Objective To investigate the feasibility of selectively omitting ureteral stent placement after ureteroscopic lithotripsy(URL).Methods A total of 118 patients with distal ureteral calculi undergoing URL from 2021 to 2024 were enrolled.Patients were divided into a control group(indwelling ureteral stent for 2 weeks,n=86)and an observation group(no ureteral stent placement,n=32).General data,operation time,hospital stay,and total medical costs were compared between the two groups.Patients were followed 2 weeks postoperatively for assessment of flank pain visual analogue scale(VAS)scores,bladder irritation symptoms,hematuria,and incidence of urinary tract infection.Hydronephrosis was evaluated by ultrasonography 3 months after surgery.Results There was no significant difference in the general information and operation time between the two groups(P>0.05).The length of hospital stay and total treatment cost in the observa-tion group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).Two weeks after surgery,the VAS scores of low back pain on the affected side and occurrence rates of bladder irritation symptoms,hematu-ria,and urinary tract infection in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.01).Three months after operation,no hydronephrosis was observed in both groups.Conclusion It is safe and feasible to avoid indwelling ureteral stent after URL in appropriate cases.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy,safety and patient compliance of a quadruple therapy containing minocycline compared with the traditional quadruple therapy in the treatment of Helicobacter(H.)pylori.Methods This study included 200 H.pylori positive patients,with 100 assigned to the minocycline-containing bismuth quadruple therapy group(LBMC group)and the other 100 to the amoxicillin-containing bismuth quadruple therapy group(LBAC group).After matching the two groups of patients using the propensity score matching(PSM)method,there were 86 cases in each group.Telephone follow-up was conducted on the 14th day after the start of treatment to record patient medication compliance and adverse drug reactions.A 13C urea breath test was performed for re-examination at least one month after completing the treatment plan and discontinuing medication.The intention-to-treat(ITT)and per-protocol(PP)analyses were used to compare the H.pylori eradication rates between the two groups,and Chi-square test and t-test were used for intergroup comparison.Results In the ITT analysis,the eradication rates of the LBMC group and the LBAC group were 89.5%(77/86,95%CI:82.9%～96.1%)and 82.6%(71/86,95%CI:74.4%～90.7%),respectively.In the PP analysis,the eradication rates were 92.6%(75/81,95%CI:86.8%～98.4%)and 88.8%(71/80,95%CI:81.7%～95.8%),respectively.The adverse reaction rate of the LBMC group was 27.9%(24/86),and that of the LBAC group 31.4%(27/86),showing no statistically significant difference(P>0.05).In terms of compliance,the LBMC group was 94.2%(81/86),and the LBAC group 93.0%(80/86),revealing no statistically significant difference(P>0.05).Conclusion As a first-line treatment for eradicating H.pylori,regimens containing minocycline demonstrate equivalent eradication rates to those containing amoxicillin,with similar safety and compliance.They can be used as an alternative treatment for patients allergic to penicillin.

Objective To construct a risk prediction model for post-stroke dysphagia(PSD)based on clinical and laboratory indicators of elderly stroke patients with explainable machine learning.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 3994 stroke patients hospitalized in Depart-ment of Neurology of First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from October 2010 to December 2021.Among them,the 1390 cases admitted during January 2019 and December 2021 were assigned into an external validation set,and the 2604 cases admitted during October 2010 to January 2019 were into a training group.Those from the training group were further divided into a training set(1823 cases)and an internal validation set(781 cases)in a 7∶3 ratio,and also grouped into a PSD subgroup(773 cases)and a non-PSD group(1831 cases).With occurrence of swallowing difficulties as an endpoint,risk prediction models were constructed using random for-est(RF),eXtreme Gradient Boosting(XGBoost),Support Vector Machine(SVM),and logistic regression.ROC curve analysis was employed to evaluate the performance of our models.After the optimal model was selected,SHAP was employed to interpret feature contributions.Results There were significant differences in muscle strength,right/left-sided stroke,and area of brain in-jury between the PSD and the non-PSD groups(P＜0.01).The PSD group had obviously larger proportions of hypertension,diabetes,and drinking history,increased neutrophil counts,and de-creased levels of potassium and albumin when compared with the non-PSD group(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age,drinking history,diabetes,hyper-tension,muscle strength grade,area of brain injury,hemispheric stroke,neutrophil count,and al-bumin and potassium levels were risk factors for PSD(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The external validation results showed that the area under curve value of the RF model,XGBoost model,SVM model,and our logistic model was 0.883,0.902,0.877,and 0.868,respectively.The distribution of SHAP value showed that drinking history,hypertension and diabetes were positively correlated with PSD risk;Muscle strength was negatively correlated with the risk;Age growth was positively correlated with the risk;Subtentorial lesions showed stronger predictive efficacy than supratentorial lesions and entire lesions;The bilateral and right-sided stroke had higher risk for PSD than the left-sided stroke.Conclusion The model based on the XGBoost model shows best performance in predicting the risk for swallowing disorders in elderly patients after stroke.

Objective To construct a risk prediction model for post-stroke dysphagia(PSD)based on clinical and laboratory indicators of elderly stroke patients with explainable machine learning.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 3994 stroke patients hospitalized in Depart-ment of Neurology of First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from October 2010 to December 2021.Among them,the 1390 cases admitted during January 2019 and December 2021 were assigned into an external validation set,and the 2604 cases admitted during October 2010 to January 2019 were into a training group.Those from the training group were further divided into a training set(1823 cases)and an internal validation set(781 cases)in a 7∶3 ratio,and also grouped into a PSD subgroup(773 cases)and a non-PSD group(1831 cases).With occurrence of swallowing difficulties as an endpoint,risk prediction models were constructed using random for-est(RF),eXtreme Gradient Boosting(XGBoost),Support Vector Machine(SVM),and logistic regression.ROC curve analysis was employed to evaluate the performance of our models.After the optimal model was selected,SHAP was employed to interpret feature contributions.Results There were significant differences in muscle strength,right/left-sided stroke,and area of brain in-jury between the PSD and the non-PSD groups(P＜0.01).The PSD group had obviously larger proportions of hypertension,diabetes,and drinking history,increased neutrophil counts,and de-creased levels of potassium and albumin when compared with the non-PSD group(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age,drinking history,diabetes,hyper-tension,muscle strength grade,area of brain injury,hemispheric stroke,neutrophil count,and al-bumin and potassium levels were risk factors for PSD(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The external validation results showed that the area under curve value of the RF model,XGBoost model,SVM model,and our logistic model was 0.883,0.902,0.877,and 0.868,respectively.The distribution of SHAP value showed that drinking history,hypertension and diabetes were positively correlated with PSD risk;Muscle strength was negatively correlated with the risk;Age growth was positively correlated with the risk;Subtentorial lesions showed stronger predictive efficacy than supratentorial lesions and entire lesions;The bilateral and right-sided stroke had higher risk for PSD than the left-sided stroke.Conclusion The model based on the XGBoost model shows best performance in predicting the risk for swallowing disorders in elderly patients after stroke.

Objective:To investigate the characteristics of the nasal cycle and the patterns of bilateral nasal airflow distribution in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).Methods:This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 29 healthy subjects (control group: 16 males, 13 females; age range 23-60 years, mean 31.03±8.67 years) and 41 patients with OSA (OSA group: 34 males, 7 females; age range 20-62 years, mean 39.73±11.27 years) who visited the Sleep Medicine Center of Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, between March 2022 and April 2025. Whole-night split-channel nasal airflow and polysomnography were performed to calculate nasal airflow laterality, nasal cycle duration, and the effects of severity, sleep stages, and body position on bilateral nasal airflow distribution during sleep were analyzed.Results:The nasal cycle duration in OSA patients was significantly shorter than in controls (179.5 min vs. 312.5 min, χ 2=14.01, P<0.001). Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and age were independent influencing factors. In the OSA group, the incidence of nasal cycle transitions within 10 minutes after wake [(observed)7/50 vs. 2/55(expected), χ 2=14.32, P<0.001], REM sleep [(observed)23/34 vs. 14/43(expected), χ 2=8.14, P=0.004], and position changes (21/36 vs. 11/46, χ 2=12.02, P<0.001) was higher, while, in the control group, it was only associated with REM sleep (15/15 vs. 8/22, χ 2=8.80, P=0.003). Nasal airflow lateralization in the OSA group showed a stronger correlation with body position. The nasal airflow lateralization in the supine position was significantly lower in OSA patients than in controls [REM stage: 0.626 (0.425, 0.743) vs. 0.781 (0.706, 0.857), Z=3.62, P<0.001; N3 stage: 0.526 (0.438, 0.600) vs. 0.716 (0.608, 0.853), Z=2.17, P=0.032; N1/2 stage: 0.702 (0.526, 0.787) vs. 0.747 (0.663, 0.820), Z=1.68, P=0.095]. Multiple linear regression revealed that AHI explained 31.3% of the variance in nasal airflow lateralization during supine REM sleep. Conclusions:The nasal airflow regulation during sleep in OSA patients differs from that in healthy individuals. Compared with healthy subjects, OSA patients exhibit shorter nasal cycle durations, reduced nasal airflow lateralization in the supine position, and a higher likelihood of nasal cycle transitions triggered by position changes or arousal. Healthy subjects demonstrate high and stable nasal airflow asymmetry during sleep, with minimal influence from sleep stages or body position.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy,safety and patient compliance of a quadruple therapy containing minocycline compared with the traditional quadruple therapy in the treatment of Helicobacter(H.)pylori.Methods This study included 200 H.pylori positive patients,with 100 assigned to the minocycline-containing bismuth quadruple therapy group(LBMC group)and the other 100 to the amoxicillin-containing bismuth quadruple therapy group(LBAC group).After matching the two groups of patients using the propensity score matching(PSM)method,there were 86 cases in each group.Telephone follow-up was conducted on the 14th day after the start of treatment to record patient medication compliance and adverse drug reactions.A 13C urea breath test was performed for re-examination at least one month after completing the treatment plan and discontinuing medication.The intention-to-treat(ITT)and per-protocol(PP)analyses were used to compare the H.pylori eradication rates between the two groups,and Chi-square test and t-test were used for intergroup comparison.Results In the ITT analysis,the eradication rates of the LBMC group and the LBAC group were 89.5%(77/86,95%CI:82.9%～96.1%)and 82.6%(71/86,95%CI:74.4%～90.7%),respectively.In the PP analysis,the eradication rates were 92.6%(75/81,95%CI:86.8%～98.4%)and 88.8%(71/80,95%CI:81.7%～95.8%),respectively.The adverse reaction rate of the LBMC group was 27.9%(24/86),and that of the LBAC group 31.4%(27/86),showing no statistically significant difference(P>0.05).In terms of compliance,the LBMC group was 94.2%(81/86),and the LBAC group 93.0%(80/86),revealing no statistically significant difference(P>0.05).Conclusion As a first-line treatment for eradicating H.pylori,regimens containing minocycline demonstrate equivalent eradication rates to those containing amoxicillin,with similar safety and compliance.They can be used as an alternative treatment for patients allergic to penicillin.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effectiveness and safety of Dingchan Granule （定颤颗粒） for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis. MethodsUsing a randomised， double-blind， placebo controlled study method， 90 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome were divided into 45 cases each in the treatment group and the control group. Both groups were given conventional western medicine treatment， and the treatment group was additionally treated with Dingchan Granule， while the control group was treated with Dingchan Granule placebo， both of which were taken orally for 8 g each time twice a day. Both groups were treated for 8 weeks. We compared the clinical effectiveness， the improvement of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） symptoms and the recovery rate of atrial fibrillation between the two groups. We compared the number and duration of atrial fibrillation episodes， TCM symptoms score， atrial fibrillation symptom classification， 24-hour average ventricular rate， Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index （PSQI）， anxiety index， depression index before and after treatment， and evaluated the safety of the two groups. ResultsThe total clinical effectiveness rate in the treatment group was 82.22% （37/45）， which was better than 60.00% （27/45） in the control group （P＜0.05）. The total effective rate of TCM syndrome effectiveness in the treatment group was 88.89% （40/45）， which was better than 66.67% （30/45） in the control group （P＜0.05）； and the rate of atrial fibrillation regression in the treatment group was 26.67% （12/45）， better than 6.67% （3/45） in the control group （P＜0.05）. The number and duration of atrial fibrillation episodes in both groups were significantly decreased （P＜0.01）， and the number and duration of atrial fibrillation episodes in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group （P＜0.01）. The TCM syndrome scores of both groups after treatment were significantly lower than before treatment （P＜0.01）， and the scores of the treatment group was lower than those of the control group （P＜0.05）. The severity of atrial fibrillation symptoms and the grading of atrial fibrillation symptoms in both groups after treatment were improved （P＜0.01）， and the degree of symptom improvement in the treatment group was better than that in the control group （P＜0.01）. The 24-hour average ventricular rate of both groups after treatment was significantly lower （P＜0.01）. The PSQI， anxiety index and depression index of the treatment group were all lower than before treatment （P＜0.01）， while the PSQI and anxiety index of the control group were both lower than before treatment （P＜0.01 or P＜0.05）， the PSQI， anxiety index and depression index of the treatment group being lower than those of the control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. No adverse events occurred in both groups， and no abnormalities were observed in blood， urine， stool routine， liver and kidney function， and coagulation function indexes. ConclusionDingchan Granule for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome can alleviate clinical symptom， improve TCM symptom scores， increase atrial fibrillation recovery rate， stabilise the average ventricular rate， and significantly improve the quality of sleep， alleviate the anxiety and depression， with a good safety profile.

Objective:The variability of the apnea-hypopnea index（AHI） measured in the first and second halves of the night is significant in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome（OSAHS）. This variation may be related to fluid redistribution caused by the supine position during sleep. Methods:Eighty-nine adult subjects were enrolled. Circumferences（neck, chest, waist, and calf） were measured before sleep onset and upon awakening. Polysomnography（PSG） was performed, and the night was divided into two halves based on the midpoint of total sleep time to calculate AHI for each half. The correlation between changes in AHI and changes in circumferences was analyzed. Results:Twenty simple snorers and sixty-nine OSAHS patients were included, with a median AHI of 22.6（11.8, 47.3） events/hour. Compared to pre-sleep measurements, there was no significant change in neck circumference upon awakening in the control group（P=0.073）, while reductions were observed in the other three measurements（P=0.006, P=0.038, P<0.001）. In the OSAHS group, neck circumference increased（P<0.001）, and reductions were noted in the other three measurements（P<0.001 for all）, with the most significant change observed in calf circumference 40.0（37.1, 42.0） cm to 38.0（35.8, 40.5） cm. Compared to the first half of the night, total AHI, supine AHI, and NREM AHI significantly decreased in the second half（P=0.010, P=0.031, P=0.001）, while no significant changes were observed in lateral AHI and REM AHI（P=0.988, P=0.530）. Further analysis revealed a significant relationship between increased chest circumference and decreases in NREM AHI, supine AHI, and supine NREM AHI（P=0.036, P=0.072, P=0.034）, as well as between decreased lateral position AHI and increased waist circumference（P=0.048）. Additionally, this study found a negative correlation between changes in calf circumference and changes in AHI（R=-0.24, P=0.048）, while neck circumference changes positively correlated with changes in AHI（R=0.26, P=0.03）. Conclusion:In OSAHS patients during the second half of sleep compared to before sleeping, chest circumference, waist circumference, and calf circumference decrease while neck circumference increases; total AHI, supine position AHI, and NREM period AHI decrease; increases in chest circumference are associated with decreases in NREM period AHI, supine position AHI, supine position NREM period AHI. There is nocturnal variability in AHI among OSAHS patients that may be associated with fluid shifts during sleep.
Humans ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive/physiopathology* ; Male ; Female ; Polysomnography ; Fluid Shifts/physiology* ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Neck ; Severity of Illness Index ; Sleep/physiology* ; Snoring/physiopathology*

Objective:To investigate the characteristics of the nasal cycle and the patterns of bilateral nasal airflow distribution in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).Methods:This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 29 healthy subjects (control group: 16 males, 13 females; age range 23-60 years, mean 31.03±8.67 years) and 41 patients with OSA (OSA group: 34 males, 7 females; age range 20-62 years, mean 39.73±11.27 years) who visited the Sleep Medicine Center of Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, between March 2022 and April 2025. Whole-night split-channel nasal airflow and polysomnography were performed to calculate nasal airflow laterality, nasal cycle duration, and the effects of severity, sleep stages, and body position on bilateral nasal airflow distribution during sleep were analyzed.Results:The nasal cycle duration in OSA patients was significantly shorter than in controls (179.5 min vs. 312.5 min, χ 2=14.01, P<0.001). Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and age were independent influencing factors. In the OSA group, the incidence of nasal cycle transitions within 10 minutes after wake [(observed)7/50 vs. 2/55(expected), χ 2=14.32, P<0.001], REM sleep [(observed)23/34 vs. 14/43(expected), χ 2=8.14, P=0.004], and position changes (21/36 vs. 11/46, χ 2=12.02, P<0.001) was higher, while, in the control group, it was only associated with REM sleep (15/15 vs. 8/22, χ 2=8.80, P=0.003). Nasal airflow lateralization in the OSA group showed a stronger correlation with body position. The nasal airflow lateralization in the supine position was significantly lower in OSA patients than in controls [REM stage: 0.626 (0.425, 0.743) vs. 0.781 (0.706, 0.857), Z=3.62, P<0.001; N3 stage: 0.526 (0.438, 0.600) vs. 0.716 (0.608, 0.853), Z=2.17, P=0.032; N1/2 stage: 0.702 (0.526, 0.787) vs. 0.747 (0.663, 0.820), Z=1.68, P=0.095]. Multiple linear regression revealed that AHI explained 31.3% of the variance in nasal airflow lateralization during supine REM sleep. Conclusions:The nasal airflow regulation during sleep in OSA patients differs from that in healthy individuals. Compared with healthy subjects, OSA patients exhibit shorter nasal cycle durations, reduced nasal airflow lateralization in the supine position, and a higher likelihood of nasal cycle transitions triggered by position changes or arousal. Healthy subjects demonstrate high and stable nasal airflow asymmetry during sleep, with minimal influence from sleep stages or body position.

Purpose/Significance To explore and implement the automated interpretation of pediatric medical exam answers,so as to enhance the efficiency and quality of answer explanation compilation.Method/Process The paper proposes a method that combines latent semantic indexing(LSI),MC-BERT,and the CoSENT model.Initially,multiple candidate answer explanations are extracted from ref-erence documents using the LSI method and the MC-BERT model.Subsequently,the CoSENT model is employed to calculate the simi-larity between the candidate explanations and the question stems as well as the answer options.The candidate explanation with the highest similarity is then selected as the final answer explanation.Result/Conclusion The experimental results show that the method presented in this paper achieves a precision rate of 72.6％.Compared to single methods or models,it significantly improves the recall and precision of answer parsing,effectively enhances the efficiency of compiling question answer explanations,reduces the burden on educators,and pro-vides significant data support for educational research.