compression, and measuring yellow ligament thickness. Results: The residual U-Net achieves high precision in segmenting lumbar spine structures, with mean IOU values ranging from 0.82 to 0.93 across various tissue categories and views. The automated quantification system provides measurements for intervertebral disc dimensions, dural sac diameter, yellow ligament thickness, and disc hydration. Consistency between training and testing datasets assures the robustness of automated measurements. Conclusion Automated lumbar spine segmentation with residual U-Net and deep learning exhibits high precision in identifying anatomical structures, facilitating efficient quantification in lumbar spinal stenosis cases. The introduction of a rotation matrix enhances lesion detection, promising improved diagnostic accuracy, and supporting treatment decisions for lumbar spinal stenosis patients.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on postoperative fatigue syndrome in patients with Parkinson′s diseases undergoing bilateral deep brain electrical stimulation.Methods:Sixty patients with Parkinson′s disease, aged 60-80 yr, of American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification Ⅱ or Ⅲ, with body mass index of 18.5-29.9 kg/m 2, undergoing elective bilateral deep brain electrical stimulation, were divided into transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation group (TEAS group) and sham stimulation group (Sham group), with 30 patients in each group, using the random number table method. The TEAS of bilateral Zusanli and Sanyin points was performed on admission to the operating room with alternative stimulation at a frequency of 2/10 Hz and an intensity of 6-15 mA. The stimulation was stopped when the neurosurgeon performed the microelectrode recording, and TEAS was continued until the end of operation after the microelectrode recording was finished. In Sham group, electrode pads were only placed at the acupoint with no stimulation. The Christensen score was assessed at 1 day preoperatively (T 0) and 1, 3 and 7 days postoperatively (T 1-3) to evaluate the occurrence of postoperative fatigue syndrome. The 15-item Quality of Recovery scale score, emergence agitation and rescue analgesia within 48 h after surgery were recorded. Results:Compared with Sham group, Christensen scores were significantly decreased at T 1-3, 15-item Quality of Recovery scale scores were increased, and the incidence of postoperative fatigue syndrome and emergence agitation and rate of rescue analgesia were decreased in TEAS group than in Sham group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:TEAS can reduce the development of postoperative fatigue syndrome in the patients with Parkinson′s diseases undergoing bilateral deep brain electrical stimulation.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of selective dorsal rhizotomy with small incision under electrophysiological monitoring in lower limb spasticity.Methods:Twenty patients with lower limb spasticity due to craniocerebral injury admitted to Department of Neurosurgery,Tianjin Huanhu Hospital from January 2019 to December 2023 were selected. Target muscles (Ashworth Scale graded 1 + or higher) were identified preoperatively. Intraoperatively, the lower L 1 spinous process and the upper L 2 spinous process were resected to expose the cauda equina nerves. A bipolar stimulator was applied to electrically stimulate the cauda equina nerves root by root to identify the sensory nerves of the target muscles; subsequently, strings of electrical stimulation were given, 50% cauda equina nerves were cut off if no contraction of the contralateral muscles was seen, and 75% were cut off if contraction of the contralateral muscles was noted. Motor function and muscle tension were assessed and compared before and 6 months after surgery by Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM)-66, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), and Ashworth spasticity scale. Complications early after surgery and 6 months after surgery were observed. Results:The most common targeted muscles in these 20 patients included the gastrocnemius (the medial and lateral side, n=20), followed by the biceps femoris ( n=12) and the adductor muscles of thigh ( n=9). Number of nerves intraoperatively cut in patients with GMFCS grading 1-4 was 5.40±1.84, 9.50±6.36, 11.67±5.86, and 14.00±5.66, respectively, with significant differences ( F=5.506 , P=0.009). Grading of Ashworth spasticity scale of the target muscles before surgery in these 20 patients showed significant difference compared with that at 6 months after surgery ( P<0.05), and average rank indicated that Ashworth spasticity scale of target muscles 6 months after surgery was graded obviouly better than that before surgery. In addition, the GMFM-66 total scores and major joint motion scores of the patients 6 months after surgery were significantly higher than those before surgery ( P<0.05). Fifteen patients had fever early after surgery, 18 patients had incisional pain, and 1 patient developed reversible hypesthesia of the lower extremities; these symptoms disappeared 0.5-4.0 years after surgery. No patients developed lower limb hypokinesia, urinary and defecation disorders, or spinal deformities. Conclusion:Selective dorsal rhizotomy with small incision under electrophysiological monitoring used in this study can effectively reduce surgical trauma and relieve lower limb spasticity due to craniocerebral injury, enjoying high surgical safety.

Objective:To explore the clinical effectiveness of functional magnetic stimulation (FMS) of the sacral nerve root in the treatment of diabetic neurogenic bladder (DNB).Methods:A total of 134 DNB patients were divided into an observation group and a control group, each of 67. Both groups were given conventional drug therapy and bladder function training, while the observation group was additionally provided with sacral nerve root FMS for 4 weeks. The urine and urine flow dynamics of both groups were tested before and after the experiment.Results:After treatment the average daily volume of single urination had increased significantly in both groups and the average daily urinations and incidence of incontinence had decreased significantly. The observation group′s average single urination volume was then significantly greater than that of the control group. The observation group′s average daily urinations (8.87±1.42) and incontinence incidents (3.04±1.93) were then significantly fewer than the control group′s. After the treatment the detrusor pressure at maximum flow, bladder sense initial volition and residual urine volume of both groups had decreased significantly compared with before the treatment, while their average maximum flow rates had increased significantly. But the observation group′s averages were in all cases significantly better than those of the control group. The treatment′s total effectiveness rate among the observation group (88%) was significantly better than among the control group (72%).Conclusions:Supplementing routine bladder function training with FMS applied to the root of the sacral nerve can further promote the regaining of bladder function among DNB patients, improve their urinary flow dynamics and improve their quality of life. Such combination therapy is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is an autoimmune disease with the basic pathological manifestation of synovial inflammation.Symmetric poly-articular pain and swelling are the main symptoms in clinical practice,and even extra-articular manifestations and comorbidities such as interstitial fibrosis and coronary artery disease are triggered,which seriously affect the quality of life of patients.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has achieved good clinical efficacy in the prevention and treatment of RA with the advantages of multi-pathway,multi-target,multi-component,and less toxic side effects,and plays an important role in the treatment of RA.Recently,many studies have demonstrated that Chinese medicine monomers and Chinese herbal compound can control inflammation,reduce angiogenesis,induce apoptosis of synovial fibroblasts,and inhibit their proliferation,invasion and migration by regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway,so as to play a key role in the treatment of RA.For this reason,the article summarizes current knowledge regarding the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and its role in RA,as well as summarizes the current research progress of TCM in the treatment of RA by regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.The aim of this review is to provide theoretical bases for the prevention and treatment of RA and the development of new drugs.

Ankylosing spondylitis(AS)is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by inflammatory back pain.Its pathological features mainly include inflammation,bone destruction,and pathologic new bone formation.The etiology of AS is complex,and it may be related to genetics,infections,the environment,and intestinal flora.Its pathogenesis has not yet been clarified.In recent years,osteoimmunology,as a new theme in the study of inflammatory arthritis,plays an important role in the pathogenesis and development of AS,which was embodied in the inflammatory response and imbalance of bone metabolism.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has the characteristics of multiple pathways,multiple components,multiple targets and multiple levels.TCM can improve the inflammatory response and bone metabolism imbalance of AS by regulating the osteoblasts of the skeletal system and the related factors of the immune system,thus to prevent and control AS.For this reason,the paper summarizes the role of bone immunology in the pathogenesis of AS,and reviews the current status of research on the intervention of TCM in bone immunology for the treatment of AS,with a view to providing certain references for the future clinical application of TCM in the prevention and treatment of AS.