Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics and management experience of complications in patients with cervical necrotizing fasciitis （CNF） with or without descending necrotizing mediastinitis （DNM）, in order to provide a basis for optimizing diagnosis and treatment strategies. Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 31 patients diagnosed with CNF and DNM at Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University between October 2019 and March 2024. A comprehensive evaluation was performed based on the patients' clinical characteristics, metagenomic next-generation sequencing （mNGS） pathogen detection results, imaging assessments, surgical interventions, management approaches for specific complications, and prognostic outcomes. Results:Among the 31 patients, 10 had severe diabetes mellitus. Etiological analysis was summarized as follows: 5 cases were odontogenic, 3 were of tonsillar origin, 3 were due to endogenous esophageal injury, 2 were due to exogenous cervical trauma, 2 originated from a congenital branchial cleft fistula, and 16 cases had an unknown etiology. Among them, 29 patients underwent surgery via an external cervical approach, 1 patient underwent surgery via an intraoral approach, and 1 patient received ultrasound-guided puncture and drainage therapy. Ultimately, 29 patients were cured and discharged （including 1 patient who experienced two instances of major neck vessel rupture and successfully underwent two interventional embolization procedures for hemostasis）; 2 patients died after failed rescue efforts due to concurrent sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction. The treatment success rate was 93%, and the mortality rate was 7%. In this cohort of CNF and DNM cases, only a minority had a clearly identified odontogenic cause; although the etiology was unknown in most cases, imaging consistently showed oropharyngeal lymph node necrosis, suggesting a possible pharyngeal origin of infection in adults. The mNGS pathogen profile was predominantly Gram-positive bacteria, accompanied by anaerobic bacilli and fungi. Conclusion:CNF and DNM are severe and rapidly progressive conditions that can lead to life-threatening complications within hours. Timely recognition can reduce unnecessary examinations and expedite treatment.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Fasciitis, Necrotizing/therapy* ; Mediastinitis/complications* ; Neck/pathology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Aged ; Prognosis

Objective:To investigate long-term auditory changes and characteristics of Alport syndrome（AS） patients with different degrees of renal injury. Methods:Retrospectively analyzing clinical data of patients diagnosed AS from January 2007 to September 2022, including renal pathology, genetic detection and hearing examination. A long-term follow-up focusing on hearing and renal function was conducted. Results:This study included 70 AS patients, of which 33（25 males, 8 females, aged 3.4-27.8 years） were followed up, resulting in a loss rate of 52.9%.The follow-up period ranged from 1.1to 15.8 years, with 16 patients followed-up for over 10 years. During the follow-up, 10 patients presenting with hearing abnormalities at the time of diagnosis of AS had progressive hearing loss, and 3 patients with new hearing abnormalities were followed up, which appeared at 5-6 years of disease course. All of which were sensorineural deafness. While only 3 patients with hearing abnormalities among 13 patients received hearing aid intervention. Of these patients,7 developed end-stage renal disease（ESRD）, predominantly males （6/7）. The rate of long-term hearing loss was significantly different between ESRD group and non-ESRD group（P=0.013）. There was no correlation between the progression of renal disease and long-term hearing level（P>0.05）. kidney biopsies from 28 patients revealed varying degrees of podocyte lesion and uneven thickness of basement membrane. The severity of podocyte lesion was correlated with the rate of long-term hearing loss（P=0.048）, and there was no correlation with the severity of hearing loss（P>0.05）. Among 11 cases, theCOL4A5mutationwas most common （8 out of 11）, but there was no significant correlation between the mutation type and hearing phenotype（P>0.05）. Conclusion:AS patients exhibit progressive hearing loss with significant heterogeneity over the long-term.. THearing loss is more likely to occur 5-6 years into the disease course. Hearing abnormalities are closely related to renal disease status, kidney tissue pathology, and gene mutations, emphasizing the need for vigilant long-term hearing follow-up and early intervention.
Male ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Nephritis, Hereditary/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Kidney ; Deafness ; Hearing Loss/genetics* ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/pathology* ; Mutation

Objective:To comprehensively analyze the clinical characteristics,classification of causes,treatment methods,and outcomes of pediatric convulsions in the emergency department,providing a scientific basis for the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric convulsions and optimizing emergency management for these cases.Methods:The clinical data of 18 217 children with convulsions in the emergency department of Capital Institute of Pediatrics' Children's Hospital from January 1,2016 to December 31,2020 were retrospectively analyzed.Results:A total of 18 217 children were admitted to the emergency department due to convulsions,accounting for 2.3% of all visits.Among them,58.7% cases were male and 41.3% cases were female,with an average age of (2.00±0.03) years.The main age was 1 to 3 years old (54.2%).Generalized convulsions were the primary type (82.3%),with focal seizures accounting for 17.7%.Most convulsions lasted less than 5 minutes (82.4%),and approximately 55.2% of the patients could self-resolve.Febrile convulsions were the primary cause (69.2%),followed by benign convulsions with mild gastroenteritis (11.7%) and epilepsy (10.5%).Regarding treatment,54.0% of the children recovered without medication.In the triage system of "three zones and four levels," the usage rate of anticonvulsants in the red zone was 93.1%,with 21.6% requiring combined treatment.After treatment,48.2% of the children returned home,92.2% showed improvement or recovery,and the mortality rate was extremely low at only 0.03%.Conclusion:Febrile convulsions are the main cause of pediatric convulsions in the emergency department,and an efficient triage system play an important role in improving treatment response.Different treatment zones and outcomes vary,providing important reference for optimizing emergency management.

Objective:To explore the research status, hotspots, and directions in traditional Chinese medicine treatment for postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction both domestically and internationally.Methods:The bibliometric software CiteSpace 5.7.R5 was used to visually analyze literature published on the China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Web of Science core collection from establishment until 2022, and to draw the knowledge graph of authors, research institutions, and keywords.Results:After screening by two researchers, a total of 1 012 Chinese articles and 111 English articles were included. The analysis of annual publication volume showed that this field was showing an upward trend both domestically and internationally. The co-occurrence analysis of authors displayed that Hu Kaiwen and Jingwen Yang had the highest number of publications. Institutional co-occurrence analysis indicated that there were relatively few mature and influential teams formed domestically and internationally, and research institutions had limited cross-regional cooperation. Keyword clustering analysis revealed that the research hotspots mainly focused on integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine nursing, clinical research, and traditional Chinese medicine external treatment methods.Conclusions:The research on the treatment of postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction with traditional Chinese medicine is mainly concentrated in China, but there are few closely cooperating and stable research teams. Research in this field is still in its developmental stage both domestically and internationally, close cooperation between multiple institutions and authors is needed to form influential teams to conduct in-depth research on the mechanisms and principles of this field, making significant contributions to its development.

Objective:To compare image quality and diagnostic parameters of whole-brain CT perfusion scans under different scanning conditions and assess the utility of deep learning image reconstruction algorithm (DLIR) in reducing tube current during low-dose scans.Methods:Method A total of 105 patients with suspected acute ischemic stroke (AIS) were prospectively enrolled in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from March, 2022 to March, 203 and their baseline information was recorded. All patients underwent head non-contrast CT and CT perfusion (CTP) examinations. CTP scanning was performed at 80 kV in two groups with the tube current of 150 mA (regular dose) and 100 mA (low dose), respectively. The CTP images of 150 mA group were reconstructed using filtered back-projection algorithm as well as adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-V (ASIR-V) at 40% and 80% strength levels, which were denoted as groups A-C. The CTP images of 100 mA group were reconstructed using ASIR-V80%, DLIR-M, and DLIR-H, which were denoted as groups D-F. Clinical baseline characteristics and radiation doses were compared between the two groups under different scanning conditions. Furthermore, we assessed the subjective and objective image quality, conventional perfusion parameters, and abnormal perfusion parameters of AIS patients across the six groups of reconstructed CTP images.Results:Under the scanning conditions of 150 mA and 100 mA, 47 and 48 patients were diagnosed with AIS, respectively. There were no significant differences in the baseline characteristics between the two groups. However, there was a significant difference in the mean effective radiation dose (5.71 mSv vs. 3.80 mSv, t = 2 768.30, P < 0.001). The standard deviation (SD) of noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) were significantly different among the six groups of reconstructed images ( F = 40.58-212.13, P < 0.001). In GM, the SD values in groups C, D, and F were lower than those in other groups ( P < 0.05), and the SNR values in groups C and F were higher than those in other groups ( P < 0.05). In WM, the SD and SNR values in groups C and F were significantly different from those in other groups ( P < 0.05). Additionally, CNR values in groups C and F were higher than those in other groups ( P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in subjective scores among groups B, C, and F ( P > 0.05). Regarding perfusion parameters in the brain GM, groups D and E had lower cerebral blood volume (CBV) values compared to groups A to C ( P < 0.05), and group F had lower CBV values than group B ( P < 0.05). In the brain WM, group D had consistently lower mean transit time (MTT) values compared to the other groups ( P < 0.05). Notably, there were no significant differences in AIS lesion detection rates and relevant diagnostic parameters across the six image groups. Conclusions:Low-tube current CTP scan combined with the DLIR-H algorithm can enhance image quality without affecting perfusion parameters such as CBV and MTT, while reducing radiation dose by 30%. This algorithm can be routinely applied in brain CTP examinations.

Objective:To explore the clinical value of quantitative parameters on spectral CT in predicting the invasiveness of lung adenocarcinoma manifesting as ground-glass nodules (GGN).Methods:The clinical and imaging data of 129 patients with pathologically confirmed lung adenocarcinoma who were surgically resected in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from March to October 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, including 45 males and 84 females, aged from 33 to 81. According to the pathological results, they were divided into the minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) group ( n=64) and the invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC) group ( n=65). All patients underwent enhanced spectral CT within two weeks before surgery. The iodine density map, Z-Effective (Z eff) map, and electron density (ED) map were reconstructed on the post-processing workstation, and the spectral parameters, including normalized iodine concentration (NIC), arterial enhancement fraction (AEF), Z eff, and ED were measured and calculated. Conventional CT features were analyzed, including maximum diameter, CT value, nodule types, margin, lobulation sign, spiculation sign, bubble sign, pleural retraction sign, abnormal vascular sign, and air bronchial sign. The clinical features, conventional CT characteristics and spectral CT parameters of two groups were compared using the independent sample t test, the Mann-Whitney U test, and the χ 2 test. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the independent risk factors of lung adenocarcinoma invasiveness, and the model was constructed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the performance of parameters and models in predicting the invasiveness of lung adenocarcinoma. Results:There were significant differences between the MIA group and IAC group in maximum diameter, CT value, nodule type, margin, spiculation sign, pleural retraction sign, air bronchial sign, venous phase NIC, AEF, venous phase Z eff, arterial phase ED, venous phase ED ( P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the maximum diameter (OR=1.183, 95%CI 1.062-1.318), CT value (OR=1.004, 95%CI 1.001-1.007), venous phase NIC (OR=1.185, 95%CI 1.083-1.298), AEF(OR=0.975, 95%CI 0.957-0.994), venous phase Z eff (OR=0.031, 95%CI 0.005-0.196) were independent influence factors for the invasiveness of lung adenocarcinoma. The conventional CT model was established with the maximum diameter and CT value, and the spectral CT model was established with venous phase NIC, AEF, and venous phase Z eff. The combined model was established with all the parameters above. Areas under the ROC curve of the conventional CT model, the spectral CT model, and the combined model for predicting the invasiveness of lung adenocarcinoma were 0.828, 0.854, and 0.902, respectively. Conclusion:The quantitative parameters of double-layer detector spectral CT can be used as an indicator to predict the invasiveness of lung adenocarcinoma manifesting as GGN, and AEF has the highest diagnostic efficacy. Spectral CT combined with conventional CT features can further improve the diagnostic efficiency.

In recent years, it has been found that reactive astrocytes (RAS) can affect the pathological process of AD through various mechanisms, such as increasing the production and deposition of β-amyloid (Aβ), aggravating the neurotoxicity of Aβ and disturbance of neurotransmitter release. Currently, the mechanism of drug treatment for AD is mainly targeted at clearance of Aβ, but the efficacy is still uncertain. Recent studies have shown that most AD-related genes are obviously expressed in RAS. Therefore, regulating the morphology and function of RAS through drug intervention may provide new ideas for treatment of AD. The authors review the research status in the molecular mechanism of RAS in the progress and treatment of AD, in order to provide more references for RAS as a target in the prevention and treatment of AD.

Diet management is the key part in the prevention and treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD). A plant-based diet is a diet consisting mostly or entirely of foods derived from plants, with little or no animal foods. In recent years, research on plant-based diets for chronic kidney disease has been increasing. Large-scale epidemiological studies and interventional studies consistently suggest that plant-based diets could reduce the risk of CKD and related complications and slow down CKD progression. This article reviews the research progress of plant-based diets in the prevention and control of CKD.

Overweight and obesity are main risk factors for chronic metabolic diseases, and are strongly associated with the increased risk of premature death. Low carbohydrate diet (LCD) has been proven to effectively control body weight and fat mass in overweight and obese patients by short-term (≤6 months) dietary intervention studies. The mechanisms include regulation of energy metabolism, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, alteration in expression of lipid metabolic-related genes and modulation of intestinal flora. However, the conclusions are inconsistent on whether LCD can cause durable weight loss and reduce the risk of overweight and obesity. This review summarizes the current research progress on the mechanisms, epidemiological studies, intervention studies and potential risks of LCD in controlling overweight and obesity, providing a reference for the future research and clinical application.

Objective:To explore the correlation between occupational gasoline exposure and metabolic syndrome (MS) .Methods:In September 2019, a total of 147 occupational gasoline exposure workers from a oil sales company in Beijing were selected as the observation group by using cluster sampling method, 158 people without gasoline exposure from the company were selected as the control group. Occupational health examination were performed to measure body mass, blood pressure and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) , triglycerides (TG) , high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and other data. General demographic characteristics, occupational history, past medical history and personal history were analyzed either.Results:The levels of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, FPG, TG and BMI in the observation group were all higher than those in the control group ( P<0.05) . The detection rates of MS, obesity and hypertension in the observation group were all higher than those in the control group ( P<0.05) . There were no significant differences in age, gender, working age, drinking, smoking, marital status, HDL-C level, detection rates of abnormal TG and HDL-C between the observation group and the control group ( P>0.05) . The odds ratio ( OR) of MS in the observation group was 1.988 times that in the control group ( P<0.05) . Conclusion:Occupational gasoline exposure is associated with the increasing detection rate of MS.