Objective:To explore the split-face phenomenon in patients with bulbar-involved amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) through clinical and electrophysiological studies.Methods:A total of 52 clinically definite and clinically probable cases of bulbar-involved ALS, diagnosed according to the World Federation of Neurology El Escorial criteria, were retrospectively collected in the Third Central Hospital of Tianjin from September 2019 to November 2022. And 58 patients with idiopathic facial nerve paralysis with onset time≤7 days who visited the Department of Neurology of the Third Central Hospital of Tianjin during the same period were collected as control group. The firm eye closure (FC) score and cheek bulge (CB) score were used to assess the clinical involvement of facial muscles (dividing into facial muscle involvement group and non-facial muscle involvement group) and the presence of the split-face phenomenon (strong eye closure and weak cheek bulging) in ALS patients. The compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitudes of the bilateral orbicularis oculi and orbicularis oris muscles were measured using the Nicolet EDX Viking electromyography/evoked potential system. The CMAP amplitude ratio was calculated. The facial nerve electrophysiological differences were compared between ALS patients with bulbar involvement and patients with idiopathic facial nerve paralysis. The analysis of electrophysiological data across various groups was carried out utilizing the Kruskal-Wallis H test, while pairwise comparisons between groups were executed employing the Bonferroni correction method. Additionally, a stepwise binary Logistic regression analysis was implemented to ascertain the factors associated with facial muscle involvement in patients with bulbar-involved ALS. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the diagnostic accuracy of facial nerve electrophysiological testing in diagnosing ALS in the presence of symptoms of facial muscle involvement. Results:Among the 52 ALS patients with bulbar involvement, there were 20 cases (38.5%) with facial muscle involvements, all of which were bilateral; 16 patients (30.8%) exhibited weakness solely in the ability to puff their cheeks, 1 patient (1.9%) presented with weakness exclusively in closing the eyes, and 3 patients (5.8%) experienced weakness in both closing the eyes and puffing the cheeks. The Revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R) score of the facial muscle involvement group was lower compared to the non-facial muscle involvement group (36.90±9.20 vs 40.75±5.21, t=2.419, P=0.019), while the FC score and CB score were higher in the facial muscle involvement group [FC score: 0(0, 1) vs 0(0, 0), U=5.854, P<0.001; CB score: 4(3, 4) vs 0(0, 0), U=9.069, P<0.001], showing statistically significant differences. There was no statistically significant difference in the CMAP amplitude of the orbicularis oculi muscle between the facial muscle involvement group and the healthy side of the idiopathic facial nerve paralysis group, the affected side of the idiopathic facial nerve paralysis group, and the non-facial muscle involvement group (all P>0.05). The CMAP amplitude of the orbicularis oris muscle in the facial muscle involvement group [1 100.00 (775.00, 1 375.00) μV] was lower than that in the healthy side of the idiopathic facial nerve paralysis group [1 800.00 (1 400.00, 2 300.00) μV] and the non-facial muscle involvement group [1 555.00 (1 202.50, 1 980.00) μV], with statistically significant differences ( H=5.884, P<0.001; H=4.114, P<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the CMAP amplitude of the orbicularis oris muscle between the facial muscle involvement group and the affected side of the idiopathic facial nerve paralysis group ( P>0.05). The CMAP amplitude ratio of the orbicularis oculi/orbicularis oris muscles in the facial muscle involvement group [0.83(0.51, 1.14)] was higher than that in the healthy side of the idiopathic facial nerve paralysis group [0.55(0.39, 0.73)], the affected side of the idiopathic facial nerve paralysis group [0.57(0.40, 0.73)], and the non-facial muscle involvement group [0.60(0.42, 0.71)], with statistically significant differences ( H=-3.440, P=0.003; H=-3.433, P=0.004; H=-3.225, P=0.008). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the CMAP amplitude of orbicularis oris muscle ( OR=0.998,95% CI 0.997-0.999, P<0.001) and ALSFRS-R score ( OR=0.916,95% CI 0.857-0.979, P=0.010) were factors associated with facial muscle involvement in ALS patients with bulbar involvement. The ROC curve analysis results showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of the orbicularis oculi muscle CMAP was 0.629, the AUC of the orbicularis oris muscle CMAP was 0.838, and the AUC of the CMAP amplitude ratio of the orbicularis oculi/orbicularis oris muscles was 0.690 in the facial muscle involvement group. Conclusions:Patients with bulbar-involved ALS have split-face phenomenon characterized by strong eye closure and weak cheek bulging. When bulbar-involved ALS patients have symptoms of facial muscle involvement, the CMAP amplitude of the orbicularis oris muscle decreases significantly, whereas the CMAP amplitude of the orbicularis oculi muscle remains relatively stable, further illustrating the split phenomenon.

Objective:To analyze the clinical and electrophysiological characteristics of patients with sensory neuronopathies (SNN), and to evaluate the significance of electrophysiological markers in the diagnosis and assessment of disease progression.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed to evaluate the clinical manifestations, electrophysiological characteristics, and spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of 8 cases diagnosed with SNN at the Third Central Hospital of Tianjin between 2015 and 2023. The neurophysiological examination mainly included limb nerve conduction study (NCS), same core needle electrode electromyography, somatosensory evoked potential (SEP), skin sympathetic reflex (SSR), and contact heat evoked potential (CHEP).Results:Among the 8 cases with SNN, 7 cases exhibited asymmetrical onset and a non-length-dependent pattern. All the 8 cases presented with severe deep sensory ataxia, accompanied by superficial sensory abnormalities and tendon areflexia. Paraneoplastic SNN were the most prevalent etiological subtype (4 cases), all of whom presented peripheral neuropathy as the initial symptom. Among these 4 cases, malignancies were identified in 3 cases and 3 cases presented with anti-Hu antibodies. Among the remaining 4 patients, 2 cases were autoimmune and the other 2 cases were idiopathic. NCS results of the 8 cases revealed decrease or absence of sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitudes, with normal sensory conduction velocities. Six cases showed abnormal SEP, including 2 cases of central damage and 4 cases of peripheral damage, 5 cases had abnormal SSR, and 2 cases exhibited abnormal CHEP. Motor nerve conduction studies were normal in all 8 cases. Six patients underwent spinal MRI, and 4 exhibited abnormal signals in dorsal columns.Conclusions:The hallmark clinical manifestation of SNN is sensory ataxia, characterized by substantial impairment of superficial sensation, typically manifesting in a non-length-dependent distribution. Beyond the widespread and significant reduction in SNAP amplitudes, SNN may also exhibit additional electrophysiological impairments, such as those observed in SEP, SSR and CHEP.SEP combined with spinal cord MRI can improve the detection rate for damages in the central sensory conduction pathway.

Background and Aims:Papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC),the most common type of thyroid cancer,has been rapidly increasing in incidence worldwide,posing a serious threat to individual health and public healthcare systems.Exposure to low-to-moderate doses of ionizing radiation is more relevant to the daily lives of the general population and,therefore,raises greater public health concerns.It has also been widely recognized as a potential factor in immune system remodeling.This study was conducted to investigate the impact of low-to-moderate dose ionizing radiation on the tumor immune microenvironment of PTC,aiming to reveal the potential hazards of such radiation exposure in PTC patients.Methods:Two datasets(GSE29265 and GSE35570)containing RNA-seq data and corresponding clinical information were retrieved and downloaded from the GEO database.These datasets included thyroid cancer samples from patients exposed to ionizing radiation due to the Chernobyl disaster,as well as sporadic thyroid cancer cases.After data cleaning,merging,batch effect correction,differential gene expression analysis,functional enrichment analysis,immune cell infiltration analysis,and tumor microenvironment analysis were performed using R language.Results:In tumor samples,the radiation-exposed group exhibited significant differential gene expression compared to the sporadic group,with three genes upregulated and 27 genes downregulated.These differentially expressed genes were primarily enriched in biological functions closely related to immune responses,including chemokine activity,immune cell chemotaxis,and tumor immunity.Immune cell infiltration analysis indicated that radiation exposure had a limited impact on immune cell infiltration in normal samples.However,in tumor samples,the immune and ESTIMATE scores were significantly lower in the radiation-exposed group than in the sporadic group.Further analysis revealed that total T cells,CD4+T cells,CD8+T cells,B cells,and cytotoxic lymphocytes exhibited significantly lower infiltration levels in the tumor microenvironment of the radiation-exposed group than the sporadic group.Conclusion:Although low-to-moderate dose ionizing radiation has a relatively minor impact on normal thyroid tissue,it significantly reduces the infiltration of various immune cell subtypes in the PTC tumor microenvironment.This reduction in immune infiltration may have important implications for disease progression.

Background and Aims:Papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC),the most common type of thyroid cancer,has been rapidly increasing in incidence worldwide,posing a serious threat to individual health and public healthcare systems.Exposure to low-to-moderate doses of ionizing radiation is more relevant to the daily lives of the general population and,therefore,raises greater public health concerns.It has also been widely recognized as a potential factor in immune system remodeling.This study was conducted to investigate the impact of low-to-moderate dose ionizing radiation on the tumor immune microenvironment of PTC,aiming to reveal the potential hazards of such radiation exposure in PTC patients.Methods:Two datasets(GSE29265 and GSE35570)containing RNA-seq data and corresponding clinical information were retrieved and downloaded from the GEO database.These datasets included thyroid cancer samples from patients exposed to ionizing radiation due to the Chernobyl disaster,as well as sporadic thyroid cancer cases.After data cleaning,merging,batch effect correction,differential gene expression analysis,functional enrichment analysis,immune cell infiltration analysis,and tumor microenvironment analysis were performed using R language.Results:In tumor samples,the radiation-exposed group exhibited significant differential gene expression compared to the sporadic group,with three genes upregulated and 27 genes downregulated.These differentially expressed genes were primarily enriched in biological functions closely related to immune responses,including chemokine activity,immune cell chemotaxis,and tumor immunity.Immune cell infiltration analysis indicated that radiation exposure had a limited impact on immune cell infiltration in normal samples.However,in tumor samples,the immune and ESTIMATE scores were significantly lower in the radiation-exposed group than in the sporadic group.Further analysis revealed that total T cells,CD4+T cells,CD8+T cells,B cells,and cytotoxic lymphocytes exhibited significantly lower infiltration levels in the tumor microenvironment of the radiation-exposed group than the sporadic group.Conclusion:Although low-to-moderate dose ionizing radiation has a relatively minor impact on normal thyroid tissue,it significantly reduces the infiltration of various immune cell subtypes in the PTC tumor microenvironment.This reduction in immune infiltration may have important implications for disease progression.

Objective:To explore the split-face phenomenon in patients with bulbar-involved amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) through clinical and electrophysiological studies.Methods:A total of 52 clinically definite and clinically probable cases of bulbar-involved ALS, diagnosed according to the World Federation of Neurology El Escorial criteria, were retrospectively collected in the Third Central Hospital of Tianjin from September 2019 to November 2022. And 58 patients with idiopathic facial nerve paralysis with onset time≤7 days who visited the Department of Neurology of the Third Central Hospital of Tianjin during the same period were collected as control group. The firm eye closure (FC) score and cheek bulge (CB) score were used to assess the clinical involvement of facial muscles (dividing into facial muscle involvement group and non-facial muscle involvement group) and the presence of the split-face phenomenon (strong eye closure and weak cheek bulging) in ALS patients. The compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitudes of the bilateral orbicularis oculi and orbicularis oris muscles were measured using the Nicolet EDX Viking electromyography/evoked potential system. The CMAP amplitude ratio was calculated. The facial nerve electrophysiological differences were compared between ALS patients with bulbar involvement and patients with idiopathic facial nerve paralysis. The analysis of electrophysiological data across various groups was carried out utilizing the Kruskal-Wallis H test, while pairwise comparisons between groups were executed employing the Bonferroni correction method. Additionally, a stepwise binary Logistic regression analysis was implemented to ascertain the factors associated with facial muscle involvement in patients with bulbar-involved ALS. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the diagnostic accuracy of facial nerve electrophysiological testing in diagnosing ALS in the presence of symptoms of facial muscle involvement. Results:Among the 52 ALS patients with bulbar involvement, there were 20 cases (38.5%) with facial muscle involvements, all of which were bilateral; 16 patients (30.8%) exhibited weakness solely in the ability to puff their cheeks, 1 patient (1.9%) presented with weakness exclusively in closing the eyes, and 3 patients (5.8%) experienced weakness in both closing the eyes and puffing the cheeks. The Revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R) score of the facial muscle involvement group was lower compared to the non-facial muscle involvement group (36.90±9.20 vs 40.75±5.21, t=2.419, P=0.019), while the FC score and CB score were higher in the facial muscle involvement group [FC score: 0(0, 1) vs 0(0, 0), U=5.854, P<0.001; CB score: 4(3, 4) vs 0(0, 0), U=9.069, P<0.001], showing statistically significant differences. There was no statistically significant difference in the CMAP amplitude of the orbicularis oculi muscle between the facial muscle involvement group and the healthy side of the idiopathic facial nerve paralysis group, the affected side of the idiopathic facial nerve paralysis group, and the non-facial muscle involvement group (all P>0.05). The CMAP amplitude of the orbicularis oris muscle in the facial muscle involvement group [1 100.00 (775.00, 1 375.00) μV] was lower than that in the healthy side of the idiopathic facial nerve paralysis group [1 800.00 (1 400.00, 2 300.00) μV] and the non-facial muscle involvement group [1 555.00 (1 202.50, 1 980.00) μV], with statistically significant differences ( H=5.884, P<0.001; H=4.114, P<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the CMAP amplitude of the orbicularis oris muscle between the facial muscle involvement group and the affected side of the idiopathic facial nerve paralysis group ( P>0.05). The CMAP amplitude ratio of the orbicularis oculi/orbicularis oris muscles in the facial muscle involvement group [0.83(0.51, 1.14)] was higher than that in the healthy side of the idiopathic facial nerve paralysis group [0.55(0.39, 0.73)], the affected side of the idiopathic facial nerve paralysis group [0.57(0.40, 0.73)], and the non-facial muscle involvement group [0.60(0.42, 0.71)], with statistically significant differences ( H=-3.440, P=0.003; H=-3.433, P=0.004; H=-3.225, P=0.008). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the CMAP amplitude of orbicularis oris muscle ( OR=0.998,95% CI 0.997-0.999, P<0.001) and ALSFRS-R score ( OR=0.916,95% CI 0.857-0.979, P=0.010) were factors associated with facial muscle involvement in ALS patients with bulbar involvement. The ROC curve analysis results showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of the orbicularis oculi muscle CMAP was 0.629, the AUC of the orbicularis oris muscle CMAP was 0.838, and the AUC of the CMAP amplitude ratio of the orbicularis oculi/orbicularis oris muscles was 0.690 in the facial muscle involvement group. Conclusions:Patients with bulbar-involved ALS have split-face phenomenon characterized by strong eye closure and weak cheek bulging. When bulbar-involved ALS patients have symptoms of facial muscle involvement, the CMAP amplitude of the orbicularis oris muscle decreases significantly, whereas the CMAP amplitude of the orbicularis oculi muscle remains relatively stable, further illustrating the split phenomenon.

Objective:To analyze the clinical and electrophysiological characteristics of patients with sensory neuronopathies (SNN), and to evaluate the significance of electrophysiological markers in the diagnosis and assessment of disease progression.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed to evaluate the clinical manifestations, electrophysiological characteristics, and spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of 8 cases diagnosed with SNN at the Third Central Hospital of Tianjin between 2015 and 2023. The neurophysiological examination mainly included limb nerve conduction study (NCS), same core needle electrode electromyography, somatosensory evoked potential (SEP), skin sympathetic reflex (SSR), and contact heat evoked potential (CHEP).Results:Among the 8 cases with SNN, 7 cases exhibited asymmetrical onset and a non-length-dependent pattern. All the 8 cases presented with severe deep sensory ataxia, accompanied by superficial sensory abnormalities and tendon areflexia. Paraneoplastic SNN were the most prevalent etiological subtype (4 cases), all of whom presented peripheral neuropathy as the initial symptom. Among these 4 cases, malignancies were identified in 3 cases and 3 cases presented with anti-Hu antibodies. Among the remaining 4 patients, 2 cases were autoimmune and the other 2 cases were idiopathic. NCS results of the 8 cases revealed decrease or absence of sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitudes, with normal sensory conduction velocities. Six cases showed abnormal SEP, including 2 cases of central damage and 4 cases of peripheral damage, 5 cases had abnormal SSR, and 2 cases exhibited abnormal CHEP. Motor nerve conduction studies were normal in all 8 cases. Six patients underwent spinal MRI, and 4 exhibited abnormal signals in dorsal columns.Conclusions:The hallmark clinical manifestation of SNN is sensory ataxia, characterized by substantial impairment of superficial sensation, typically manifesting in a non-length-dependent distribution. Beyond the widespread and significant reduction in SNAP amplitudes, SNN may also exhibit additional electrophysiological impairments, such as those observed in SEP, SSR and CHEP.SEP combined with spinal cord MRI can improve the detection rate for damages in the central sensory conduction pathway.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of virtual reality arthroscopic simulation system combined with case-based learning (CBL) in orthopedic clinical teaching.Methods:From January 2021 to June 2022, a total of 36 residents who took the standardized residency training at Department of Articular Orthopedics in The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University were enrolled in this study. They were randomized into an experimental group and a control group, with 18 trainees in each group. The experimental group adopted the virtual reality arthroscopic simulation system combined with CBL teaching mode, while the control group adopted simple endoscopic simulation training box with traditional teaching mode. Theoretical and practical tests and questionnaire survey were carried out to evaluate the teaching effects in two groups. SPSS 22.0 was performed to conduct t-test on the measurement data between the two groups. Results:The theoretical and practical test scores of the experimental group [(89.39±3.09) and (82.72±4.28)] were better than those of the control group [(86.22±4.43) and (76.61±5.65)], with statistically significant differences ( t= 2.49, P=0.018; t=3.66, P=0.001). The questionnaire survey showed that the experimental group was better than the control group in creating novel forms of courses [(4.94±0.24) vs. (4.11±0.58), t=5.62, P<0.001], simulating more real scenes [(4.83±0.38) vs. (3.78±0.43), t=7.80, P<0.001], inspiring learning interests [(4.78±0.43) vs. (4.00±0.59), t=4.51, P<0.001], improving practical skills [(4.83±0.38) vs. (3.83±0.51), t=6.61, P<0.001], and building career confidence [(4.50±0.62) vs. (3.06±0.54), t=7.47, P<0.001], with statistically significant differences (all P<0.001). Conclusions:The virtual reality arthroscopic simulation system combined with CBL teaching mode can better simulate the real clinical scenes, help inspire the interest of learning and quickly improve practical skills, thereby improving the effect of orthopedic clinical teaching.

Humans ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)/genetics* ; Prognosis ; Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics* ; Mutation/genetics* ; Colorectal Neoplasms/genetics* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf/metabolism*

OBJECTIVES: To study the feasibility of tracheal intubation for meconium suction immediately after birth of nonvigorous neonates born through meconium-stained amniotic fluid (MSAF). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed on nonvigorous neonates born through MSAF who were admitted to the Department of Neonatology, Zhecheng People's Hospital. The neonates without meconium suction who were admitted from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018 were enrolled as the control group. The neonates who underwent meconium suction from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019 were enrolled as the suction group. The two groups were compared in terms of the mortality rate and the incidence rates of neonatal meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS), persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, pneumothorax, and pulmonary hemorrhage. RESULTS: There were 80 neonates in the control group and 71 in the suction group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the incidence rates of MAS (11% vs 7%), persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (5% vs 4%), pneumothorax (3% vs 1%), and death (0% vs 1%). Compared with the control group, the suction group had a significantly lower proportion of neonates requiring oxygen inhalation (16% vs 33%, P<0.05), noninvasive respiratory support (25% vs 41%, P<0.05) or mechanical ventilation (10% vs 23%, P<0.05) and significantly shorter duration of noninvasive ventilation [(58±24) hours vs (83±41) hours, P<0.05] and length of hospital stay [6(4, 8) days vs 7(5, 10) days, P<0.05]. CONCLUSIONS Although tracheal intubation for meconium suction immediately after birth may shorten the duration of respiratory support for mild respiratory problems, it cannot reduce the incidence rate of MAS, mortality rate, or the incidence rate of serious complications in nonvigorous infants born through MSAF.
Amniotic Fluid ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Meconium ; Meconium Aspiration Syndrome/therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Suction

Anti-contactin-1(CNTN1) IgG4 antibody is a reliable biomarker of a specific subset of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) patients with distinct clinical features, including advanced age, aggressive symptom, predominantly motor involvement, sensory ataxia, and poor response to intravenous immunoglobulin. Nerve conduction study showed decrease of nerve conduction velocity, reduction of compound motor active potential amplitude without temporal dispersion at early stage of the disease. The article reported an anti-CNTN1 IgG4 antibody positive case, reviewed the current relevant literature, and then summarized the clinical characteristics of anti-CNTN1 IgG4 antibody associated CIDP.