Following the principles of evidence-based medicine,in accordance with the structure and drafting rules of standardized documents,based on literature research,according to the characteristics of chronic cough in children and issues that need to form a consensus,the TCM Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Cough in Children was formulated based on the Delphi method,expert discussion meetings,and public solicitation of opinions.The guideline includes scope of application,terms and definitions,eti-ology and diagnosis,auxiliary examination,treatment,prevention and care.The aim is to clarify the optimal treatment plan of Chinese medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease,and to provide guidance for improving the clinical diagnosis and treatment of chronic cough in children with Chinese medicine.

This paper reviews the concepts, status, influencing factors and interventions of home self-management of diabetic foot ulcers patients, with a view to providing reference for establishing and improving the home self-management model of diabetic foot ulcers patients suitable for China.

Triangle chronic disease stratified management model, as an effective chronic disease management model, can divide patients into different levels according to the stratified disease assessment criteria, enhance intervention effectiveness, improve management efficiency, and reduce costs by implementing targeted and personalized nursing measures. This article summarizes the overview of the Triangle chronic disease stratified management model, research progress at home and abroad, and the current application status in transitional care for chronic disease patients in order to provide a reference for medical staff to carry out transitional care for chronic disease patients.

With the increasing prevalence of chronic kidney disease(CKD)among the elderly, early detection and accurate assessment of kidney damage are crucial for slowing CKD progression and enhancing the quality of life in elderly patients.Renal cortical blood perfusion changes play a significant role in the onset, progression, and prognosis of CKD.Contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)enables real-time and dynamic monitoring of renal cortical blood perfusion, offering high clinical utility for early kidney injury diagnosis, precise CKD classification, and treatment efficacy evaluation.The 2024 edition of the Chinese Expert Consensus on Standardized Evaluation Methodology for Renal Cortical Blood Perfusion Using Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound presents 12 recommendations addressing issues such as lack of standardized operational protocols, contrast media usage, and variability in machine parameters and analysis software during CEUS application for renal cortical blood perfusion assessment.This initiative aims to encourage widespread adoption of CEUS technology for renal cortical blood perfusion evaluation, establishing guidelines that offer a safe, non-invasive, kidney-friendly, and effective imaging modality for elderly individuals.

Objective:To compare the clinical and ultrasonic features of elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis(EORA)and young-onset rheumatoid arthritis(YORA).Methods:A total of 104 patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis were categorized into two groups based on their age of onset: the EORA group, consisting of 70 patients, and the YORA group, consisting of 34 patients.A comparative analysis was conducted on the clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, and ultrasonic images of patients in these two groups.Results:The male ratio in the EORA group was significantly higher than that in the YORA group(24.3% vs.8.8%, P=0.048).There were no statistical differences in the course of disease, DAS28, ESR, CRP, RF, and anti-CCP antibody positive rates between the two groups( P>0.05)when compared with the YORA group.The incidence of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis in the EORA group was significantly higher than that in the YORA group( P=0.018, P=0.011).Ultrasonic results revealed a significantly higher incidence of phalangeal bone erosion in the EORA group compared to the YORA group(14.9% vs.4.3%, P<0.01).Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that different age groups, disease duration, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis did not have an effect on the ultrasonic changes of synovial hyperplasia, tendonitis, tenosynovitis, and bone erosion in RA patients. Conclusions:There is no significant difference in the clinical disease activity and disease progression between EORA group and YORA group.Additionally, the pattern of joint inflammation involvement is similar in both groups.Ultrasound examinations revealed a higher incidence of bone erosion in finger joints of EORA patients compared to YORA patients.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic efficacy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)for renal artery stenosis in elderly patients and the imaging features.Methods:Clinical and imaging data of 1 074 patients aged 60 years or older receiving renal artery CEUS in our hospital between September 2017 and October 2022 were retrospectively and consecutively collected, and the results of renal artery CEUS were summarized and comparatively analyzed.Results:Among the 1 074 elderly patients, 588(54.7%)patients showed normal renal artery imaging on CEUS, while 486(45.3%)patients exhibited renal artery stenosis.Of the 486 patients diagnosed with renal artery stenosis by CEUS, 94 elderly patients with complete clinical data then underwent DSA.Comparison of CEUS and DSA results from the 94 patients revealed that CEUS was in good agreement with DSA in evaluating different degrees of renal artery stenosis( Kappa value: 0.739, P<0.001). Of the 486 patients with renal artery stenosis diagnosed by CEUS, a total of 684 renal arteries had varying degrees of stenosis(including 288 with unilateral stenosis and 198 with bilateral stenosis), of which 55(8.0%)had diffuse stenosis of the main renal artery, and 629(92.0%)had confined stenosis of renal arteries(609 stenosis sites were located in the proximal segment/entry point, 12 in the middle segment, and 8 in the hilar or segmental renal arteries). Ultrasonography of confined renal artery stenosis showed narrowing of the contrast agent sound beam at the stenosis site, with or without enhancement of contrast intensity; ultrasonography of diffuse renal artery stenosis showed a thin contrast sound beam throughout the length of the renal artery, with either continuous linear changes or intermittently punctuated changes. Conclusions:There is a high detection rate of renal artery stenosis in the elderly, and ultrasonography can not only determine the degree of renal artery stenosis, but also show the location of stenosis and the extent of involvement, with fairly clear imaging characteristics.

The incidence and mortality of abdominal aortic aneurysm in the elderly are high.The poor prognosis of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm is in sharp contrast to the good survival after planned surgery.Endovascular repair is the first choice and maybe the only treatment for elderly patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm.Ultrasound is the preferred imaging method for screening and monitoring abdominal aortic aneurysm, with high accuracy and repeatability, and is an effective means for accurate diagnosis and follow-up monitoring in elderly patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm.This paper reviews research progress on ultrasonic diagnosis and postoperative evaluation of abdominal aortic aneurysm in the elderly, and discusses the important application value and prospect of conventional ultrasound combined with new ultrasound technology in this field.

Objective:To investigate the imaging characteristics on contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)of carotid plaque instability and their correlation with histopathological changes in elderly patients.Methods:Twenty-three patients undergone carotid endarterectomy(CEA)at the Department of Neurosurgery of Beijing Hospital from June 2018 to November 2020 were retrospectively enrolled, including 27 males and 5 females, aging from 60 to 87(68.1±6.3)years.They were diagnosed with moderate to severe carotid artery stenosis(50%-99%)based on digital subtraction angiography(DSA).Carotid artery CEUS was conducted before surgery, and HE staining and CD34 immunohistochemical staining were used to record histopathological scores and microvessel density(MVD)counts.Results:The mean pathological score and MVD count were 2.46±0.66 and 37.17±12.88 for 32 cases with hypoechoic patterns, 22.42±0.55 and 38.06±13.66 for 18 cases with mixed echo patterns, and 2.75±0.35 and 23.50±9.192 for 2 cases with strong echo patterns, respectively.CEUS grading was positively correlated with histopathology score and MVD count( r=0.53、0.76, all P<0.01). Conclusions:Low echo and mixed echo plaques are more unstable than strong echo plaques.CEUS can be used to comprehensively assess the vulnerability of atherosclerotic plaques and to decide the optimal surgical time for patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaque stenosis.

Animals ; Mice ; Motor Neurons/physiology* ; Spinal Cord

Background::This study aims to observe the dynamic changes of renal artery (RA) disease and cortical blood perfusion (CBP) evaluated by contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) after percutaneous transluminal renal artery stenting (PTRAS) in patients with severe atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) and to analyze the relationship between CBP and prognosis.Methods::This was a single-center retrospective cohort study. A total of 98 patients with unilateral severe ARAS after successful PTRAS in Beijing Hospital from September 2017 to September 2020 were included. According to renal glomerular filtration rate (GFR) detected by radionuclide imaging at 12 months after PTRAS, all patients were divided into the poor prognosis group ( n = 21, GFR decreased by ≥20% compared with baseline) and the control group ( n = 77, GFR decreased by < 20% or improved compared with baseline). Renal artery stenosis was diagnosed by digital subtraction angiography, and renal CBP was evaluated by CEUS using TomTec Imaging Systems (Germany) before PTRAS, at 6 months and 12 months after discharge. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve with area under the curve (AUC) was used to analyze the predictive value of CBP parameters, including area under ascending curve (AUC1), area under the descending curve (AUC2), rising time (RT), time to peak intensity (TTP), maximum intensity (IMAX), and mean transit time (MTT) for poor prognosis. Results::Among the 98 patients, there were 52 males (53.1%), aged 55-74 years old, with an average age of 62.1 ± 8.7 years, and an average artery stenosis of 82.3 ± 12.9%. The poor prognosis group was associated with significantly increased incidence of diabetes (76.2% vs. 41.6%), and lower levels of GFR of the stenotic kidney (21.8 mL/min vs. 25.0 mL/min) and total GFR (57.6 mL/min vs. 63.7 mL/min) (all P < 0.05), compared with the control group ( P < 0.05). In addition, the rate of RA restenosis was significantly higher in the poor prognosis group than in the control group (9.5% vs. 0, χ2 = 9.462, P = 0.002). Compared with the control group, the poor prognosis group was associated with significantly decreased baseline AUC1 and AUC2, and extended duration of TTP and MTT ( P < 0.05). At 6 months and 12 months of follow-up, patients in the control group were associated with markedly increased AUC1, AUC2, and IMAX, and shorter duration of RT and MTT ( P < 0.05). The ROC curve showed that the predictive values of AUC1, AUC2, RT, TTP, IMAX, and MTT for poor prognosis were 0.812 (95% CI: 0.698-0.945), 0.752 (95% CI: 0.591-0.957), 0.724 (95% CI: 0.569-0.961), 0.720 (95% CI: 0.522-0.993), 0.693 (95% CI: 0.507-0.947), and 0.786 (95% CI: 0.631-0.979), respectively. Conclusions::Preoperative renal CBP in severe ARAS patients with poor prognosis is significantly reduced, and does not show significant improvement after stent treatment over the first year of follow-up. The parameter AUC1 may be a good predictor for renal dysfunction after PTRAS in severe ARAS patients.Trial Registration::ChiCTR.org.cn, ChiCTR1800016252.