OBJECTIVE To investigate the influence of CYP2C19 gene polymorphism on platelet function and inflammatory cytokines in elderly patients with ischemic stroke， and to analyze potential factors associated with poor prognosis. METHODS A retrospective study was conducted on elderly patients with ischemic stroke admitted to our hospital from June 2024 to June 2025， wh o underwent CYP2C19 genotype testing and received antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel. The levels of platelet function indicators and inflammatory cytokines before and after treatment were compared among patients with different metabolic phenotypes. Based on the prognosis at 6 months post-treatment， patients were divided into poor prognosis group and good prognosis group. Univariate analysis was performed on general data， metabolic phenotype， the levels of platelet function indicators and inflammatory cytokines. Variables with P ＜0.05 and the levels of inflammatory cytokines before treatment were included in a multivariate Logistic regression analysis to identify independent risk factors for poor prognosis. Multiple linear regression was used to further analyze the relationship between metabolic phenotypes and inflammatory cytokines. RESULTS A total of 448 elderly patients with ischemic stroke were included； among them， 162 cases were normal metabolic phenotype， 218 were intermediate metabolic phenotype， and 68 were poor metabolic phenotype. No rapid or ultrarapid metabolic phenotypes were observed. After treatment， platelet aggregation rate， the levels of P-selectin and platelet activated complex-1 （PAC-1）， high-sensitivity C-reactive Protein （hs-CRP）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in the normal metabolic phenotype group， intermediate metabolic phenotype group， and poor metabolic phenotype group （except for platelet aggregation rate， and the levels of P-selectin and PAC-1 in the poor metabolic phenotype group） were significantly lower than those before treatment in the same group. Moreover， the above indicators in the normal metabolic phenotype group were significantly lower than those in the intermediate and poor metabolic phenotype groups at the corresponding time， and the levels of platelet function indicators in the intermediate metabolic phenotype group were significantly lower than those in the poor metabol ic phenotype group at the corresponding time （ P ＜0.05）. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses showed that combined with hypertension， combined with diabetes mellitus， and intermediate or poor metabolic genotypes were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in elderly patients with ischemic stroke （ P ＜0.05）. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that serum levels of hs-CRP， IL-1β， IL-6 and TNF-α before treatment were significantly higher in patients with intermediate and poor metabolic genotypes compared to those with normal metabolic genotype （ P ＜0.05）， with a greater magnitude of increase in inflammatory cytokines observed in the patients with poor metabolic genotype. CONCLUSIONS The elderly ischemic stroke patients with CYP2C19 intermediate and poor metabolic genotypes have poor inhibition effect on platelet and higher levels of inflammatory cytokines than normal metabolic genotype； CYP2C19 gene polymorphism， and in combination with hypertension and diabetes， can be used as independent predictors of poor prognosis.

Despite of the widespread use of hydrogen and methane breath test, the variability in testing protocols, gas measurement techniques, and interpretation criteria continues to challenge the reproducibility and comparability across centers, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. The Asian Neurogastroenterology and Motility Association hence presents the first Asian monograph guiding application and interpretation of breath test. The monograph was formulated according to the framework of indications, preparatory process, performance, and interpretation of results, as well as future direction for research.

Background/Aims: Belching can occur either independently or concurrently with reflux symptoms. This study aims to explore the relationship between belching and reflux and explore the underlying mechanisms involved. Methods: Firstly, patients with isolated belching symptoms or concurrent belching and reflux symptoms were retrospectively enrolled. High-resolution esophageal impedance manometry (HRIM) and 24-hour pH impedance monitoring were used to assess belching types and temporal relationship between belching and reflux. Secondly, subjects with belching disorder were prospectively recruited. Postprandial HRIM monitoring was used to clarify the relationship and underlying mechanisms between belching and reflux. Results: In the initial phase, 139 subjects were enrolled. Regardless of patients' symptom spectrum (with or without gastroesophageal reflux symptoms), the proportion of preceding-reflux belching was significantly higher in those with objective evidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease, compared to those without (both P < 0.05), which indicated that belching could trigger reflux events and led to more severe reflux burden. To clarify the potential mechanisms involved, 44 belching subjects were prospectively enrolled in the second phase of this study. HRIM analysis demonstrated that maximum intragastric pressure, gastric–lower esophageal sphincter pressure gradient and gastric–esophageal pressure gradient were significantly higher in preceding-reflux belching than those in independent belching. Conclusions This study demonstrated that belching might trigger reflux by increasing intragastric pressure, elevating the gastric-sphincter pressure gradient, which enables gastric contents to pass through the esophagogastric junction.These findings have crucial clinical significance, suggesting that reducing the occurrence of belching might be a potential treatment for refractory reflux.

OBJECTIVE To establish standards for the rational use of Compound amino acid injection （14AA-SF） （hereinafter referred to as “14AA-SF”）， and evaluate its rationality and cost-effectiveness.METHODS The standards for the rational use of 14AA-SF were established based on the Delphi method. Archived medical records of patients who used 14AA-SF in the Dept. of Neurosurgery of People’s Hospital of Bozhou from January 2024 to December 2025 were randomly selected. On the basis of the established standards for the rational use， the attribute hierarchical model was applied to evaluate the use rationality of 14AA-SF in the included medical records. The decision tree model was applied to calculate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio （ICER）， so as to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of 14AA-SF administered via single-bottle infusion versus “all-in-one” infusion， and the robustness of the cost-effectiveness evaluation results was verified through sensitivity analysis.RESULTS A total of 205 medical records were collected， among which 163 records （79.51%） were qualified with medical record score （MRS） ≥90， and 42 records （20.49%） were unqualified with MRS ＜90. The main irrational types of 14AA-SF use included unreasonable infusion method （67 case-times， accounting for 32.68%）， unreasonable amino acid dosage （62 case-times， accounting for 30.24%） and unreasonable non-protein calorie-nitrogen ratio （55 case-times， accounting for 26.83%）. Compared wtih single-bottle infusion， the incremental cost of “all-in-one” infusion for each 1% increase in effective rate was 165.40 yuan. The one-way sensitivity analysis showed that the effective rate of single-bottle infusion had the greatest impact on ICER. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed that under the willingness-to-pay （WTP） threshold （89 358 yuan） set in this study， the cost-effectiveness probability of “all-in-one” infusion relative to single-bottle infusion was 89.9%. When the WTP threshold exceeds 17 871.60 yuan， the “all-in-one” infusion is more cost-effective than the single-bottle infusion.CONCLUSIONS The established standards for the rational use of 14AA-SF are practical and feasible. There are phenomena of irrational use of 14AA-SF in Dept. of Neurosurgery of the hospital in terms of indications， nutritional risk screening， infusion methods and other aspects， which need to be further standardized. The “all-in-one” infusion is more cost-effective than the single-bottle infusion.

ObjectiveTo analyze the characteristics of policy texts related to the physician periodic assessment system in China, providing references for the improvement of the system. MethodsContent analysis was employed, examining 116 policy documents from three dimensions: policy process, policy themes, and policy tools. ResultsA total of 298 codes were obtained. The number of policies related to the periodic assessment of physicians showed an overall trend of increasing first and then decreasing, with the peak annual issuance period between 2011 and 2021, and the average number of policy texts showing a downward trend. Policy documents were summarized into 3 levels: physician periodic assessment work, individual behavior, and institutional systems, encompassing a total of 8 categories of themes. The proportion of supply-oriented, environmental-oriented, and demand-oriented policy tools were 4.03%, 60.40%, and 35.57%, respectively. Moreover, environmental-oriented tools continued to dominate over time, followed by demand-oriented tools, with supply-oriented tools being the least. ConclusionThe policy themes are relatively broad and difficult to implement, focusing on establishing regulations while neglecting resource provision, and failing to continuously improve the construction of the system. It is recommended to clearly define the scope of the periodic assessment management, improve supporting systems, increase resource supply, and continuously promote the execution of assessments and policy revisions.

Background/Aims: Reflux symptoms frequently present in patients diagnosed with functional dyspepsia (FD). This investigation sought to elucidate the contribution of gastroesophageal reflux in the overlap relationship. Methods: Consecutive patients presenting with reflux symptoms and/or FD symptoms were prospectively included. Comprehensive assessments, including symptoms evaluation, endoscopy, esophageal functional examinations (high-resolution manometry and reflux monitoring), and proton pump inhibitor (PPI) treatment efficacy evaluation, were conducted in these patients. Results: The study enrolled 315 patients, 43.2% of which had concurrent FD symptoms and overlapping reflux symptoms. Notably, a mere 28.7% of patients in the overlap symptoms group had objective gastroesophageal reflux disease evidences (the grade of esophagitis≥ B or the acid exposure time ≥ 4.2%). Functional heartburn was demonstrated to be the main cause of overlapping reflux symptoms(55.1%). Reflux parameters analysis revealed that the reflux burden in the overlap symptoms group paralleled that of the FD symptoms group, with both registering lower levels than the reflux symptoms group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, PPI response rates were notably diminished in the overlap symptoms group (P < 0.001), even for those with objective gastroesophageal reflux disease evidences. Conclusions The study illuminated that overlapping reflux symptoms in FD was common. Strikingly, these symptoms primarily diverged from reflux etiology and exhibited suboptimal responses to PPI intervention. These findings challenge prevailing paradigms and accentuate the imperative for nuanced therapeutic approaches tailored to the distinctive characteristics of overlapping reflux symptoms in the context of FD.

Objective:To explore the clinical phenotype and genetic characteristics of a patient with Progressive pseudorheumatoid dysplasia (PPRD) due to compound heterozygous variants of CCN6 gene. Methods:A patient who was admitted to Qilu Hospital of Shandong University due to " bilateral finger joint deformity, bilateral hip and knee joint movement limitation for 19 years" was selected as the study subject. Clinical data of the patient were retrospectively collected. Peripheral blood samples were collected from the patient and her parents and subjected to whole exome sequencing (WES). Long-read sequencing (LRS) and Sanger sequencing were used to verify the candidate variants. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the pathogenicity of candidate variants was classified. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Qilu Hospital of Shandong University (Ethics No.: KYLL-202502 061).Results:The patient, a 23-year-old female, presented with progressive polyarticular deformity, limited movement and abnormal growth and development since childhood. She was initially misdiagnosed as Ankylosing spondylitis and had poor response to sulphasalazine and etoricoxib treatment. WES revealed that she has harbored two heterozygous variants of the CCN6 gene (NM_198239.2), namely c. 348C>A and c. 676G>C. LRS confirmed that the two variants are located on two homologous chromosomes and constitute compound heterozygous variants. Based on the ACMG guidelines, both variants were rated as pathogenic (PVS1+ PM2_Supporting+ PM3; PM1+ PM2_Supporting+ PM3_Supporting+ PM5+ PP3_Strong). The c. 676G>C variant has not been recorded by the HGMD and ClinVar databases. Conclusion:The c. 348C>A and c. 676G>C compound heterozygous variants of the CCN6 gene probably underlay the pathogenesis of PPRD in this patient. Above finding has enriched the mutational spectrum of PPRD and provided a basis for the clinical diagnosis and genetic counseling.

Objective To construct a home care readiness program for caregivers of patients with chronic heart failure based on the McMaster Family Functioning Model and explore its application effects.Methods The pro-gram was developed through literature analysis,expert correspondence and pre-testing.86 pairs of patients with chronic heart failure and their caregivers who were admitted to the Department of Cardiology of a tertiary-level hos-pital in Bengbu City were conveniently selected from December 2023 to April 2024 as the study subjects.Using the coin-flip method,the patients were randomly divided into 43 pairs in an experimental group and 43 pairs in a control group on a ward-by-ward basis.The experimental group implemented the program on the basis of routine care,and the control group was given routine care.Differences in caregiver home care readiness,caregiver caregiv-ing ability and patients' quality of life were compared between the 2 groups at the time of admission,at the time of discharge,and 1 and 3 months after discharge.Results A total of 81 pairs of patients and their caregivers completed the intervention,with 41 in the experimental group and 40 in the control group.Repeated-measures ANOVA showed that there was an interaction effect between time and group for caregiver home care readiness,caregiver caregiving ability,and patient quality of life in both groups(F=320.995,P＜0.001;F=83.303,P＜0.001;F=113.283,P＜0.001).Simple effect analyses showed that caregiver home care readiness and caregiver caregiving com-petence scores were higher in the experimental group than those in the control group at the time of discharge and at 1 and 3 months post-discharge(P＜0.001);quality of life scores of patients in the experimental group were lower than it in the control group at 1 and 3 months post-discharge(P＜0.001).Conclusion The implemen-tation of the program can effectively improve the home care readiness and caregiving ability of caregivers of pa-tients with chronic heart failure,and improve the quality of life of patients.

Objective To investigate the learning curve of CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy.Methods Using cumulative sum(CUSUM)analysis method,the clinical data from 110 patients,who underwent CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy performed by the same physician at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University of China between May 2024 and October 2024,were retrospectively analyzed.The CUSUM learning curve was fitted,and R2 was used to assess the goodness of fit.The baseline and perioperative data were compared between different stages of the learning curve so as to determine the number of accomplished surgical cases that was required for a physician to reach the proficiency stage from the learning stage in performing CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy.Results Successful CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy was accomplished in all patients,with a mean operation time of(20.2+3.4)minutes(range of 15-29 minutes).With the accumulation of surgical cases,the operation time showed a gradual downward trend.The learning curve was best fitted with a cubic equation,the equation was as follows:CUSUM(110)=0.000 3x3-0.081 3x2+5.597 9x+0.774 3(where x representing the number of cases),with a goodness-of-fit coefficient R2=0.991.The fitted curve reached its peak at the performance of the 46th case,which was used as the cutoff point to divide the learning curve into two phases.Compared with the learning phase,in the proficiency phase the incidence of complications was significantly lower(pneumothorax:18.8％vs 37.0％,P=0.033)and the mean operation time was obviously shorter[(18.33+2.31)min vs(22.80±3.02)min,P＜0.001].Conclusion Through precise CUSUM analysis of the learning curves obtained from 110 patients receiving CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy,the results of this study indicates that it requires to accomplish 46 operations before a physician can skillfully master the technique of CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy.

Objective:To investigate the current level of awareness among Chinese gastroenterologists regarding small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).Methods:From March 7th to April 14th, 2024, an online survey questionnaire was sent to qualified clinical physicians specializing in gastroenterology in various levels of general hospitals across the country through the official channels of national academic organizations such as the Gastroenterology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, the Gastrointestinal Motility Group of the Gastroenterology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and the Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders Collaborative Group of the Gastroenterology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, as well as through the national medical continuing education project cooperation platform. The questionnaire content includes basic information, awareness of consensus guidelines on functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) and SIBO, understanding of SIBO and its diagnosis and treatment strategies, et al. The influencing factors of physicians′ cognitive level regarding SIBO were analyzed based on the questionnaire results. Statistical methods employed descriptive statistical method and partial correlation analysis.Results:A total of 511 valid questionnaires were collected, among them, 78.1% (399/511) of the respondents practiced in tertiary hospitals, and 90.2% (461/511) of the respondents were aware of the definition of SIBO. However, only 9.0% (46/511) could accurately identify all the key points of the relevant consensus guidelines. Educational background (undergraduate and master′s degree vs. doctor degree, OR=0.265, 0.528, 95% confidence interval(95% CI): 0.155 to 0.454, 0.322 to 0.865), professional title (junior title vs. senior title, OR=0.577, 95% CI: 0.344 to 0.968), and the number of SIBO cases handled per year (less than 50 cases vs. more than 200 cases, OR=0.144, 95% CI: 0.043 to 0.479) were independent influencing factors that affect the cognitive level of specialist physicians regarding SIBO and the guidelines (all P<0.05). The results of hydrogen and methane breath test (HMBT) was the main reference indicator for diagnosing SIBO in the respondents (79.8%, 408/511), but only 8.4%(43/511) of the specialists were familiar with the principle of HMBT, and 65.9% (337/511) were not clear about the differences in diagnostic thresholds among different consensus or guidelines. Rifaximin was the most commonly used therapy (87.5%, 447/511), but there was significant heterogeneity in the selection of dosage and treatment course. According to the survey, 17.6% (90/511) of the clinicians believed that comprehensive assessment of the patient′s clinical condition was not necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of FGID. Conclusion:Gastroenterologists are familiar with the basic concepts of SIBO, but their understanding of the diagnostic criteria application and the latest research progress is limited.