Objective : To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in Dongyang City, Zhejiang Province from 2017 to 2022, so as to provide insights into SFTS prevention and control. Methods: Data pertaining to patients with SFTS in Dongyang City from 2017 to 2022 were collected from Notifiable Infectious Disease Reporting System of Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System. The epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with SFTS were descriptively analyzed, and the trends in incidence of SFTS was evaluated using annual percent change (APC). Results: A total of 32 SFTS cases were reported in Dongyang City from 2017 to 2022, with mean annual incidence of 0.63/105, and 8 cases died, with a fatality rate of 25.00%. The incidence of SFTS appeared a tendency towards a rise from 2017 to 2022 (APC=40.697%, P<0.05). The male to female ratio of SFTS cases was 0.78∶1, and farmer was the predominant occupation (31 cases, 96.88%). SFTS predominantly occurred among individuals at ages of 51 to 69 years (20 cases, 62.50%), and the incidence peaked during the period between March and May and between July and August (28 cases, 87.50%). SFTS cases were reported in 11 out of the 18 townships (streets) in Dongyang City, with the highest number found in Zuocun Township (8 cases, 28.13%), and had the lowest platelet count of (41.46±5.19)×109 platelets/L, with the lowest count of (3.00 to 67.00) ×109 platelets/L. All the SFTS cases had a history of mountain forest and farmland activities 2 weeks prior to onset of the disease, and 5 cases (15.63%) had a history of tick bites. Conclusions The incidence of SFTS appeared a tendency towards a rise in Dongyang City from 2017 to 2022, and SFTS was highly prevalent in spring and summer, with high incidence among farmers. Intensified health education of SFTS is recommended among residents in high-incidence areas.

BACKGROUND:Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease with chronic rheumatic immunity.Soft tissue ossification and fusion and spinal stiffness can cause biomechanical changes. OBJECTIVE:To reconstruct the lumbar-sacral intervertebral disc in ankylosing spondylitis patients with lumbar kyphosis by finite element analysis,and to study the range of motion of each segment of T11-S1 and the biomechanical characteristics of annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus. METHODS:The imaging data were obtained from an ankylosing spondylitis patient with lumbar kyphosis.The original CT image data of continuously scanned spine were imported into Mimics 21.0 in DICOM format,and T11-S1 was reconstructed respectively.The established model was imported into 3-Matic software in the format of"Stl"to reconstruct the intervertebral disc,and the fibrous intervertebral disc model was obtained.The improved model was further imported into Hypermesh software,and the vertebra,nucleus pulposus,annulus fibrosus and ligament were mesh-divided.After the material properties were given,the model was imported into ABAQUS software to observe the range of motion of each vertebral body in seven different working conditions of T11-S1,and analyze the biomechanical characteristics of each segment of annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The range of motion of L1 vertebrae was higher than that of other vertebrae under six different working conditions:extension,forward flexion,rotation(left and right),and lateral flexion(left and right).The maximum range of motion was 2.18° during L1 vertebral flexion,and the minimum range of motion was 0.12° during L5 vertebral extension.(2)The annular fiber flexion at L2-L3 segments was greater than the extension(P<0.05),and the annular fiber flexion at L3-L4 and L4-L5 segments was less than the extension(P<0.05).The left rotation of L1-L2 annular fibers was greater than the right rotation(P<0.05).The left flexion of the annulus was greater than the right flexion in L1-L2,L2-L3,L3-L4,L4-L5 and L5-S1 segments(P<0.05).(3)The nucleus pulposus stresses of T11-L12,L1-L2,L2-L3,L3-L4 and L4-L5 segments in forward flexion were greater than in extension(P<0.05).The left rotation of T12-L1 and L3-L4 segments was smaller than the right rotation(P<0.05),and that of T11-T12,L1-L2,and L2-L3 segments was larger than the right rotation(P<0.05).The left flexion was larger than the right flexion in the T11-S1 segment.(4)It is concluded that in ankylosing spondylitis patients with lumbar kyphosis,the minimum range of motion of the vertebral body is located at the L5 vertebral body in extension.To prevent fractures,it is recommended to avoid exercise in the extension position.During the onset of lumbar kyphosis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis,the maximum stress of the annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus is located in the L1-L2 segment,which is fixed and will not alter with the change of body position.The late surgical treatment and correction of deformity should focus on releasing the pressure of the annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus in this segment to avoid the rupture of the annulus fibrosus and the injury of the nucleus pulposus.

BACKGROUND:Ankylosing spondylitis is a progressive inflammation of spinal stiffness deformity caused by tissue ossification and fibrosis.The posture of ankylosing spondylitis patients is abnormal and their activities are limited that minor injuries can lead to thoracolumbar fractures.Traditional medical image observation limits doctors'preoperative decision planning and postoperative disease prevention for ankylosing spondylitis treatment. OBJECTIVE:Based on the spinal model of ankylosing spondylitis patients before and after posterior spinal cancellous ossification osteotomy("Y"osteotomy for short),to explore the biomechanical changes of"Y"osteotomy and fixation in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis. METHODS:Based on the preoperative and postoperative CT images of an ankylosing spondylitis patient who went to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University,a three-dimensional spine model(T11-S1)before and after"Y"osteotomy(L3 osteotomy)was reconstructed in Mimics 19.0 software.A 7.5 Nm torque was applied to the top of T11 vertebral body to simulate the movement of the spine under six conditions:flexion,extension,left bending,right bending,left rotation and right rotation.Finally,the range of motion of each vertebral body,the stress of each intervertebral disc,and the stress of the screw rod system were simulated. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)After"Y"type osteotomy and posterior fixation,the range of motion of all vertebrae in the spine decreased,and the loss rate of upper vertebrae was large(L1:77.95%).(2)The maximum stress of the spinal intervertebral disc before operation occurred at the L1-L2 segment(0.55 MPa),and the maximum stress of the spinal intervertebral disc after operation occurred at the T11-T12 segment(0.50 MPa),and the stress of intervertebral disc below T12 was far less than that before operation.(3)The maximum stress of the screw rod system(166.67 MPa)occurred in the upper and middle segments of the rod body and the root of the pedicle screw.(4)In conclusion,the"Y"type posterior fixation operation enhances the stability of the spine and reduces the range of motion of the spine.The vertebral body decompression of the fixed segment is great and the stress-shielding phenomenon of the lower vertebral body is significant.The stiffness of the rod body and the stress concentration area of the pedicle screw should be strengthened to avoid the fracture of the rod caused by stress fatigue.

Objective To investigate the dosimetric difference between manual and inverse optimization in 3-dimensional (3D) brachytherapy for gynecologic tumors. Methods This retrospective study was conducted among a total of 110 patients with gynecologic tumors undergoing intracavitary combined with interstitial brachytherapy or interstitial brachytherapy. Based on the original images, the brachytherapy plans were optimized for each patient using Gro, IPSA1, IPSA2 (with increased volumetric dose limits on the basis of IPSA1) and HIPO algorithms. The dose-volume histogram (DVH) parameters of the clinical target volume (CTV) including V200, V150, V100, D90, D98 and CI, and the dosimetric parameters D2cc, D1cc, and D0.1cc for the bladder, rectum, and sigmoid colon were compared among the 4 plans. Results Among the 4 plans, Gro optimization took the longest time, followed by HIPO, IPSA2 and IPSA1 optimization. The mean D90, D98, and V100 of HIPO plans were significantly higher than those of Gro and IPSA plans, and D90 and V100 of IPSA1, IPSA2 and HIPO plans were higher than those of Gro plans (P<0.05), but the CI of the 4 plans were similar (P>0.05). For the organs at risk (OARs), the HIPO plan had the lowest D2cc of the bladder and rectum;the bladder absorbed dose of Gro plans were significantly greater than those of IPSA1 and HIPO (P<0.05). The D2cc and D1cc of the rectum in IPSA1, IPSA2 and HIPO plans were better than Gro (P<0.05). The D2cc and D1cc of the sigmoid colon did not differ significantly among the 4 plans. Conclusion Among the 4 algorithms, the HIPO algorithm can better improve dose coverage of the target and lower the radiation dose of the OARs, and is thus recommended for the initial plan optimization. Clinically, the combination of manual optimization can achieve more individualized dose distribution of the plan.

Objective:To investigate the conversion of stromal vascular fraction (SVF) in the microenvironment of radiation-induced skin injuries to provide guidance for clinical applications.Methods:Based on a random number table, C57BL/6N mice were categorized into four groups: the blank control, negative control, acute injury, and chronic injury groups, with each group containing 25 mice. The backs of mice in the blank control, acute injury, and chronic injury groups were exposed to 15 Gy X-ray irradiation. Then, the mice in the negative control, acute injury, and chronic injury groups were injected subcutaneously with the SVF derived from B6/G-R mice. The survival of these mice was observed 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 d after the injection through fluorescence tracing and in vivo imaging. Accordingly, the clinical SVF injection regimens were optimized based on the experimental result of mice. Finally, local SVF injection was performed on different frequencies for patients in different wound conditions, with the efficacy being observed. Results:The fluorescence of SVF was observed from the tissue slices of the acute injury, chronic injury, and negative control groups 14 d post-injection. The result showed that the fluorescence intensity of SVF 1, 3, and 7 d post-injection was in the order of the negative control group > the acute injury group > the chronic injury group. The acute injury group ranked at the top and the chronic injury group remained at the bottom 14 d after the injection. The fluorescence of SVF in each group was barely detected 21 d after the injection. Compared to the negative control group, the acute injury group exhibited statistical differences only 14 d post-injection ( t = 4.11, P < 0.05), while the chronic injury group displayed statistical differences 1, 3, 7, and 14 d after the injection ( t = 3.88-5.74, P < 0.05). Furthermore, the acute injury group exhibited significantly higher fluorescence intensity of SVF than the chronic injury group ( t = 4.73-8.38, P < 0.05). The half-life of SVF for the negative control, acute injury, and chronic injury groups was 6.336, 6.014, and 2.163 d, respectively. As indicated by the application of SVF transplantation based on traditional surgical protocols in the clinical trial, SVF can significantly promote wound repair, with earlier SVF transplantation being more beneficial for wound healing. Conclusions:The conversion of SVF differs in the microenvironments of acute and chronic radiation-induced skin injuries. This can serve as an essential guide for the administration timing and injection frequency of SVF in clinical applications.

Objective:To explore the relationship between serum urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio (UCR) and cardiac function in elderly patients with severe pneumonia.Methods:A prospective selection of 100 elderly patients with severe pneumonia admitted to Group Wanbei General Hospital of Wanbei Coal Power from May 2020 to April 2023 was conducted as the case group, and an additional 50 patients who underwent health examinations in the hospital during the same period were selected as the control group. Serum urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr), UCR value, myocardial injury indexes: cardiac troponin I (cTnI), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-ProBNP), creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase isoenzyme MB (CK-MB), and cardiac function indexes: left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), cardiac output (CO), stroke volume (SV) and cardiac output index (CI) were detected in the two groups. The patients in the case group were divided into two subgroups based on the occurrence of heart failure during hospitalization: the heart failure subgroup and the normal heart function subgroup. The serum UCR, myocardial injury and cardiac function indexes were compared between the case group and the control group. The general data, myocardial injury and cardiac function indexes were compared between the heart failure group and the normal heart function group. The relationship between serum UCR and cardiac function in patients with severe pneumonia was analyzed by bivariate Pearson correlation. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors of cardiac dysfunction in patients with severe pneumonia, and using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to analyze the value of serum UCR in predicting cardiac dysfunction in patients with severe pneumonia.Results:The values of BUN, UCR, cTnI, NT-ProBNP, CK and CK-MB in the case group were higher than those in the control group: (8.72 ± 1.14) μmol/L vs. (6.41 ± 0.76) μmol/L, 125.00 ± 19.75 vs. 86.12 ± 12.02, 0.04 (0.03, 0.05) μg/L vs. 0.04 (0.03, 0.05) μg/L, (185.49 ± 20.59) ng/L vs. (147.76 ± 20.85) ng/L, (104.78 ± 14.98) U/L vs. (99.33 ± 15.07) U/L, (31.59 ± 6.23) U/L vs. (29.13 ± 5.76) U/L. The values of Cr, LVEF, CO, SV and CI in the observation group were lower than those in the control group: (70.22 ± 5.76) μmol/L vs. (74.75 ± 5.12) μmol/L, (59.72 ± 2.41)% vs. (61.78 ± 2.16)%, (3.93 ± 0.43) L/min vs. (4.53 ± 0.62) L/min, (59.82 ± 6.12) ml vs. (62.23 ± 7.22) ml, (2.95 ± 0.30) L/(min·m 2) vs. (3.06 ± 0.33) L/(min·m 2), with a statistical significant difference ( P<0.05). In the case group, 21 patients had heart failure during hospitalization, accounting for 21.00%. The pneumonia severity index score on admission in the heart failure subgroup was higher than that in the normal heart function subgroup: (172.76 ± 9.18) points vs. (168.24 ± 8.81) points. The serum BUN and UCR levels were higher than those in the normal heart function subgroup: (9.51 ± 0.79) mmol/L vs. (8.51 ± 1.13) mmol/L, 141.62 ± 9.89 vs. 120.59 ± 19.39. The serum Cr level was lower than that in the normal heart function subgroup: (67.26 ± 5.34) μmol/L vs. (71.00 ± 5.65) μmol/L, with a significant statistical difference ( P<0.05). There was no significant statistical difference in other data between the two subgroups ( P>0.05). The bivariate Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum UCR was positively correlated with cardiac function indicators cTnI, NT-ProBNP, CK and CK-MB levels in severe pneumonia ( r = 0.40, 0.27, 0.32 and 0.33; P<0.05), and negatively correlated with LVEF, CO, SV and CI levels ( r = - 0.37, - 0.21, - 0.25 and - 0.21; P<0.05). Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the occurrence of cardiac dysfunction in elderly patients with severe pneumonia may be related to the pneumonia severity index score on admission and the abnormal expression of serum BUN, UCR and Cr levels ( P<0.05). ROC curve analysis found that the area under the curve for predicting the occurrence of cardiac dysfunction during hospitalization in severe pneumonia patients with serum UCR on admission was 0.85 (95% CI 0.77 to 0.92), which had certain predictive value. Conclusions:Elderly patients with severe pneumonia are accompanied by a certain degree of elevated serum UCR levels, and the higher the serum UCR level, the more severe the cardiac function damage and the greater the risk of cardiac dysfunction.

Objective To investigate the dosimetric difference between manual and inverse optimization in 3-dimensional (3D) brachytherapy for gynecologic tumors. Methods This retrospective study was conducted among a total of 110 patients with gynecologic tumors undergoing intracavitary combined with interstitial brachytherapy or interstitial brachytherapy. Based on the original images, the brachytherapy plans were optimized for each patient using Gro, IPSA1, IPSA2 (with increased volumetric dose limits on the basis of IPSA1) and HIPO algorithms. The dose-volume histogram (DVH) parameters of the clinical target volume (CTV) including V200, V150, V100, D90, D98 and CI, and the dosimetric parameters D2cc, D1cc, and D0.1cc for the bladder, rectum, and sigmoid colon were compared among the 4 plans. Results Among the 4 plans, Gro optimization took the longest time, followed by HIPO, IPSA2 and IPSA1 optimization. The mean D90, D98, and V100 of HIPO plans were significantly higher than those of Gro and IPSA plans, and D90 and V100 of IPSA1, IPSA2 and HIPO plans were higher than those of Gro plans (P<0.05), but the CI of the 4 plans were similar (P>0.05). For the organs at risk (OARs), the HIPO plan had the lowest D2cc of the bladder and rectum;the bladder absorbed dose of Gro plans were significantly greater than those of IPSA1 and HIPO (P<0.05). The D2cc and D1cc of the rectum in IPSA1, IPSA2 and HIPO plans were better than Gro (P<0.05). The D2cc and D1cc of the sigmoid colon did not differ significantly among the 4 plans. Conclusion Among the 4 algorithms, the HIPO algorithm can better improve dose coverage of the target and lower the radiation dose of the OARs, and is thus recommended for the initial plan optimization. Clinically, the combination of manual optimization can achieve more individualized dose distribution of the plan.

Objective:To explore the mediating effect of caring ability of family caregivers on dementia patients′ self-care ability and family caregiver burden.Methods:A total of 113 dementia caregivers of dementia patients recruited in Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Mental Health Center from September 2020 to January 2021 were selected, and the Barthel Index, Family Caregiver Task Inventory and Zarit Burden Interview were used to capture their responses on dementia patients′ self-care ability, caring ability, and caregiver burden.Results:The score of self-care ability of dementia patients was (75.19 ± 28.56), and scores of caring ability and care burden of caregivers were 9.00(4.00, 15.00) and (33.78 ± 16.53), respectively. The self-care ability of dementia patients was negatively associated with caring ability and care burden of caregivers ( r=-0.424, -0.420, both P<0.01), and the caring ability and care burden were positively correlated ( r=0.605, P<0.01). The intermediary effect of dementia caregivers' caring ability between patients' self-care ability and caregivers' care burden is significant. The indirect effect was -0.107 and the total effect was -0.187. The indirect effect accounted for 57.22% of the total effect. Conclusions:Caring ability of family caregivers mediates the relationship between self-care ability of dementia patients and caregivers' care burden.The caring ability may be used as an intervening target for future studies.

Objective:To investigate the techniques used in blood flow control of Kimura laparoscopic spleen-preserving pancreatectomy (LSPDP).Methods:Forty·five patients with benign or low-grade malignant pancreatic diseases undergoing LSPDP at Huzhou Central Hospital from May 2014 to Oct 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were divided into splenic vascular flow control group ( n=22) and routine management group ( n=23). Results:There was no significant difference in gender, age, BMI, accompanying symptoms, hypertension, diabetes, lesion size and pathological diagnosis between the two groups (all P>0.05). A higher overall spleen preservation rate (90.9% vs. 52.2%, χ2=8.213, P=0.004), lower incidence of morbidity with Clavien grade ≥ Ⅱ (22.7% vs. 73.9%, χ2=9.911, P=0.002) and shorter postoperative hospital stay [(9.6±4.5) d vs. (14.3±6.6) d, t=2.447, P=0.008] were achieved in the vascular flow control group compared with those in the routine group. Conclusion:Splenic vascular flow control techniques improve the success rate of spleen preservation in laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy, reduce the postoperative complications and shorten the postoperative hospital stay.

Objective:To investigate the long-term outcomes of laparoscopic ventral rectopexy (LVR) for obstructive defecation with overt pelvic structural abnormalities.Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinical data of 31 obstructive defecation patients with overt pelvic structural abnormalities who were admitted to the Renji Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine from June 2014 to August 2020 were collected. There were 6 males and 25 females, aged 59(range, 32?81)years. All 31 patients underwent LVR through transabdominal approach. Observation indicators: (1) the Cleveland clinic constipation score (CCCS); (2) severity of obstructive defecation; (3) patients assessment of constipation quality of life (PAC-QoL). Follow-up was conducted using telephone interview and outpatient examination up to October 2021. One professional researcher assessed the constipation symptoms and quality of life of patients through outpatient interview or mobile software platform of Questionnaire Star. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range), and comparison before and after operation was conducted using the Wilcoxon sign rank test. Results:(1) The CCCS. All 31 patients underwent LVR for the first time and were followed up for 61.8(range, 11.0?87.0)months. The constipation symptoms of the 22 patients were improved. The CCCS of the 31 patients before surgery and at the last follow-up time were 15.8(range, 8.0?26.0) and 10.7(range, 2.0?20.0), respectively, showing a significant difference ( Z=?3.98, P<0.05). (2) Severity of obstructive defecation. The severity scores of frequency of bowel movements, difficult of bowel movements, sensation of incomplete defecation, abdominal distension or pain, time of each bowel movements, daily unsuccessful times of defecation, artificial assisted defecation for the 31 patients were 2.9(range, 1.0?4.0), 3.0(range, 1.0?4.0), 1.9(range, 0?3.0), 0.5(range, 0?3.0), 2.6(range, 2.0?4.0), 2.0(range, 0?4.0), 0.9 (range, 0?2.0) before surgery, versus 1.7(range, 0?4.0), 1.6(range, 0?4.0), 1.2(range, 0?4.0), 0.3(range, 0?3.0), 1.7(range, 0?3.0), 1.4(range, 0?3.0), 0.7(range, 0?2.0) after surgery, respectively. There were significant differences in the frequency of bowel movements, difficult of bowel movements, sensation of in-complete defecation, abdominal distension or pain, time of each bowel movements, daily unsuccessful times of defecation for the 31 patients before and after surgery ( Z=?3.38, ?3.80, ?2.54, ?2.31, ?3.64, ?2.75, P<0.05) and there was no significant difference in the artificial assisted defecation for the 31 patients before and after surgery ( Z=?1.31, P>0.05). (3) PAC-QoL. The score of physical discomfort, satisfaction, worries and concerns, psychological discomfort for the 31 patients were 2.3(range, 1.0?4.0), 3.2(range, 1.0?4.8), 2.2(range, 0.6?4.0), 1.8(range, 0.4?3.9) before surgery, versus 1.6(range, 0?4.0), 2.3(range, 0?4.0), 1.7(range, 0?4.0), 1.3(range, 0?4.0)after surgery, respectively, showing significant differences before and after surgery ( Z=?3.49, ?2.17, ?2.50, ?3.05, P<0.05). Conclusions:The long-term outcomes of LVR for obstructive defecation with overt pelvic structural abnorma-lities are satisfactory. Symptoms as frequency of bowel movements, difficult of bowel movements, sensation of incomplete defecation, abdominal distension or pain, time of each bowel movements and daily unsuccessful times of defecation will be significantly improved after LVR and the constipation quality of life of patients will be improved.