Objective:To investigate the association between different sleep patterns and anxiety and depression in hemodialysis patients, thereby providing a reference for improving their psychological and sleep conditions.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional survey.A convenience sampling method was used to select patients undergoing regular dialysis at a hemodialysis centre in the Sixth People's Hospital of Huizhou from May 2023 to May 2024. Sleep quality, anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Self-rating Anxiety Scale for (SAS) and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). Potential profiles were analyzed using Mplus 8.3 and mixed-effects Logistic regression was used to explore the association between sleep pattern category and anxiety-depression.Results:A total of 264 valid questionnaires were returned, of which 142 were males and 122 were females, aged (56.61 ± 12.69) years old. The sleep patterns of hemodialysis patients were divided into three potential categories:patients with overall better sleep quality31.4%(83/264), patients with poor sleep using hypnotic medication12.9%(34/264), and patients with poor sleep without hypnotic medication 55.7%(147/264). Significant differences were found in age, education, anxiety and depression across different sleep categories ( χ2 values were 9.75-25.72, all P<0.05). Compared with the group with overall better sleep quality, the risk of anxiety was higher in the group with sleep difficulties without hypnotic medication ( OR=5.409, P<0.05), and the risk of anxiety and depression ( OR=5.010, 6.488, both P<0.05) was higher in the group with sleep disorders using hypnotic medication. Compared with patients with poor sleep without hypnotic medication, patients with poor sleep using hypnotic medication had a higher risk of depression ( OR=6.501, P<0.05). Conclusions:There are three potential categories of sleep patterns in hemodialysis patients and significant correlations between them and anxiety and depression, and precise screening and individualized interventions need to be implemented in the clinic to improve patients' quality of life.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the reliability of Xpert MTB/RIF(referred to as Xpert)in detecting rifampicin resistance under varying bacterial loads of Mycobacterium tuberculosis(MTB)so as to reference for clinical diag-nosis and treatment.METHODS A total of 3 050 mycobacterial culture-positive test results from Jan.2016 to Dec.2023 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University were selected.After excluding 220 non-tubercu-lous mycobacteria cases,2 830 culture-positive specimens underwent Xpert testing,with 2 412 positive and 418 negative cases.Based on MTB bacterial load,specimens were divided into four treatment groups-high,medi-um,low and very low-with 552,916,656 and 288 cases,respectively.Solid phenotypic drug susceptibility testing(DST)was performed on 1 801 MTB strains that were both culture-positive and Xpert-positive.RESULTS The positive rates of rifampicin in the high,medium,low and very-low treatment groups were 10.33％(57/552),11.14％(102/916),8.54％(56/656)and 8.68％(25/288),respectively.Using the solid phenotypic drug sus-ceptibility testing results as the reference standard,the specificity and negative predictive value of Xpert for detec-ting rifampicin resistance in all four bacterial load groups exceeded 96％,with no statistically significant differ-ences observed.No significant difference in sensitivity was noted among the groups(P=0.053),though the high bacterial load group exhibited relatively lower sensitivity at 84.62％(44/52),while the very-low bacterial load group showed the lowest sensitivity at 76.00％(19/25),which was lower than the medium bacterial load group's 94.05％(79/84).The positive predictive values(PPV)across all groups were generally low but without statisti-cally significant differences(P=0.239),with the high and very-low bacterial load groups registering PPVs of 77.19％(44/57)and 76.00％(19/25),respectively.The concordance rates of Xpert and solid phenotypic drug susceptibility testing were consistently high among all four bacterial load groups,including 94.95％(395/416),97.51％(666/683),96.75％(477/493)and 94.26％(197/209),respectively,with no significant difference(P=0.052).The Kappa values from high to very-low bacterial load groups were 0.778,0.889,0.831 and 0.727,re-spectively.Among the strains with discordant results between Xpert and phenotypic drug susceptibility testing,the rifampicin result consistency rates between Xpert and gene chip were 81.82％(9/11),100.00％(9/9),100.00％(2/2)and 25.00％(1/4),respectively for the high to very-low bacterial load groups.CONCLUSIONS When the bacterial load of MTB is very low,the Xpert assay demonstrates a higher probability of both false-posi-tive and false-negative results for rifampicin resistance,followed by high bacterial loads.The most reliable detec-tion of rifampicin resistance occurs with medium bacterial loads.

Objective To systematically evaluate the psychometric properties of specific self-reported outcome assessment tools for patients undergoing Endoscopic Transnasal Transsphenoidal Surgery(ETTS),with the aim of pro-viding clinical healthcare professionals with evidence to guide the selection of appropriate assessment tools.Methods A systematic search was performed across multiple databases,including the North American Skull Base Society,PubMed,Embase,CINAHL,Web of Science,Cochrane Library,CNKI,VIP database,Wanfang database,and the China Biomedical Literature Database,for studies published from the inception of each database to January 9,2025,that are related to ETTS-specific symptom assessment tools.Totally 2 independent researchers screened the literature and extracted relevant data.The consensus-based health measurement tool selection bias risk checklist and quality standards were used to evaluate the methodological quality and psychometric properties of the included studies,which helped to form the development of recommendations.Results A total of 11 articles were included,covering 8 specific self-reported outcome assessment tools for patients undergoing endonasal transsphenoidal pituitary tumor resection.Of these,the Pituitary Outcome Score and the Leiden Bother and Needs Questionnaire for patients with pituitary disease 2 tools were rated as Grade A recommendations,and 6 tools were rated as Grade B recommendations.Conclusion POS and LBNQ-Pituitary are recommended due to their relatively strong overall methodological quality and psychometric properties.However,further validation with larger sample sizes is necessary.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the reliability of Xpert MTB/RIF(referred to as Xpert)in detecting rifampicin resistance under varying bacterial loads of Mycobacterium tuberculosis(MTB)so as to reference for clinical diag-nosis and treatment.METHODS A total of 3 050 mycobacterial culture-positive test results from Jan.2016 to Dec.2023 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University were selected.After excluding 220 non-tubercu-lous mycobacteria cases,2 830 culture-positive specimens underwent Xpert testing,with 2 412 positive and 418 negative cases.Based on MTB bacterial load,specimens were divided into four treatment groups-high,medi-um,low and very low-with 552,916,656 and 288 cases,respectively.Solid phenotypic drug susceptibility testing(DST)was performed on 1 801 MTB strains that were both culture-positive and Xpert-positive.RESULTS The positive rates of rifampicin in the high,medium,low and very-low treatment groups were 10.33％(57/552),11.14％(102/916),8.54％(56/656)and 8.68％(25/288),respectively.Using the solid phenotypic drug sus-ceptibility testing results as the reference standard,the specificity and negative predictive value of Xpert for detec-ting rifampicin resistance in all four bacterial load groups exceeded 96％,with no statistically significant differ-ences observed.No significant difference in sensitivity was noted among the groups(P=0.053),though the high bacterial load group exhibited relatively lower sensitivity at 84.62％(44/52),while the very-low bacterial load group showed the lowest sensitivity at 76.00％(19/25),which was lower than the medium bacterial load group's 94.05％(79/84).The positive predictive values(PPV)across all groups were generally low but without statisti-cally significant differences(P=0.239),with the high and very-low bacterial load groups registering PPVs of 77.19％(44/57)and 76.00％(19/25),respectively.The concordance rates of Xpert and solid phenotypic drug susceptibility testing were consistently high among all four bacterial load groups,including 94.95％(395/416),97.51％(666/683),96.75％(477/493)and 94.26％(197/209),respectively,with no significant difference(P=0.052).The Kappa values from high to very-low bacterial load groups were 0.778,0.889,0.831 and 0.727,re-spectively.Among the strains with discordant results between Xpert and phenotypic drug susceptibility testing,the rifampicin result consistency rates between Xpert and gene chip were 81.82％(9/11),100.00％(9/9),100.00％(2/2)and 25.00％(1/4),respectively for the high to very-low bacterial load groups.CONCLUSIONS When the bacterial load of MTB is very low,the Xpert assay demonstrates a higher probability of both false-posi-tive and false-negative results for rifampicin resistance,followed by high bacterial loads.The most reliable detec-tion of rifampicin resistance occurs with medium bacterial loads.

Objective:To investigate the association between different sleep patterns and anxiety and depression in hemodialysis patients, thereby providing a reference for improving their psychological and sleep conditions.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional survey.A convenience sampling method was used to select patients undergoing regular dialysis at a hemodialysis centre in the Sixth People's Hospital of Huizhou from May 2023 to May 2024. Sleep quality, anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Self-rating Anxiety Scale for (SAS) and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). Potential profiles were analyzed using Mplus 8.3 and mixed-effects Logistic regression was used to explore the association between sleep pattern category and anxiety-depression.Results:A total of 264 valid questionnaires were returned, of which 142 were males and 122 were females, aged (56.61 ± 12.69) years old. The sleep patterns of hemodialysis patients were divided into three potential categories:patients with overall better sleep quality31.4%(83/264), patients with poor sleep using hypnotic medication12.9%(34/264), and patients with poor sleep without hypnotic medication 55.7%(147/264). Significant differences were found in age, education, anxiety and depression across different sleep categories ( χ2 values were 9.75-25.72, all P<0.05). Compared with the group with overall better sleep quality, the risk of anxiety was higher in the group with sleep difficulties without hypnotic medication ( OR=5.409, P<0.05), and the risk of anxiety and depression ( OR=5.010, 6.488, both P<0.05) was higher in the group with sleep disorders using hypnotic medication. Compared with patients with poor sleep without hypnotic medication, patients with poor sleep using hypnotic medication had a higher risk of depression ( OR=6.501, P<0.05). Conclusions:There are three potential categories of sleep patterns in hemodialysis patients and significant correlations between them and anxiety and depression, and precise screening and individualized interventions need to be implemented in the clinic to improve patients' quality of life.

Objective To systematically evaluate the psychometric properties of specific self-reported outcome assessment tools for patients undergoing Endoscopic Transnasal Transsphenoidal Surgery(ETTS),with the aim of pro-viding clinical healthcare professionals with evidence to guide the selection of appropriate assessment tools.Methods A systematic search was performed across multiple databases,including the North American Skull Base Society,PubMed,Embase,CINAHL,Web of Science,Cochrane Library,CNKI,VIP database,Wanfang database,and the China Biomedical Literature Database,for studies published from the inception of each database to January 9,2025,that are related to ETTS-specific symptom assessment tools.Totally 2 independent researchers screened the literature and extracted relevant data.The consensus-based health measurement tool selection bias risk checklist and quality standards were used to evaluate the methodological quality and psychometric properties of the included studies,which helped to form the development of recommendations.Results A total of 11 articles were included,covering 8 specific self-reported outcome assessment tools for patients undergoing endonasal transsphenoidal pituitary tumor resection.Of these,the Pituitary Outcome Score and the Leiden Bother and Needs Questionnaire for patients with pituitary disease 2 tools were rated as Grade A recommendations,and 6 tools were rated as Grade B recommendations.Conclusion POS and LBNQ-Pituitary are recommended due to their relatively strong overall methodological quality and psychometric properties.However,further validation with larger sample sizes is necessary.

Objective:To investigate the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors on reducing residual lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer.Methods:The cohort of this retrospective study comprised patients from Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University who had undergone systemic treatment prior to gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy and had achieved Grade 1 primary tumor regression (TRG1) from January 2014 to December 2023. After exclusion of patients who had undergone preoperative radiotherapy, data of 58 patients (Nanfang Hospital: 46; First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University: 12) were analyzed. These patients were allocated to preoperative chemotherapy (Chemotherapy group, N=36 cases) and preoperative immunotherapy plus chemotherapy groups (Immunotherapy group, N=22 cases). There were no significant differences between these groups in sex, age, body mass index, diabetes, tumor location, pathological type, Lauren classification, tumor differentiation, pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, mismatch repair protein status, number of preoperative treatment cycles, or duration of preoperative treatment (all P>0.05). The primary outcome measure was postoperative lymph node downstaging. Secondary outcomes included postoperative depth of invasion by tumor, number of lymph nodes examined, and factors affecting residual lymph node metastasis status. Results:Lymph node downstaging was achieved significantly more often in the Immunotherapy group than the Chemotherapy group (pN0: 90.9% [20/22] vs. 61.1% [22/36]; pN1: 4.5% [1/22] vs. 36.1% [13/36]; pN2: 4.5% [1/22) vs. 0; pN3: 0 vs. 2.8% [1/36], Z=-2.315, P=0.021). There were no significant difference between the two groups in number of lymph nodes examined (40.5±16.3 vs. 40.8±17.5, t=0.076, P=0.940) or postoperative depth of invasion by primary tumor (pT1a: 50.0% [11/22] vs. 30.6% [11/36]; pT1b: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 19.4% [7/36]; pT2: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 13.9% [5/36]; pT3: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 25.0% [9/36]; pT4a: 9.1% [2/22] vs. 11.1% [4/36], Z=-1.331, P=0.183). Univariate analysis revealed that both preoperative treatment regimens were associated with residual lymph node metastasis status in patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (χ 2=6.070, P=0.014). Multivariate analysis incorporated the following factors: pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, number of preoperative treatment cycles, and preoperative treatment duration. We found that a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy administered preoperatively was an independent protective factor for reducing residual lymph node metastases in study patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (OR=0.147, 95%CI: 0.026–0.828, P=0.030). Conclusion:Compared with preoperative chemotherapy alone, a combination of preoperative immunotherapy and chemotherapy achieved greater reduction of residual lymph node metastases in the study patients who achieved TRG1 tumor regression in their primary lesions.

The Ehlers-Danlos syndrome(EDS)is a rare inherent connective tissue disorder.The prev-alence of EDS in the population is estimated at one out of ten thousand to one out of a hundred thousand.The vascular EDS(vEDS)are rare among the subtypes but are the worst in prognosis.The article reports a case of vEDS admitted to the hospital.The patient was a young man complaining of a sudden onset of aphasia in right hemiparalysis and severe left abdominal pain for unknown reasons.The diagnosis was made after the genetic testing.The patient suffered from vEDS.Then,the multi-disciplinary team(MDT)made a treatment plan tailored to this young patient.The complexity in classification and delusive presentations of the EDS make the correct diagnosis very challenging.This article hopes to report this case and to share the experiences to the bet-ter understanding of this disease.

Objective:To investigate the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors on reducing residual lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer.Methods:The cohort of this retrospective study comprised patients from Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University who had undergone systemic treatment prior to gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy and had achieved Grade 1 primary tumor regression (TRG1) from January 2014 to December 2023. After exclusion of patients who had undergone preoperative radiotherapy, data of 58 patients (Nanfang Hospital: 46; First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University: 12) were analyzed. These patients were allocated to preoperative chemotherapy (Chemotherapy group, N=36 cases) and preoperative immunotherapy plus chemotherapy groups (Immunotherapy group, N=22 cases). There were no significant differences between these groups in sex, age, body mass index, diabetes, tumor location, pathological type, Lauren classification, tumor differentiation, pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, mismatch repair protein status, number of preoperative treatment cycles, or duration of preoperative treatment (all P>0.05). The primary outcome measure was postoperative lymph node downstaging. Secondary outcomes included postoperative depth of invasion by tumor, number of lymph nodes examined, and factors affecting residual lymph node metastasis status. Results:Lymph node downstaging was achieved significantly more often in the Immunotherapy group than the Chemotherapy group (pN0: 90.9% [20/22] vs. 61.1% [22/36]; pN1: 4.5% [1/22] vs. 36.1% [13/36]; pN2: 4.5% [1/22) vs. 0; pN3: 0 vs. 2.8% [1/36], Z=-2.315, P=0.021). There were no significant difference between the two groups in number of lymph nodes examined (40.5±16.3 vs. 40.8±17.5, t=0.076, P=0.940) or postoperative depth of invasion by primary tumor (pT1a: 50.0% [11/22] vs. 30.6% [11/36]; pT1b: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 19.4% [7/36]; pT2: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 13.9% [5/36]; pT3: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 25.0% [9/36]; pT4a: 9.1% [2/22] vs. 11.1% [4/36], Z=-1.331, P=0.183). Univariate analysis revealed that both preoperative treatment regimens were associated with residual lymph node metastasis status in patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (χ 2=6.070, P=0.014). Multivariate analysis incorporated the following factors: pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, number of preoperative treatment cycles, and preoperative treatment duration. We found that a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy administered preoperatively was an independent protective factor for reducing residual lymph node metastases in study patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (OR=0.147, 95%CI: 0.026–0.828, P=0.030). Conclusion:Compared with preoperative chemotherapy alone, a combination of preoperative immunotherapy and chemotherapy achieved greater reduction of residual lymph node metastases in the study patients who achieved TRG1 tumor regression in their primary lesions.

Objective:To evaluate the accuracy of airway ultrasonic parameters in predicting difficult mask ventilation (DMV) in obese patients.Methods:Ninety-six patients of both sexes, aged >18 yr, with body mass index of 28- <40 kg/m 2, of American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification Ⅰ or Ⅱ, scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation, were selected. The airway was evaluated at 1 day before surgery to record the thyromental distance, modified Mallampati classification and upper lip bite test classification. Before anesthesia induction, the mandibular condylar motion, longitudinal cross-sectional area and transverse diameter of the tongue were measured by ultrasound, and the tongue volume was calculated. Mask ventilation was performed after anesthesia induction, DMV classification was recorded, DMV was defined as DMV classification Ⅲ and Ⅳ, and the patients were divided into non-DMV group (NDMV group) and DMV group. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between each parameter and DMV, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the accuracy of each parameter in predicting DMV, and the cut-off value was determined based on the principle of Jorden index at maximum. Results:Ninety-six patients were finally included in the study, with 64 patients in NDMV group and 32 patients in DMV group. Compared with NDMV group, the increase in age, modified Mallampati grade, upper lip biting test grade, longitudinal cross-sectional area of tongue, transverse diameter of tongue and volume of tongue were significantly increased, and the thyromental distance and mandibular condylar motion were decreased in DMV group ( P<0.05). Age ( r=0.283), modified Mallampati grade ( r=0.668), upper lip biting test classification ( r=0.826), tongue longitudinal cross-sectional area ( r=0.598), tongue transverse diameter ( r=0.578) and tongue volume ( r=0.707) were positively correlated with DMV ( P<0.01), and thyromental distance ( r=-0.623) and mandibular condylar motion ( r=-0.666 ) were negatively correlated with DMV ( P<0.05). The area under curve (95% confidence interval) of tongue longitudinal cross-sectional area, tongue transverse diameter, tongue volume, and mandibular condylar motion for DMV prediction were 0.870 (0.780-0.961), 0.858 (0.768-0.948), 0.937 (0.864-1.000), 0.912 (0.835-0.990), respectively ( P<0.01), and the predicted cut-off values were 22.61 cm 2, 4.29 cm, 100.60 cm 3 and 1.18 cm, respectively, the sensitivity was 90%, 83%, 90% and 90%, respectively, the specificity was 80%, 80%, 95% and 95%, respectively. Conclusions:Tongue volume and mandibular condylar motion measured by ultrasound are highly accurate in predicting DMV in obese patients. Tongue volume> 100.60 cm 3 or mandibular condylar motion< 1.18 cm suggests a high risk of DMV.