Objective To investigate the acoustic characteristics of speech prosody in patients after stroke and to select sensitive acoustic parameters of speech prosody.Methods A total of 30 patients after stroke(stroke group)and 30 healthy adults of similar age(control group)were collected.Both groups read short texts aloud,and each syllable and pause of all short sentences in the whole text were recorded under the spectrogram.Acoustic analysis was performed on the inter-rogative sentence"What do you want to buy for your grandson's birthday?"and the stressed sentence"I want to buy toys!"The rhythm(unnatural pause number,speech rate,articulation rate),intonation(whole sentence fundamental frequency,fundamental frequency standard deviation and fundamental frequency slope of interrogative sentences,boundary tone funda-mental frequency and fundamental frequency slope of interrogative sentences,fundamental frequency and fundamental fre-quency slope of four tones),and stress(average intensity of stressed syllables,peak intensity,and stressed syllables dura-tion)of speech prosody were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Results The unnatural pause number and the stressed syllables duration in the stroke group were significantly higher than those in the normal control group(P＜0.01).The speech rate,articulation rate,whole sentence fundamental frequency standard deviation,whole sentence funda-mental frequency slope,and fourth tone fundamental frequency slope in the stroke group were significantly lower than those in the normal control group(P＜0.01).The boundary tone fundamental frequency slope of interrogative sentences and the third tone fundamental frequency slope were significantly lower than those in the normal control group(P＜0.05).Conclu-sion Patients after stroke have poor rhythm control,manifested as excessive pauses and slow speech rate;insufficient into-nation expression,manifested as insufficient interrogative sentence tone,and poor control ability of the third and fourth tones;compensatory expression of stress,characterized by prolonging the expression time of stressed syllables.

AIM:This study utilized CRISPR/Cas9 technology to create Retnlb floxp knock-in mice,followed by the application of the Cre-LoxP recombination system to generate intestinal epithelial-specific Retnlb gene knockout mice(Retnlb-CKO).This model was developed to investigate the pathogenic mechanisms of Retnlb in inflammatory bowel disease.METHODS:Female and male C57BL/6N mice,aged 8 weeks with the Retnlbflox/+genotype,were housed togeth-er for breeding.Offsprings were screened to identify those with the Retnlbflox/flox genotype.These mice were then crossed with Vil1-Cre transgenic mice,which express Cre recombinase specifically in intestinal epithelial cells,resulting in Retnlb-flox/+,Cre+mice.Subsequent crosses between Retnlbflox/+,Cre+mice and Retnlbflox/flox mice produced Retnlbflox/flox,Cre+mice(Retnlb-CKO).Six 8-week-old Retnlbflox/flox,Cre+mice and their littermate Retnlbflox/flox mice were selected for experiments.RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry were used to assess Retnlb mRNA and protein levels in colonic epithelium.Phenotypic observa-tions included body length,weight,diet,and reproductive capability.Tissue-to-body weight ratios were calculated to ana-lyze growth and development.Intestinal barrier integrity and colonic expression of inflammatory factors were evaluated.RESULTS:The conditional gene knockout mouse model with specific deletion of Retnlb in intestinal epithelial cells was successfully established and validated through genetic identification,mRNA and protein analysis.Compared to Retnlbflox/flox mice,Retnlb-CKO mice exhibited no significant differences in body length,weight,diet,or reproductive capability.There were no differences in the ratios of heart,liver,spleen,lung,kidney,and colon weight to body weight,nor were there morphological differences in various tissues.However,the mRNA expression of tight junction proteins ZO-1,Occlu-din,and Claudin3 in colon tissues of Retnlb-CKO mice was significantly reduced(P<0.01).PAS staining and immunohis-tochemistry revealed a significant decrease in the number of goblet cells and lysozyme-positive cells in the colon tissues of Retnlb-CKO mice(P<0.01).HE staining showed no obvious pathological change in colon tissues of Retnlb-CKO mice.RT-qPCR further demonstrated a significant downregulation of pro-inflammatory factors NLRP3,interleukin-6(IL-6),IL-1β,and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in colon tissues(P<0.01),along with significant downregulation of inflamma-tion signaling pathway proteins TLR4,MyD88,and NF-κB(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:A conditional colon epithelial cell Retnlb gene knockout mouse model was successfully constructed and validated.The absence of Retnlb in colon cells led to impaired intestinal barrier function,decreased mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory factors in colon tissue,and downregulation of mRNA expression of inflammatory pathway proteins TLR4,MyD88,and NF-κB.

Objective:To explore the clinical effect of perforator pedicled propeller flap (PPPF) in reconstruction of soft tissue defect in ankle and foot, as well as the role of preoperative ultrasonography in assistance of the location of perforators in donor site.Methods:From January 2017 to June 2023, the Department of Microorthopedics of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Luohe Medical College of Higher Education applied PPPF to reconstruct small and medium-sized soft tissue defects in the ankle and foot for 26 patients. The patients were 17 males, 9 females, aged 18 to 68 years old with 46 years old in average. The defect sites were 3 in forefoot and 6 in midfoot and combined with different degrees of tendon and bone exposure, 17 in ankle and heel and combined with various degrees of bone exposure, 12 with ankle open injury and 5 with Achilles tendon exposure. The area of soft tissue defects ranged from 2.5 cm×1.5 cm to 16.0 cm × 6.5 cm. The width of injury was measured before surgery, and a HHD was used to detect the perforators proximal to the defect site, and then high-frequency CDU was used to locate and confirm the location of the perforator and its alignment, blood flow and diameter. The line drawn between the 2 perforators was set as the axis of flap. The donor site was assessed by a "pinching and lifting" method to determine a direct closure of donor site or to have it closed by a flap transfer. The sizes of flap were from 2.8 cm×1.5 cm to 24.0 cm×7.5 cm. Twenty-two donor sites were directly closed and 4 received flap transfers. Four flaps had sutures with the skin nerves in the recipient site. Masquelet technique was performed in 6 patients with bone defects in the surgery. Patients received outpatient reviews with 1-2 weeks of intervals in the first 2 months after surgery, and X-ray reviews per 1-2 months for those with bone implants until bone healing.Results:All flaps survived successfully without any special treatment after surgery, except 1 flap that had blood vessel congestion and showed swelling and poor blood supply to the distal flap at 24 hours after surgery. The blood vessel congestion was revised by removal of part of the suture at the tip of flap pedicle. One week later, the tip of the flap remained with a small area of necrosis, which was then healed after dressing changes. A total of 21 patients were included in postoperative follow-up with 4 months to 3 years. All of the flaps had satisfactory appearance, colour and texture, and without any ulceration. Three cases of nerve suture were also included in follow-up. According to the assessment criteria of British Medical Research Council (BMRC), the sensory recovery of the flaps was found of S 2 in 1 flap and S 3 in 2 flaps. According to the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS), the ankle-hindfoot function scores, there were excellent in 16 patient and good in 5 patients. Conclusion:With the assistance of ultrasound, the PPPF can be effectively used in reconstruction of soft tissue defects in ankle and foot.

Objective:To investigate the characteristics, process, and prognosis of esophageal stricture after circumferential endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), and to preliminarily analyze the prevention and treatment effects of simple dilation, stent placement, mucosal transplantation, and glucocorticoid (hereinafter referred to as hormone) application in esophageal stricture.Methods:From August 2017 to March 2022, at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, the clinical and follow-up data of 55 patients who underwent circumferential ESD for early esophageal cancer and precancerous lesions were retrospectively analyzed. According to the prevention and treatment methods for esophageal stricture, the patients were divided into two groups: simple dilation group (23 cases) and combined dilation group (32 cases). The combined dilation group was divided into mucosal transplantation subgroup (9 cases), stent placement subgroup (14 cases), hormone application subgroup (7 cases), and bleomycin subgroup (2 cases, excluded from comparative analysis due to limited cases). Overall prognosis of patients was observed. Treatment efficacy, prognosis, and adverse events were compared among the simple dilation group, mucosal transplantation subgroup, stent placement subgroup, and hormone application subgroup. Independent samples t-test, chi-square test, and Fisher′s exact test were used for statistical analysis. Results:Among the 55 patients, the follow-up time was (894.1±417.7) days. Refractory esophageal stricture (total dilation times ≥ 5) occurred in 33 patients (60.0%). Fifty-two patients (94.5%) achieved clinical remission of the stricture. The total number of dilations was 5.8±4.0, and the average dysphagia-free period was (52.3±37.1) days. The dysphagia-free period of mucosal transplantation subgroup was longer than that of the simple dilation group, stent placement subgroup, and hormone application subgroup ((114.5±50.0) days vs. (40.9±20.0), (39.7±10.0), and (40.9±25.5) days, respectively), and the differences were statistically significant ( t=4.82, 3.77 and 3.14, P<0.001, =0.011, =0.009). There were no statistically significant differences between the simple dilation group and the mucosal transplantation subgroup, stent placement subgroup, and hormone application subgroup in the total number of dilations (6.8±4.8 vs. 3.0±2.5, 5.8±2.2, and 5.7±5.0), stricture remission rate (95.7%, 22/23 vs. 8/9, 13/14, and 7/7), and incidence of adverse events (17.4%, 4/23 vs. 5/9, 5/14, and 2/7; all P>0.05). Conclusions:Esophageal stricture formed after circumferential ESD shows the characteristics of recurrence and intractability. The over all number of dilations is high, and the average dysphagia-free period is short. Most patients can achieve clinical remission of the stricture after multiple times of endoscopic dilation treatment. However mucosal transplantation, stent placement, and hormone application cannot well intervene the natural process of esophageal stricture.

【Objective】 To analyze the distribution of unexpected antibodies in tumor patients retrospectively and explore the clinical significance. 【Methods】 Unexpected antibody screening was performed on inpatients with blood preparation and blood transfusion in our hospital from January 2004 to December 2022, with 1 176 cases tested positive, and the types of unexpected antibodies and distribution characteristics were statistically analyzed. 【Results】 Unexpected antibodies were screened in 1 176 cases, with the positive rate at 1.05% (1 176/111 483). The unexpected antibodies were mainly anti-E 16.33%(192/1 176), anti-M 7.99% (94/1 176), anti-Mur 5.70% (67/1 176) and anti-Le^a 4.76% (56/1 176). Among the 1 176 cases, gastrointestinal tumors accounted for 27.99% (329/1 176), gynecological tumors accounted for 24.84% (292/1 176), respiratory tumors accounted for 16.67% (196/1 176) . 【Conclusion】 The influencing factors of unexpected antibodies in tumor patients were disease type, blood transfusion history and blood type. Therefore, it is necessary for clinical departments to carry out unexpected antibody screening and perform Rh blood type matched transfusion for tumor patients to avoid alloantibody production.

Objective:To summarize genotype-phenotype features and explore the long-term outcome of bilateral globus pallidus interna deep brain stimulation (DBS) in chorea-acanthocytosis (ChAc) patients.Methods:Seven patients who diagnosed with ChAc were included in this study from April 2016 to April 2018 at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Whole-exome sequencing was used for gene analysis of the patients, and the genotype-phenotype features of these patients were recorded. All patients underwent the DBS surgery, and long term follow-up was conducted before surgery, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years after surgery. Patients were scored using the Unified Huntington Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) to evaluate the long-term efficacy of DBS surgery.Results:The main clinical manifestations in all 7 patients were oro-faciol-ingual dyskinesia, limb chorea, dystonia, and dysarthria. Genetic testing found that all patients had VPS13A gene pathogenic variation, but the type of variation was different. The UHDRS motor score before bilateral pallidal DBS surgery was 37.00±16.68, which significantly improved to 19.67±5.99 at 1 year post-surgery, with average improvement of 46.8% ( t=5.20, P=0.003), to 23.86±8.99 at 3 years post-surgery, with average improvement of 35.5% ( t=3.08, P=0.022), and to 29.00±14.97 at 5 years post-surgery, with average improvement of 21.6% ( t=1.41, P=0.217). The symptoms of patients were most significantly improved in limb chorea and oro-facio-lingual dyskinesia. However, at the 5-year follow-up, severe dystonia and gait difficulties reoccurred in 3/7 and 4/7 of the patients, respectively. The patient′s dysarthria had not been effectively improved. Conclusions:The clinical manifestations of patients with ChAc are relatively consistent, but there is significant genetic heterogeneity. Bilateral pallidal DBS therapy is effective for patients with ChAc, but the long-term efficacy decreases with disease progression.

Objective:To investigate the epidemiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in patients with maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) in Jiangsu province during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in China from December 7, 2022 to January 27, 2023, and to analyze the influencing factors of all-cause death.Methods:It was a multi-center cross-sectional investigation. Structured questionnaire was used to collect patient information by medical staff of each hemodialysis center (room) as investigators. Part of the demography data and laboratory examination data came from the Jiangsu Province Hemodialysis Data Information System. MHD patients from hemodialysis centers (rooms) at all levels of medical institutions and independent hemodialysis institutions in Jiangsu province during the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infection were included, and the clinical characteristics and all-cause mortality of confirmed and suspected cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were analyzed.Results:Questionnaire surveys and data analysis on 57 278 patients in 407 hemodialysis centers (rooms) were completed, accounting for 90.41% of the total number of MHD patients (63 357 cases) in Jiangsu province during the same period. There were 24 038 cases (41.97%) of SARS-CoV-2 infection and 14 805 cases (25.85%) of suspected infection, which were widely distributed in all dialysis centers in Jiangsu province. After clinical classification of 38 843 confirmed and suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection cases, 3 662 cases were severe and critical cases, accounting for 9.43% of the infected and suspected cases. Among the patients who had completed the questionnaires, there were 1 812 all-cause deaths, with an all-cause mortality rate of 3.16%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that elderly (taking ≤50 years as a reference, 51-59 years: OR=1.583, 95% CI 1.279-1.933, P=0.001; 60-69 years: OR=3.972, 95% CI 3.271-4.858, P<0.001; 70-79 years: OR=7.236, 95% CI 5.917-8.698, P<0.001; ≥80 years: OR=11.738, 95% CI 9.459-14.663, P<0.001), male ( OR=1.371, 95% CI 1.229-1.529, P<0.001), and co-infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) (positive serum HBV surface antigen, OR=0.629, 95% CI 0.484-0.817, P<0.001) were independent influencing factors for all cause mortality. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the curve for male, age and current HBV infection prediction of all-cause death was 0.529 ( P<0.001), 0.724 ( P<0.001) and 0.514 ( P=0.042), respectively, and the cut-off value for age prediction of all-cause death was 65.5 years old. Compared with patients without HBV infection, MHD patients with HBV infection significantly reduced the proportion of severe and critically ill patients, all-cause hospitalizations and all cause deaths when infected with SARS-CoV-2 (4.99% vs. 6.41%, χ2=6.136, P=0.013; 8.90% vs. 11.44%, χ2=11.662, P<0.001; 2.01% vs. 3.37%, χ2=10.713, P=0.001, respectively). Conclusion:The MHD patients in Jiangsu province are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. Elderly age and male gender are independent risk factors for death in MHD patients during the epidemic, while the HBV infection may be a protective factor for death of MHD patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.

OBJECTIVE: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a serious impact on health all over the world. Cancer patient, whose immunity is often compromised, faces a huge challenge. Currently, some COVID-19 vaccines are being developed and applied on general population; however, whether cancer patients should take COVID-19 vaccine remains unknown. Our study aimed to explore the knowledge, attitude, acceptance, and predictors of intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine among cancer patients in Eastern China. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Eastern China from June 17th to September 3rd, 2021. Patients were selected using a convenience sampling method. A self-report questionnaire was developed to assess knowledge about the COVID-19 vaccine, attitude towards the vaccine and acceptance of the vaccine; following a review of similar studies previously published in the scientific literature, multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. RESULTS: A total of 2158 cancer patients were enrolled in this study. The rate of vaccine hesitancy was 24.05% (519/2158); further, among the participants of vaccine acceptance, 767 had taken COVID-19 vaccine (35.54%), and 872 were willing to get vaccinated (40.01%). A total of 24 variables including demographic characteristics, clinical status of cancer, impact of COVID-19 pandemic on study participants, patients' knowledge about the COVID-19 vaccine, and attitude towards the vaccine, had significant differences between the "vaccine hesitancy" population and "vaccine acceptance" population. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that parameters including alcohol consumption (odds ratio [OR] = 1.849; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.375-2.488; P-reference [P-Ref] < 0.001 vs non-drinkers), income impacted by COVID-19 pandemic (OR = 1.930, 2.037 and 2.688 for mild, moderate, and severe impact, respectively; all P-Ref < 0.01 vs no impact), knowledge of how the vaccine was developed (OR = 1.616; 95% CI: 1.126-2.318; P-Ref = 0.009 vs unknown), believing in the safety of the vaccine (OR = 1.502; 95% CI: 1.024-2.203; P-Ref = 0.038 vs denying the safety of vaccine), willingness to pay for the vaccine (OR = 3.042; 95% CI: 2.376-3.894; P-Ref < 0.001 vs unwilling), and willingness to recommend families and friends to get vaccinated (OR = 2.744; 95% CI: 1.759-4.280; P-Ref < 0.001 vs do not recommend) were contributors to vaccine acceptance. While such as being retired (OR = 0.586; 95% CI: 0.438-0.784; P-Ref < 0.001 vs unemployed), undergoing multiple therapies of cancer (OR = 0.408; 95% CI: 0.221-0.753; P-Ref = 0.004 vs no ongoing treatment), and worrying that the vaccine might deteriorate the prognosis of cancer (OR = 0.393; 95% CI: 0.307-0.504; P-Ref < 0.001 vs might not) were contributors to vaccine hesitancy. CONCLUSION This study provided preliminary estimates of the rates of vaccine acceptance and vaccine hesitancy among cancer patients in Eastern China. The intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine was impacted by factors such as patient occupation, alcohol consumption, and some parts of knowledge about and attitude towards COVID-19 vaccine. It is recommended to develop individualized vaccination plans that meet the healthcare needs of cancer patients.
COVID-19 ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; China ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Humans ; Intention ; Neoplasms ; Pandemics ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Vaccination Hesitancy

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical treatment outcomes and the changes of the outcomes over time in extremely preterm twins in Guangdong Province, China. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for 269 pairs of extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks who were admitted to the department of neonatology in 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province from January 2008 to December 2017. According to the admission time, they were divided into two groups: 2008-2012 and 2013-2017. Besides, each pair of twins was divided into the heavier infant and the lighter infant subgroups according to birth weight. The perinatal data of mothers and hospitalization data of neonates were collected. The survival rate of twins and the incidence rate of complications were compared between the 2008-2012 and 2013-2017 groups. RESULTS: Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of severe asphyxia and smaller head circumference at birth (P<0.05). The mortality rates of both of the twins, the heavier infant of the twins, and the lighter infant of the twins were lower in the 2013-2017 group compared with the 2008-2012 group (P<0.05). Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of pulmonary hemorrhage, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage (P-IVH), and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) and a higher incidence rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS There is a significant increase in the survival rate over time in extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks in the 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province. The incidences of severe asphyxia, pulmonary hemorrhage, PDA, P-IVH, and NRDS decrease in both the heavier and lighter infants of the twins, but the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia increases. With the improvement of diagnosis and treatment, the multidisciplinary collaboration between different fields of fetal medicine including prenatal diagnosis, obstetrics, and neonatology is needed in the future to jointly develop management strategies for twin pregnancy.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology* ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

Cardiology ; China ; Consensus ; Heart Failure/therapy* ; Humans ; Self-Management ; United States