Objective To explore the value of integrating CT image features and quantitative dual-energy computed tomography(DECT)parameters in predicting cervical lymph nodes metastasis from laryngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma(LHSCC).Methods The clinical and imaging data of 99 patients with LHSCC confirmed by pathology were retrospectively analyzed.All patients were divided into metastatic group(41 cases)and non-metastatic group(58 cases).The CT image features,including location,size and depth,were analyzed,respectively.The quantitative DECT parameters in the arterial and venous phases including iodine concentration(IC)and normalized iodine concentration(NIC)were measured.The rank sum test or independent-samples t-test were used to compare the difference of CT image features and quantitative DECT parameters between the two groups.The multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to build the models based on CT image features(image feature model)and combination of CT image features and quantitative DECT parameters(combined model).The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was performed to analyze and compare the difference of predictive efficiency between the two groups.Results There were significant differences in tumor location between the non-metastatic group and the metastatic group(χ2=21.736,P<0.001).Size(33.20 mm vs 24.95 mm,P<0.001),depth(21.10 mm vs 13.15 mm,P<0.001)and NIC in the arterial phase(0.18 vs 0.14,P<0.001)in the metastatic group were significantly higher than those in the non-metastatic group.The area under the curve(AUC),sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,accuracy of the combined model were 0.851,75.6%,82.8%,58.5%,87.9%and 75.8%for predicting cervical lymph nodes metastasis.The AUC,sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,accuracy of the image feature model were 0.792,95.1%,56.9%,53.7%,81.0%and 69.7%,respectively.The prediction performance of the combined model was better than that of the image feature model(Z=-2.028,P=0.043).Conclusion Integrating CT image features and quantitative DECT parameters has important value for predicting cervical lymph nodes metastasis from LHSCC.

Objective To explore the value of integrating CT image features and quantitative dual-energy computed tomography(DECT)parameters in predicting cervical lymph nodes metastasis from laryngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma(LHSCC).Methods The clinical and imaging data of 99 patients with LHSCC confirmed by pathology were retrospectively analyzed.All patients were divided into metastatic group(41 cases)and non-metastatic group(58 cases).The CT image features,including location,size and depth,were analyzed,respectively.The quantitative DECT parameters in the arterial and venous phases including iodine concentration(IC)and normalized iodine concentration(NIC)were measured.The rank sum test or independent-samples t-test were used to compare the difference of CT image features and quantitative DECT parameters between the two groups.The multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to build the models based on CT image features(image feature model)and combination of CT image features and quantitative DECT parameters(combined model).The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was performed to analyze and compare the difference of predictive efficiency between the two groups.Results There were significant differences in tumor location between the non-metastatic group and the metastatic group(χ2=21.736,P<0.001).Size(33.20 mm vs 24.95 mm,P<0.001),depth(21.10 mm vs 13.15 mm,P<0.001)and NIC in the arterial phase(0.18 vs 0.14,P<0.001)in the metastatic group were significantly higher than those in the non-metastatic group.The area under the curve(AUC),sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,accuracy of the combined model were 0.851,75.6%,82.8%,58.5%,87.9%and 75.8%for predicting cervical lymph nodes metastasis.The AUC,sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,accuracy of the image feature model were 0.792,95.1%,56.9%,53.7%,81.0%and 69.7%,respectively.The prediction performance of the combined model was better than that of the image feature model(Z=-2.028,P=0.043).Conclusion Integrating CT image features and quantitative DECT parameters has important value for predicting cervical lymph nodes metastasis from LHSCC.

Objective:To investigate the current status of endoscopic treatment for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension in China, and to provide supporting data and reference for the development of endoscopic treatment.Methods:In this study, initiated by the Liver Health Consortium in China (CHESS), a questionnaire was designed and distributed online to investigate the basic condition of endoscopic treatment for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension in 2022 in China. Questions included annual number and indication of endoscopic procedures, adherence to guideline for preventing esophagogastric variceal bleeding (EGVB), management and timing of emergent EGVB, management of gastric and isolated varices, and improvement of endoscopic treatment. Proportions of hospitals concerning therapeutic choices to all participant hospitals were calculated. Guideline adherence between secondary and tertiary hospitals were compared by using Chi-square test.Results:A total of 836 hospitals from 31 provinces (anotomous regions and municipalities) participated in the survey. According to the survey, the control of acute EGVB (49.3%, 412/836) and the prevention of recurrent bleeding (38.3%, 320/836) were major indications of endoscopic treatment. For primary [non-selective β-blocker (NSBB) or endoscopic therapies] and secondary prophylaxis (NSBB and endoscopic therapies) of EGVB, adherence to domestic guideline was 72.5% (606/836) and 39.2% (328/836), respectively. There were significant differences in the adherence between secondary and tertiary hospitals in primary prophylaxis of EGVB [71.0% (495/697) VS 79.9% (111/139), χ2=4.11, P=0.033] and secondary prophylaxis of EGVB [41.6% (290/697) VS 27.3% (38/139), χ2=9.31, P=0.002]. A total of 78.2% (654/836) hospitals preferred endoscopic therapies treating acute EGVB, and endoscopic therapy was more likely to be the first choice for treating acute EGVB in tertiary hospitals (82.6%, 576/697) than secondary hospitals [56.1% (78/139), χ2=46.33, P<0.001]. The optimal timing was usually within 12 hours (48.5%, 317/654) and 12-24 hours (36.9%, 241/654) after the bleeding. Regarding the management of gastroesophageal varices type 2 and isolated gastric varices type 1, most hospitals used cyanoacrylate injection in combination with sclerotherapy [48.2% (403/836) and 29.9% (250/836), respectively], but substantial proportions of hospitals preferred clip-assisted therapies [12.4% (104/836) and 26.4% (221/836), respectively]. Improving the skills of endoscopic doctors (84.2%, 704/836), and enhancing the precision of pre-procedure evaluation and quality of multidisciplinary team (78.9%, 660/836) were considered urgent needs in the development of endoscopic treatment. Conclusion:A variety of endoscopic treatments for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension are implemented nationwide. Participant hospitals are active to perform emergent endoscopy for acute EGVB, but are inadequate in following recommendations regarding primary and secondary prophylaxis of EGVB. Moreover, the selection of endoscopic procedures for gastric varices differs greatly among hospitals.

Objective:To investigate the factors influencing fall risk scores in elderly individuals.Methods:A total of 4 419 individuals were randomly selected using the cluster sampling method from Beijing, Nanning(Guangxi), and Yinchuan(Ningxia).Data on demographic characteristics and fall-related incidents were gathered and analyzed for their correlation with fall risk scores.Results:The fall risk score showed significant associations with various factors, such as the history of falls within one year( β=-3.607, 95% CI: -3.881 to -3.332), care methods( β=2.442, 95% CI: 2.226 to 2.658), exercise( β=0.714, 95% CI: 0.443 to 0.986), retirement( β=-0.585, 95% CI: -0.819 to -0.351), age( β=0.173, 95% CI: 0.159 to 0.187), and use of walking aids( β=-3.737, 95% CI: -4.054 to -3.421). Conclusions:Fall risk scores in older adults are influenced by a variety of factors.Factors such as no history of falls within the past year, living independently, engaging in physical activity, and being employed may contribute to lower fall risk scores in older adults.

Objective:To explore the effect of task-oriented training on balance dysfunction in patients with ankle sprain.Method:Forty subjects with ankle sprain were divided into experimental group (group A) and control group (group B) according to the random number table method,with 20 cases in each group. On the basis of rou-tine training in both groups,group A was given task-oriented balance training,and group B was given bal-ance board training. Two groups of subjects performed static balance function[LOS:maximum excursion (MXE),movement velocity(MVL),reaction time (RT)],dynamic balance (Y-Balance) and Cumberland An-kle Instability Tool (CAIT) assessment before and after training for 4 weeks.Result:Before treatment,there was no significant difference in the scores of limbs between the two groups(P>0.05).After 4 weeks of training,the balance function MXE,MVL and RT scores of group A were significantly im-proved compared with those before treatment(P<0.05);but there was no significant difference in the scores of group B(P>0.05). The Y-balance scores of group A and group B after treatment were improved compared with those before treatment,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05). The CAIT scores of group A were improved compared with those before treatment(P<0.05),and those of group B were improved but had no signifi-cant difference(P>0.05). The changes in Y-balance and CAIT scores of group A were better than those in group B (P<0.05);there was no significant difference in the changes of LOS score between group A and group B(P>0.05).Conclusion:Task-oriented training can improve the balance dysfunction and motor function of patients with an-kle sprain.

Objective:To explore the effect of task-oriented training on balance dysfunction in patients with ankle sprain.Method:Forty subjects with ankle sprain were divided into experimental group (group A) and control group (group B) according to the random number table method,with 20 cases in each group. On the basis of rou-tine training in both groups,group A was given task-oriented balance training,and group B was given bal-ance board training. Two groups of subjects performed static balance function[LOS:maximum excursion (MXE),movement velocity(MVL),reaction time (RT)],dynamic balance (Y-Balance) and Cumberland An-kle Instability Tool (CAIT) assessment before and after training for 4 weeks.Result:Before treatment,there was no significant difference in the scores of limbs between the two groups(P>0.05).After 4 weeks of training,the balance function MXE,MVL and RT scores of group A were significantly im-proved compared with those before treatment(P<0.05);but there was no significant difference in the scores of group B(P>0.05). The Y-balance scores of group A and group B after treatment were improved compared with those before treatment,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05). The CAIT scores of group A were improved compared with those before treatment(P<0.05),and those of group B were improved but had no signifi-cant difference(P>0.05). The changes in Y-balance and CAIT scores of group A were better than those in group B (P<0.05);there was no significant difference in the changes of LOS score between group A and group B(P>0.05).Conclusion:Task-oriented training can improve the balance dysfunction and motor function of patients with an-kle sprain.

Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome （IBS-D） is a chronic functional bowel disorder characterized by abdominal pain and diarrhea， with visceral hypersensitivity and abnormal gastrointestinal dynamics as the pathophysiological basis. The brain-gut interaction plays a role in pain-related functional gastrointestinal disorders， especially IBS-D. 5-Hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， as an important brain-gut peptide regulating gastrointestinal function， affects brain activity， gastrointestinal motility， pain perception， mucosal inflammation， and immune response through brain-gut interaction and is associated with the occurrence and development of IBS-D. In recent years， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has shown great potential to mitigate gastrointestinal symptoms and improve the quality of life with its holistic view and treatment based on syndrome differentiation. Studies have shown that TCM treats IBS-D by regulating the 5-HT signaling pathway. With a focus on syndrome differentiation in TCM， this paper systematically describes the efficacy and mechanism of TCM in treating different TCM syndromes of IBS-D via the 5-HT signaling pathway， aiming to provide a scientific basis for TCM treatment of this disease.

Background: Fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) has been demonstrated to be a predictor of early diabetic nephropathy. However, little is known about the relationship between FABP4 and diabetic retinopathy (DR). This study explored the value of FABP4 as a biomarker of DR in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A total of 238 subjects were enrolled, including 20 healthy controls and 218 T2DM patients. Serum FABP4 levels were measured using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The grade of DR was determined using fundus fluorescence angiography. Based on the international classification of DR, all T2DM patients were classified into the following three subgroups: non-DR group, non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) group, and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) group. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to assess the correlation between FABP4 levels and DR severity. Results: FABP4 correlated positively with DR severity (r=0.225, P=0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to assess the diagnostic potential of FABP4 in identifying DR, with an area under the curve of 0.624 (37% sensitivity, 83.6% specificity) and an optimum cut-off value of 76.4 μg/L. Multivariate logistic regression model including FABP4 as a categorized binary variable using the cut-off value of 76.4 μg/L showed that the concentration of FABP4 above the cut-off value increased the risk of NPDR (odds ratio [OR], 3.231; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.574 to 6.632; P=0.001) and PDR (OR, 3.689; 95% CI, 1.306 to 10.424; P=0.014). Conclusion FABP4 may be used as a serum biomarker for the diagnosis of DR.

Objective:To investigate the value of magnetization transfer imaging (MTI) and fat suppression T 2WI (FS-T 2WI) in predicting the clinical activity of Graves ophthalmopathy (GO). Methods:From October 2020 to July 2021, 64 GO patients were prospectively enrolled in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. According to the clinical activity score (CAS), the patients were divided into active group (CAS≥3, 39 patients and 78 eyes) and inactive group (CAS<3, 25 patients and 50 eyes). The coronal MTI and FS-T 2WI were scanned for pre-treatment assessment. Magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) of extraocular muscles, and signal intensity ratio (SIR) between extraocular muscles and temporalis were measured, respectively. The independent-sample t-test was used to compare the MTR and SIR between two groups. The correlations between MRI parameters and CAS were analyzed using Spearman correlation analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was performed to evaluate the value of each and combined parameters for predicting the clinical activity of GO. The DeLong test was used to compare the area under the curve (AUC). Results:The MTR of active group and inactive group were 0.45±0.04 and 0.51±0.04, respectively, the difference was statistically significant ( t=7.62, P<0.001). The SIR were 3.4±0.6 and 2.6±0.5, respectively, and the difference was also statistically significant ( t=-8.20, P<0.001). MTR was negatively correlated with CAS ( r=-0.46, P<0.001), while SIR was positively correlated with CAS ( r=0.63, P<0.001). The AUC of MTR, SIR and the combination of MTR and SIR for predicting the clinical activity of GO were 0.840, 0.845 and 0.905, respectively. The combination of MTR and SIR showed higher performance than MTR or SIR alone, and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=2.61, P=0.009; Z=2.15, P=0.032). Conclusions:The quantitative parameters of MTI and FS-T 2WI, namely MTR and SIR, can be used to evaluate the clinical activity of GO. Integrating MTI and FS-T 2WI can improve the diagnostic efficiency.

Objective To explore the potential genetic variants related with late-onset Alzheimer's disease(LOAD),and to broaden the AD genetic susceptibility factor profile.Methods We targetedly sequenced four lipids metabolism related genes including apolipoprotein E(APOE),sortilin-related receptor gene (SORL 1),apolipoprotein C-I (APOC1) and clusterin (CLU),validated these candidate variants in patients with LOAD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI)and the controls with normal cognitive function,and made a bioinformatic analysis.Results The mutation in the allele of CLU rs117389184,a low-frequency single nucleotide polymorphism,would increase the risk of LOAD and MCI[OR (95 ％ CI):3.56 (1.08-4.84),P =0.026;OR (95 ％ CI):3.06 (0.98-4.03),P =0.026],suggesting CLU rs117389184 gene variant was associated with cognitive impairment.This variation could affect CLU gene expression by interfering with the binding of transcription factors.Conclusions CLU rs117389184 is a new genetic risk variant for LOAD and MCI.