Humans ; Amyloidosis ; Amyloid ; Cardiomyopathies

BACKGROUND:Early postural adjustments serve as preparatory measures for forthcoming actions or potential disruptions in posture,thereby facilitating improved movement execution and mitigating destabilizing effects caused by posture interference. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the characteristics of temporal and intensity parameters of key lower limb muscles during early postural adjustment phase when stroke patients with varying levels of balance initiate walking at a self-selected comfortable pace. METHODS:The characteristics of early postural adjustments in 16 stroke patients were observed.Sixteen patients were divided into a non-fall group(n=8)and a fall group(n=8)based on the history of falls and Berg Balance Scale scores.Noraxon inertial sensors and Noraxon Ultium EMG wireless surface electromyography were utilized to collect body kinematic data and surface electromyography data during gait initiation.Muscle activation time and activation sequence of six key muscles in the lower limbs(tibialis anterior,medial and lateral gastrocnemius,rectus femoris,lateral femoris and biceps femoris muscles)during the early postural adjustment phase,as well as normalized electromyography integral values for the four time windows(each 150 ms)before gait initiation,were analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Stroke patients with a history of falls exhibited earlier activation times for the six key muscles in the lower limbs during gait initiation compared with those in the non-fall group.The fall group demonstrated significantly earlier activation times for tibialis anterior,lateral head of gastrocnemius,and vastus lateralis(P<0.01,P<0.05).In contrast,the non-fall group displayed a consistent pattern of activating extensor muscles before flexor muscles,with thigh muscle activation preceding calf muscle activation.However,in the fall group,calf extensor muscle activation occurred prior to thigh extensor muscle activation,and the vastus lateralis was activated even earlier.The tibialis anterior was the last activated muscle in both groups.Specifically during T3(>-300 to-150 ms),the tibialis anterior exhibited significantly higher activity in the fall group compared with the non-fall group(P<0.05),while the lateral head of gastrocnemius demonstrated significant inhibition during T3(P<0.05)and the medial head of gastrocnemius showed significant inhibition during both T3 and T4(>-150 to 0 ms)stages compared with the non-fall group(P<0.01,P<0.05).To conclude,stroke patients with varying balance abilities employ distinct early postural adjustment strategies prior to stepping,as evidenced by differences in muscle activation timing,recruitment order,and muscle activity amplitude.Patients at a high risk of falling exhibit prolonged duration of early postural adjustment and delayed initiation of gait,indicating earlier activation of the tibialis anterior muscle and inhibition of gastrocnemius muscle activity.These delays in gait initiation and variations in muscle recruitment strategies may contribute to unstable posture and an increased susceptibility to falls.

Objective:To analyze the molecular evolutional characteristics of the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes of influenza A (H3N2) viruses isolated in Yancheng from 2022 to 2024.Methods:The throat swab specimens of influenza-like illness ( ILI) from sentinel surveillance hospital and outbreak sites were detected using the method of real time Rt-qPCR. The influenza A(H3N2) viruses were isolated using MDCK cells culture method from April 2022 to Marh 2024. The strains isolated from 2022 to 2024 were selected randomly and their sequences of the HA1 and NA genes were amplified through one step RT-PCR method and the PCR products were sequenced.The nucleotide and amino acid site variations and evolutionary characteristics of the genes were analyzed using relevant bioinformatics software. The mutations of genes and nucleic acid locus were analyzed and the evolutional trees were generated using bioinformatics software.Results:A total of 5 020 samples were collected between April 2022 and March 2024, the positive detection rate of influenza virus nucleic acid was 18.59%(933/5 020).The winter and spring influenza peaks were obvious in the two monitoring seasons from April 2022 to March 2024. Among them, the summer influenza peak was obvious in the monitoring season from April 2022 to March 2023, and the H3N2 subtype influenza virus was the dominant epidemic strain in the two monitoring seasons. Genetic evolution tree displayed: the clustering relationships of the respective branches of HA1 and NA genes of 32 strains isolated in Yancheng were basically the same.The HA1 and NA genes of 24 strains isolated from 2023-2024 in Yancheng and the 2022-2024 Northern Hemisphere vaccine strain A/Darwin/9/2021 (H3N2) were located in the 3C.2a1b2a.2a.3a.1 evolutionary lineage, while the 8 strains isolated in the 2022 in Yancheng and the 2021-2022 Northern Hemisphere vaccine strain A/Cambodia/e0826360/2020 (H3N2) were located in the 3C.2a1b.2a.1a evolutionary lineage.The 6 strains (A/JSTH/11735/2023, A/JSTH/11788/2023, A/JSTH/11974/2023, A/JSYD/353/2023, A/JSYD/354/2023, A/JSTH/138/2023) all exhibited variations in the F79L, N122D, P239S, and K276E amino acid sites, which were present in both sporadic and outbreak strains. Because the strains of the antigen epitopes, receptor binding sites and glycosylation sites in the HA1 genes had a certain degree of variations in Yancheng in the 2022-2024 year, the immunogenicity matching between the 24 strains isolated in the 2023-2024 and the Northern Hemisphere vaccine strain A/Darwin/9/2021 was good, while the immunogenicity matching between the 8 strains isolated in the 2022 and the Northern Hemisphere vaccine strain A/Cambodia/e0826360/2022 was good; 32 strains isolated from 2022 to 2024 had no mutations in catalytic residues and drug resistant sites of NA genes.Conclusion:These result indicated that the HA1 and NA genes of influenza A/H3N2 viruses circulated in Yancheng city from 2022 to 2024 are changed gradually.The accumulation of these mutations would result in antigenic drift of influenza A(H3N2) viruses and increase the mismatching of the recommended vaccine strain.Compared with the vaccine strain A/Darwin/9/2021(H3N2), the strains isolated in the 2022 had substantially result in antigenic drift on the whole.The influenza A(H3N2) viruses surveillance should be strengthened to find the new mutant of virus in time.

Objective To investigate the current status and awareness of pharmaceutical services in hospitals in Guizhou province and to provide a reference for exploring and carrying out pharmaceutical service fees.Methods The questionnaire was designed by the"wjx.cn"website.Three kinds of questionnaires were designed for pharmacists,doctors,nurses,and patients as the research objects,with corresponding differences in some questions,and promoted on WeChat,Dingxiangyuan,and other network platforms.Results A total of 655 questionnaires were collected,and 639 valid questionnaires were recovered,with an effective recovery rate of 97.56%.324 pharmacists(50.70%),82 doctors and nurses(12.83%),233 patients(36.46%)were surveyed.The average approval score of these three groups of respondents on pharmaceutical service fees was 4.67,4.23,and 4.22,respectively(full score:5).Conclusions Overall,pharmacists'professional services have received support from medical staff and patients.However,patients'pharmaceutical service projects currently focus on dispensing services.The recognition of pharmacists'work and the public's awareness of pharmaceutical services can be improved by enhancing the professional ability of pharmacists,strengthening publicity and guidance,and exploring"Internet+pharmaceutical services",etc.,to promote the sustainable development of pharmaceutical services.

Objective:To investigate the effect of cathodic transcranial direct current stimulation (ctDCS) combined with upper limb robot therapy (RT) on the rehabilitation of upper limb motor function in stroke patients.Methods:Forty patients with stroke hemiplegia who met the enrollment criteria were randomly divided into a pseudo-stimulation group ( n = 20) and a stimulation group ( n = 20). In addition to conventional treatment in both groups, ctDCS + RT was used in the stimulation group, and sham stimulation + RT was used in the sham-stimulation group. Treatment was performed 10 times, 5 times per week, for 30 minutes each time. Patients in both groups were evaluated before, during, and after treatment using the Brunnstrom Staging Scale, the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) scale, and the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), respectively. Results:Compared with the same group before treatment, there were statistically significant differences in Brunnstrom’s rating grade Ⅳ for upper limbs and hands in both groups during and after treatment (all P < 0.05). Compared with the same group during treatment, there were statistically significant differences in Brunnstrom’s rating grade Ⅳ for upper limbs and hands in both groups after treatment (all P < 0.05). MBI scores were higher in two groups during and after treatment compared to the same group before treatment (all P < 0.05). MBI scores were higher in two groups after treatment compared to the same group during treatment (all P < 0.05). The MBI scores after treatment in the stimulation group were higher than those in the pseudo-stimulation group ( P < 0.05). The MAS scores of elbow flexion grade 2 and extension grade 4 and shoulder flexion grade 2, extension grade 2, adduction grade 2, and abduction grade 2 were lower in both groups after treatment compared with the same group before treatment (all P < 0.05). Conclusions:Cathodic transcranial direct current stimulation combined with robotic therapy can effectively promote upper limb motor function rehabilitation in stroke patients and is superior to upper limb robotic therapy alone.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has become a new method of post-stroke rehabilitation treatment and is gradually accepted by people. However, the neurophysiological mechanism of tDCS in the treatment of stroke still needs further study. In this study, we recruited 30 stroke patients with damage to the left side of the brain and randomly divided them into a real tDCS group (15 cases) and a sham tDCS group (15 cases). The resting EEG signals of the two groups of subjects before and after stimulation were collected, then the difference of power spectral density was analyzed and compared in the band of delta, theta, alpha and beta, and the delta/alpha power ratio (DAR) was calculated. The results showed that after real tDCS, delta band energy decreased significantly in the left temporal lobes, and the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05); alpha band energy enhanced significantly in the occipital lobes, and the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05); the difference of theta and beta band energy was not statistically significant in the whole brain region ( P > 0.05). Furthermore, the difference of delta, theta, alpha and beta band energy was not statistically significant after sham tDCS ( P > 0.05). On the other hand, the DAR value of stroke patients decreased significantly after real tDCS, and the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05), and there was no significant difference in sham tDCS ( P > 0.05). This study reveals to a certain extent the neurophysiological mechanism of tDCS in the treatment of stroke.
Brain/physiopathology* ; Brain Waves/physiology* ; Electroencephalography/methods* ; Humans ; Stroke/therapy* ; Stroke Rehabilitation/methods* ; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation/methods*

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is an emerging non-invasive brain stimulation technique. However, the rehabilitation effect of tDCS on stroke disease is unclear. In this paper, based on electroencephalogram (EEG) and complex network analysis methods, the effect of tDCS on brain function network of stroke patients during rehabilitation was investigated. The resting state EEG signals of 31 stroke rehabilitation patients were collected and divided into stimulation group (16 cases) and control group (15 cases). The Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated between the channels, brain functional network of two groups were constructed before and after stimulation, and five characteristic parameters were analyzed and compared such as node degree, clustering coefficient, characteristic path length, global efficiency, and small world attribute. The results showed that node degree, clustering coefficient, global efficiency, and small world attributes of brain functional network in the tDCS group were significantly increased, characteristic path length was significantly reduced, and the difference was statistically significant (
Brain ; Electroencephalography ; Humans ; Stroke ; Stroke Rehabilitation ; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of acute leukemia patients during pregnancy.Methods:The clinical data of 16 cases with acute leukemia during pregnancy from January 2009 to December 2018 in the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC were retrospectively analyzed. The diagnosis and treatment regimens, pregnancy outcome, the early fetus and survival status of patients were also analyzed.Results:All 16 leukemia cases were confirmedly diagnosed and classified by bone marrow puncture, including 13 cases of acute myeloid leukemia (5 cases of non-acute promyelocytic leukemia and 8 cases of acute promyelocytic leukemia) and 3 cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. At the time of confirmed diagnosis, 6 patients were in first trimester, 6 cases in second trimester and 4 cases in late trimester. As for pregnancy outcome, 1 patient had natural birthing, 5 patients underwent cesarean operation, 9 patients underwent artificial abortion and 1 patient had spontaneous abortion. Chemotherapy was performed in 15 patients during pregnancy, 11 patients received chemotherapy for treatment of primary disease after pregnancy, 3 patients died during the treatment. During the follow-up of 13 cases, 8 patients survived and 5 patients lost follow-up.Conclusions:Early diagnosis of acute leukemia during pregnancy is very important. Bone marrow puncture should be performed timely to make clear diagnosis when blood routine result is abnormal during antenatal care. Multidisciplinary consultation should be initiated in time, and the best treatment plan should be worked out to guard against serious complications during pregnancy.

Objective:To investigate the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the behavior and the mismatch negativity (MMN) component of the auditory evoked potential of autistic children.Methods:Thirty-four autistic children were randomly divided into an anode stimulation group ( n=19) and a pseudo-stimulation group ( n=16). Both groups were given one hour of routine rehabilitation five times a week for 4 weeks, while the anode stimulation group was additionally provided with 20 minutes of tDCS 3 times a week. Before and after the treatment, both groups′ behavior was evaluated by using autism behavior checklist (ABC) as well as any changes in MMN of the auditory evoked EEG signals. Results:There were no significant differences between the two groups in any of the measurements before the treatment. Afterwards behavior had improved significantly in both groups, with significantly greater improvement in the stimulated group. In the stimulated group the average MMN amplitude had increased significantly and the average latency had decreased significantly. However, no such significant changes were observed in the pseudo-stimulation group. There was a significant linear correlation between the changes in the incubation period of MMN components and the improvements in ABC, vestibular functioning, tactile defense and proprioception.Conclusion:Anodal tDCS combined with conventional rehabilitation therapy can effectively increase the MMN amplitude and shorten the latency in autistic children, improving their brain function.

Objective:To retrospectively analyze the clinical outcomes of single unrelated cord blood transplantation (UCBT) in children with high risk and refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) .Methods:Between June 2008 and December 2018, a total of 160 consecutive pediatric patients with AML received single UCBT (excluding acute promyelocytic leukemia) . Myeloablative conditioning (MAC) regimen were applied. All patients received a combination of cyclosporine A (CsA) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) for the prophylaxis of graft -versus- host disease (GVHD) .Results:The cumulative incidence of neutrophil cells engraftment at day +42 and platelet recovery at day +120 was 95.0% (95% CI 90.0%-97.5%) at a median of 16 days after transplantation (range, 11-38 days) and 85.5% (95% CI 83.3%-93.4%) with a median time to recovery of 35 days (range, 13-158) , respectively. Incidence of grades Ⅱ-Ⅳ and Ⅲ-Ⅳ acute GVHD and chronic GVHD were 37.3% (95%CI 29.3%-45.2%) , 27.3% (95% CI 20.0%-35.0%) and 22.4% (95% CI 15.5%-28.7%) , respectively. The transplant-related mortality (TRM) at 360 day was 13.1% (95% CI 8.4%-18.9%) . The 5-year cumulative incidence of relapse was 13.8% (95% CI 8.5%-20.3%) . The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were 71.7% (95% CI 62.7%-77.8%) and 72.2% (95% CI 64.1%-78.7%) , respectively. The 5-year GVHD and relapse free survival (GRFS) was 56.1% (95% CI 46.1%-64.9%) . The 5-year cumulative recurrence rates of CR1, CR2, and NR groups were 5.3%, 19.9%, and 30.9% ( P=0.001) , and the 5-year OS rates were 79.9% (95% CI 70.3%-86.7%) , 71.1% (95% CI 50.4%-84.4%) and 52.9% (95% CI 33.0%-69.3%) ( χ2=7.552, P=0.020) , respectively. Conclusions:For pediatric patients with high risk and refractory AML, UCBT is a safe and effective treatment option, and it is favorable to improve the survival rate in CR1 stage.