Objective:To analyze the clinical data of seven patients with a clinical diagnosis of likely sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) in order to improve the understanding and diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.Methods:The clinical data of 7 sCJD patients admitted to the Department of Neurology of Our Hospital from 2021 to 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.Results:All seven patients had a subacute onset of disease, and the main clinical features included rapidly progressive dementia (RPD), cerebellar symptoms, pyramidal signs, myoclonus and akinetic mutism. Magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) reveals widespread asymmetrical lace-like high signal distributed along the cortex and a basal curved ball-and-stick sign. Electroencephalography (EEG) shows diffuse spiking and spiking slow waves, and periodic triphasic waves in advanced stages of the disease. Cerebrospinal fluid 14-3-3 protein testing was performed in 6 of the 7 patients, and 4 were positive. Four patients died within six months of onset of illness.Conclusions:The disease is prevalent in middle-aged and elderly patients, with a non-significant male-to-female ratio, and is dominated by the presence of Rapidly Progressive Dementia (RPD), especially the presence of cortical high signals in the DWI sequences and diffuse sharp and slow wave issuance in the electroencephalograph (EEG), which need to be alerted to the occurrence of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. Dynamic review of MRI, EEG, cerebrospinal fluid 14-3-3 protein, prion protein gene (PRNP) sequence analysis and cerebrospinal fluid prion real-time vibration-induced protein amplification (RT-QuIC) monitoring whenever possible to avoid misdiagnosis, under-diagnosis, and under-recognition.

Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of thermosensitive moxibustion in treating headache and dizziness in patients with sympathetic type of cervical spondylosis(SCS).Methods A total of 80 patients with SCS treated in Affiliated Hospital of Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine from June 2023 to June 2024 were selected and divided into observation group and control group according to random number table method,with 40 patients in each group.The patients in control group were treated with regular moxibustion,while the patients in observation group were treated with thermosensitive moxibustion.The clinical efficacy,pain,quality of life,cervical spine function,cervical sympathetic symptoms,and adverse reactions between two groups were compared.Results The total effective rate of observation group was significantly higher than that of control group(x2=4.501,P=0.034).After treatment,visual analogue scale(VAS),Northwick Park neck pain questionnaire(NPQ)and cervical sympathetic nerve symptom scores of patients in two groups were significantly lower than before treatment,and clinical assessment scale for cervical spondylosis(CASCS)scores were significantly higher than before treatment(P＜0.05).VAS,NPQ and cervical sympathetic nerve symptom scores of observation group were significantly lower than those of control group,and CASCS score was significantly higher than that of control group(P＜0.05).No adverse reactions such as fainting and scalding occurred in both groups during treatment.Conclusion Thermosensitive moxibustion for SCS can reduce cervical sympathetic nerve symptoms and pain,improve cervical spine function,and improve patients'quality of life,and is relatively safe.

Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of thermosensitive moxibustion in treating headache and dizziness in patients with sympathetic type of cervical spondylosis(SCS).Methods A total of 80 patients with SCS treated in Affiliated Hospital of Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine from June 2023 to June 2024 were selected and divided into observation group and control group according to random number table method,with 40 patients in each group.The patients in control group were treated with regular moxibustion,while the patients in observation group were treated with thermosensitive moxibustion.The clinical efficacy,pain,quality of life,cervical spine function,cervical sympathetic symptoms,and adverse reactions between two groups were compared.Results The total effective rate of observation group was significantly higher than that of control group(x2=4.501,P=0.034).After treatment,visual analogue scale(VAS),Northwick Park neck pain questionnaire(NPQ)and cervical sympathetic nerve symptom scores of patients in two groups were significantly lower than before treatment,and clinical assessment scale for cervical spondylosis(CASCS)scores were significantly higher than before treatment(P＜0.05).VAS,NPQ and cervical sympathetic nerve symptom scores of observation group were significantly lower than those of control group,and CASCS score was significantly higher than that of control group(P＜0.05).No adverse reactions such as fainting and scalding occurred in both groups during treatment.Conclusion Thermosensitive moxibustion for SCS can reduce cervical sympathetic nerve symptoms and pain,improve cervical spine function,and improve patients'quality of life,and is relatively safe.

Objective:To analyze the clinical data of seven patients with a clinical diagnosis of likely sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) in order to improve the understanding and diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.Methods:The clinical data of 7 sCJD patients admitted to the Department of Neurology of Our Hospital from 2021 to 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.Results:All seven patients had a subacute onset of disease, and the main clinical features included rapidly progressive dementia (RPD), cerebellar symptoms, pyramidal signs, myoclonus and akinetic mutism. Magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) reveals widespread asymmetrical lace-like high signal distributed along the cortex and a basal curved ball-and-stick sign. Electroencephalography (EEG) shows diffuse spiking and spiking slow waves, and periodic triphasic waves in advanced stages of the disease. Cerebrospinal fluid 14-3-3 protein testing was performed in 6 of the 7 patients, and 4 were positive. Four patients died within six months of onset of illness.Conclusions:The disease is prevalent in middle-aged and elderly patients, with a non-significant male-to-female ratio, and is dominated by the presence of Rapidly Progressive Dementia (RPD), especially the presence of cortical high signals in the DWI sequences and diffuse sharp and slow wave issuance in the electroencephalograph (EEG), which need to be alerted to the occurrence of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. Dynamic review of MRI, EEG, cerebrospinal fluid 14-3-3 protein, prion protein gene (PRNP) sequence analysis and cerebrospinal fluid prion real-time vibration-induced protein amplification (RT-QuIC) monitoring whenever possible to avoid misdiagnosis, under-diagnosis, and under-recognition.

Objective Exploring the use of thromboelastography(TEG)to assess the risk of bleeding in patients with acute leukemia(AL)undergoing platelet transfusion refractoriness(PTR).Methods To investigate the differences in TEG parameters between the PTR group and the non-PTR group in adult AL patients,and compare the differences in PLT and TEG parameters between the bleeding group and the non-bleeding group in the PTR group.Results A total of 58 AL patients were positive for platelet-related antibodies,and the proportion of PTR was 48.28%.A total of 20 patients with PTR were transfused with large-dose immunoglobulin,the effective rate was 40%,and 26 patients with PTR were transfused with matching platelets,the effective rate was 42.62%.This study observed the difference of TEG parameters between the PTR group and the non-PTR group,and the results showed that there were no significant differences in PLT,R value,K value,α Angle and MA value before and after platelet transfusion in the PTR group.The PLT and MA values of the non-PTR group were significantly different before and after transfusion(P＜0.05),while the R value,K value and α Angle were not significantly different.The PLT and MA values of the non-PTR group were significantly higher than those in PTR group after transfusion(P＜0.05).Analysis and comparison of PLT and TEG parameters between the bleeding group and the non-bleeding group in patients with PTR showed that there was no significant difference in PLT value,R value,K value and α Angle of TEG,while MA value in the non-bleeding group was higher than that in the bleeding group,with significant difference(P＜0.05).Conclusions Platelet count alone cannot accurately reflect the risk of bleeding in AL patients with PTR.TEG can effectively predict and evaluate the bleeding risk in AL patients,among which the maximum amplitude index has the most significant clinical significance,which is of great significance for disease evaluation and treatment guidance.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between the neoadjuvant rectal (NAR) score and long-term survival in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who have undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.Methods:Clinical and pathological data of 487 patients diagnosed with rectal adenocarcinoma from October 2004 to April 2014 at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center who had received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy were retrospectively analyzed and the impact of NAR score on prognosis studied. Disease-free-survival (DFS) was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and survivals compared using the log-rank test. Cox models were used for univariate and multivariate analyses. Receiver operating characteristic curves were utilized to evaluate the predictive capability of NAR and tumor regression grade scores for the risk of 10-year postoperative recurrence and metastasis. The Delong test was employed to compare the diagnostic performance of the two scores.Results:Of the 487 patients included in the study, 166 were men (34.1%). The median age was 56 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 46–63). All patients completed adequate preoperative chemoradiotherapy and underwent R0 resection.The median interval between the end of chemoradiotherapy and surgery was 51 days (IQR: 44–58). Post-chemoradiotherapy downstaging occurred in 329 patients (67.6%). Tumor regression grades (TRGs) were 1–2 in 246 patients (50.5%) and 3–4 in 241 patients (49.5%). A total of 394 patients (80.9%) received postoperative chemotherapy. NAR scores were <8 in 182 patients (37.4%), 8–16 in 180 (37.0%), and >16 in 125 (25.6%). The median follow-up time was 111.5 months (IQR: 70.7–133.7 months). One hundred and thirteen patients died of rectal cancer, among whom 13 patients developed local recurrence, 88 patients developed distant metastasis, and 12 patients had unknown recurrence patterns. The 10-year DFS and overall survival rate of f the whole group were 68.9% and 71.5% respectively. The 10-year DFS rates for patients with NAR scores <8, 8–16, and >16 were 85.1%, 80.5%, and 66.4%, respectively ( P<0.001). Multivariate analyses revealed that the Dixon operation (HR=0.606, 95%CI: 0.408–0.902, P=0.014), and >16 (HR=2.569, 95%CI: 1.559–4.233, P<0.001) were independent predictors of the 10-year DFS of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer ( P<0.05 for all). In the entire patient cohort, the AUC of the receiver operating characteristic curve for NAR score predicting 10-year recurrence and metastasis was 0.67 (95%CI: 0.62–0.72), whereas the AUC for TRG score was 0.54 (95%CI: 0.49–0.60). The two scores differed significantly in accuracy ( Z=-4.06, P<0.001), the NAR score being a significantly better predictor of risk of 10-year recurrence and metastasis than the TRG score. Conclusion:The NAR score is a reliable predictor of 10-year DFS in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who have undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by curative surgery.

Objective To investigate the characteristics of bone marrow megakaryocytes in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) complicated with positive for antinuclear antibody (ANA) but cannot be diagnosed as rheumatic immune diseases. Methods Newly diagnosed ITP patients in the First Hospital Affiliated to Sun Yat-sen University were retrospectively selected and divided into ITP1 group (ITP patients with positive ANA) and ITP2 group (ITP patients with negative rheumatic indicators). Degree of thrombocytopenia, the total number of bone marrow megakaryocytes, and the ratios of various types of megakaryocytes at the initial diagnosis were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 42 newly diagnosed ITP patients were included, with 20 cases in the ITP1 group and 22 cases in the ITP2 group. There were no significant differences in general information such as gender and age between the two groups (P>0.05). The platelet (PLT) count was (7.55±0.96)×10⁹/L in the ITP1 group, which was lower than (10.23±1.21)×10⁹/L in the ITP2 group, but there was no significant between-group difference (t=1.697, P=0.097). Compared with the ITP2 group, the total number of megakaryocytes in the ITP1 group was significantly decreased (t=3.071, P < 0.01), and the ratio of granular megakaryocytes was significantly increased while the ratio of naked nuclear megakaryocytes was significantly decreased (P < 0.05); there were no significant differences in the ratios of immature and platelet-producing megakaryocytes between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion Patients with ITP and positive ANA have a tendency of decreased PLT, and a more significant maturation disorder of bone marrow megakaryocytes, with a lower degree of megakaryocyte proliferation compared to patients without positive ANA. ANA may exacerbate the severity of ITP by aggravating the developmental disorder of bone marrow megakaryocytes.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between the neoadjuvant rectal (NAR) score and long-term survival in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who have undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.Methods:Clinical and pathological data of 487 patients diagnosed with rectal adenocarcinoma from October 2004 to April 2014 at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center who had received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy were retrospectively analyzed and the impact of NAR score on prognosis studied. Disease-free-survival (DFS) was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and survivals compared using the log-rank test. Cox models were used for univariate and multivariate analyses. Receiver operating characteristic curves were utilized to evaluate the predictive capability of NAR and tumor regression grade scores for the risk of 10-year postoperative recurrence and metastasis. The Delong test was employed to compare the diagnostic performance of the two scores.Results:Of the 487 patients included in the study, 166 were men (34.1%). The median age was 56 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 46–63). All patients completed adequate preoperative chemoradiotherapy and underwent R0 resection.The median interval between the end of chemoradiotherapy and surgery was 51 days (IQR: 44–58). Post-chemoradiotherapy downstaging occurred in 329 patients (67.6%). Tumor regression grades (TRGs) were 1–2 in 246 patients (50.5%) and 3–4 in 241 patients (49.5%). A total of 394 patients (80.9%) received postoperative chemotherapy. NAR scores were <8 in 182 patients (37.4%), 8–16 in 180 (37.0%), and >16 in 125 (25.6%). The median follow-up time was 111.5 months (IQR: 70.7–133.7 months). One hundred and thirteen patients died of rectal cancer, among whom 13 patients developed local recurrence, 88 patients developed distant metastasis, and 12 patients had unknown recurrence patterns. The 10-year DFS and overall survival rate of f the whole group were 68.9% and 71.5% respectively. The 10-year DFS rates for patients with NAR scores <8, 8–16, and >16 were 85.1%, 80.5%, and 66.4%, respectively ( P<0.001). Multivariate analyses revealed that the Dixon operation (HR=0.606, 95%CI: 0.408–0.902, P=0.014), and >16 (HR=2.569, 95%CI: 1.559–4.233, P<0.001) were independent predictors of the 10-year DFS of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer ( P<0.05 for all). In the entire patient cohort, the AUC of the receiver operating characteristic curve for NAR score predicting 10-year recurrence and metastasis was 0.67 (95%CI: 0.62–0.72), whereas the AUC for TRG score was 0.54 (95%CI: 0.49–0.60). The two scores differed significantly in accuracy ( Z=-4.06, P<0.001), the NAR score being a significantly better predictor of risk of 10-year recurrence and metastasis than the TRG score. Conclusion:The NAR score is a reliable predictor of 10-year DFS in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who have undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by curative surgery.

Current classifications of tibial plateau fractures include three-pillar classification, four-quadrant classification, eight-segment classification, ten-segment classification, and four-column & nine-segment classification. This article reviews the various CT classifications of tibial plateau fractures, their advantages and disadvantages and surgical approaches as well. The essence of the CT classifications is to pay more attention to the coronary fracture line, especially the posterior coronal fracture fragments. A classification which combines the four-quadrant idea of the articular surface of the tibial plateau with the four-column idea of the peripheral cortex of the tibial plateau, and is supplemented by descriptions of non-articular surface structures (intercondylar spine, tibial tubercle and fibula head), may provide a more comprehensive understanding of a specific tibial plateau fracture, but may therefore be too complicated and difficult to use clinically due to too many combinations that need matching.

Identification of genetic variants via high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies has been essential for both fundamental and clinical studies. However, to what extent the genome sequence composition affects variant calling remains unclear. In this study, we identified 63,897 multi-copy sequences (MCSs) with a minimum length of 300 bp, each of which occurs at least twice in the human genome. The 151,749 genomic loci (multi-copy regions, or MCRs) harboring these MCSs account for 1.98％of the genome and are distributed unevenly across chromosomes. MCRs containing the same MCS tend to be located on the same chromosome. Gene Ontology (GO) anal-yses revealed that 3800 genes whose UTRs or exons overlap with MCRs are enriched for Golgi-related cellular component terms and various enzymatic activities in the GO biological function cat-egory. MCRs are also enriched for loci that are sensitive to neocarzinostatin-induced double-strand breaks. Moreover, genetic variants discovered by genome-wide association studies and recorded indbSNP are significantly underrepresented in MCRs. Using simulated HTS datasets, we show that false variant discovery rates are significantly higher in MCRs than in other genomic regions. These results suggest that extra caution must be taken when identifying genetic variants in the MCRs via HTS technologies.