Objective To investigate the correlation between salivary cystatin D level and salivary gland injury in patients with primary Sj?gren syndrome(pSS).Methods A total of 51 pSS patients admitted in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from September 1,2022 to June 30,2023,and 51 age-and gender-matched healthy individuals who took physical examination in the hospital during same period were enrolled in the study.The level of salivary cystatin D was detected,and the difference in the level between the 2 groups was compared using an independent-samples t test.Pearson correlation analysis was applied to analyze the correlation between salivary cystatin D and clinical parameters in the patients.Results The pSS patients had significantly lower cystatin D level than the healthy controls(206.55±108.11 vs 374.32±172.24 pg/mL,P＜0.01).The cystatin D level in the pSS patients was positively correlated with both static(r=0.433,P=0.002)and dynamic salivary flow rates(r=0.363,P=0.009).The patients with higher score of salivary gland ultrasonography(SGUS)had obviously lower cystatin D than those with lower SGUS score(parotid gland:160.75±85.56 vs 290.53±95.17 pg/mL,P＜0.01;submandibular gland:157.76±87.59 vs 276.25±97.06 pg/mL,P＜0.01).The cystatin D level was also negatively correlated with peripheral blood IL-6 level(r=-0.453,P=0.001)and CD4+T cell count(r=-0.396,P=0.005)in the pSS patients.Conclusion Salivary cystatin D level can be used as an indicator of salivary gland damage for pSS patients.

Objective:To explore the distribution characteristics of memory B cells and its relationship with bone erosion in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to further understand the mechanism of B cells in the pathogenesis of RA.Methods:B cell subsets in peripheral blood of 200 RA patients and 50 healthy individuals were detected by flow cytometry. According to the surface markers CD19, CD27 and lgD, B cells were divided into CD19 +CD27 +lgD - switched memory B cells, CD19 +CD27 +lgD + non-switched memory B cells, CD19 +CD27 -lgD - double-negative memory B cells and CD19 +CD27 -lgD + naive B cells. B cells in RA patients with various disease activity score, course of disease and treatment were analyzed. Patients were divided into four groups according to the results of joint ultrasonography, including patients without bone erosion, patients with hand bone erosion, patients with knee bone erosion and patients with hand and knee bone erosion. The relationship between the distribution of B cell subsets, autoantibodies and RA bone erosion were analyzed. Differences between the groups were analyzed by independent-samples t test, Mann-Whitney U test and χ2 test. The analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis analysis were used for multi-group comparison, Spearman correlation analysis was also used for correlation analysis. Results:①RA patients showed significantly decreased non-switched memory B cells [(9.5±6.7)% vs (12.1±4.7)%, t=2.46, P=0.015] and increased double negative memory B cells [(3.8±2.5)% vs(2.7±1.3)%, t=-4.74, P<0.001] in comparison to healthy individuals. The percentage of non-switched memory B cells were decreased in RA patients with moderate disease activity [(8.4±4.7 )% vs (12.4±7.5)%, t=3.13, P=0.001] and high disease activity [(7.8±7.6)% vs (12.4±7.5)%, t=3.00, P=0.003] in comparison to those in RA patients who achieved remission. Meanwhile, the na?ve B cells [(70.3±15.0)% vs (63.9±14.6)%, t=-2.15, P=0.034] were increased in RA patients with moderate disease activity. No difference was found in RA patients with different disease courses. Total B cells [(4.8±2.9)% vs (7.2±4.1)%, t=-3.24, P=0.001], non-switched memory B cells (7.6±4.3)% vs (10.0±7.1)%, t=-2.63, P=0.010) in RA patients who received prednisone treatment were decreased, while double-negative memory B cells (4.9±3.0)% vs (3.6±2.3)%, t=-2.79, P=0.006] were increased compared with those in RA patients without prednisone treatment. Non-switched memory B cells was decreased in RA patients with hand and knee erosion compared with RA patients without erosion [6.8%(2.5%, 9.5%) vs 9.7%(5.5%, 17.5%), Z=-2.12, P=0.034]. Double negative memory B cells in subgroup with keen erosion [3.3%(2.7%, 5.0%) vs 2.6%(1.9%, 3.8%), Z=-2.09, P=0.036]as well as with hand and knee erosion [3.9%(2.3%, 5.6%) vs 2.6%(1.9%, 3.8%), Z=-2.41, P=0.016] were higher than those in patients without erosion. In addition, higher serum RF level was found in subgroup RA patients with hand and knee erosion compared with subgroup of RA patients without erosion [141.0 (38.0, 874.0) U/ml vs 53.5 (10.0, 106.0)U/ml, Z=-2.07, P=0.039]. Meanwhile, the positive rate of ACPA in RA patients with bone erosion of hand was significantly higher than that of RA patients without bone erosion [81%(52/64) vs 64%(38/59), χ2=4.44, P=0.043). Conclusions:The results suggest that the increase of double negative memory B cells, the decrease of non-switched memory B cells and higher level of autoantibodies may closely relate to bone erosion of RA, which may be one of the pathogenesis of disability in RA.

Objective: To investigate the influencing factors of depressive symptoms among rural elderly patients with chronic diseases in China, so as to provide insights into depression prevention and control among the rural elderly patients with chronic diseases. Methods: The basic demographics, health status, and lifestyle of rural residents at ages of 65 years and older who had at least one chronic disease were retrieved from The Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) database in 2018, and participants' depressive symptoms were assessed with The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression-10 (CES-D-10) scale. Factors affecting the depressive symptoms were identified with a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: Totally 5 146 rural elderly patients with chronic diseases were enrolled, including 2 373 men (46.11%) and 2 773 women (53.89%). The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 27.13%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified having two and more children (OR=0.614, 95%CI: 0.387-0.975), living alone (OR=1.450, 95%CI: 1.192-1.764), life satisfaction (general, OR=1.933, 95%CI: 1.651-2.264; low, OR=5.366, 95%CI: 3.488-8.254), self-assessed health status (general, OR=2.697, 95%CI: 2.284-3.185; poor, OR=5.338, 95%CI: 4.262-6.685), disability in instrumental activities of daily living (OR=1.592, 95%CI: 1.328-1.908), sleep duration (normal, OR=0.502, 95%CI: 0.429-0.586; too long, OR=0.494, 95%CI: 0.405-0.603), exercise (OR=0.721, 95%CI: 0.607-0.856), watching TV (OR=0.787, 95%CI: 0.664-0.933), and gardening activities (OR=0.781, 95%CI: 0.626-0.975) as factors affecting depressive symptoms among rural elderly patients with chronic diseases. Conclusions The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 27.13% among rural elderly patients with chronic diseases. Number of children, living style, life satisfaction, health status, sleep duration, exercise, watching TV, and gardening activities are associated with the development of depressive symptoms among rural elderly patients with chronic diseases.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to develop a comprehensive instrument for evaluating and ranking clinical practice guidelines, named Scientific, Transparent and Applicable Rankings tool (STAR), and test its reliability, validity, and usability. METHODS: This study set up a multidisciplinary working group including guideline methodologists, statisticians, journal editors, clinicians, and other experts. Scoping review, Delphi methods, and hierarchical analysis were used to develop the STAR tool. We evaluated the instrument's intrinsic and interrater reliability, content and criterion validity, and usability. RESULTS: STAR contained 39 items grouped into 11 domains. The mean intrinsic reliability of the domains, indicated by Cronbach's α coefficient, was 0.588 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.414, 0.762). Interrater reliability as assessed with Cohen's kappa coefficient was 0.774 (95% CI: 0.740, 0.807) for methodological evaluators and 0.618 (95% CI: 0.587, 0.648) for clinical evaluators. The overall content validity index was 0.905. Pearson's r correlation for criterion validity was 0.885 (95% CI: 0.804, 0.932). The mean usability score of the items was 4.6 and the median time spent to evaluate each guideline was 20 min. CONCLUSION The instrument performed well in terms of reliability, validity, and efficiency, and can be used for comprehensively evaluating and ranking guidelines.
Reproducibility of Results ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Humans

Most East Asians have a flat dorsum, the demand for rhinoplasty is gradually increasing in recent years. It has now become one of the most popular plastic surgeries in China. The method of rhinoplasty mainly includes two categories: surgical and non-surgical. Due to the characteristics of small trauma, quick recovery and significant change, non-surgical rhinoplasty is more favored. Nowadays hyaluronic acid is the most widely used non-surgical rhinoplasty material. This article reviews the clinical application and progress of hyaluronic acid in non-surgical rhinoplasty.

Most East Asians have a flat dorsum, the demand for rhinoplasty is gradually increasing in recent years. It has now become one of the most popular plastic surgeries in China. The method of rhinoplasty mainly includes two categories: surgical and non-surgical. Due to the characteristics of small trauma, quick recovery and significant change, non-surgical rhinoplasty is more favored. Nowadays hyaluronic acid is the most widely used non-surgical rhinoplasty material. This article reviews the clinical application and progress of hyaluronic acid in non-surgical rhinoplasty.

Cervical angina has been defined as chest pain that resembles true cardiac angina but originates from the disorders of the cervical spine. Thus, physicians and spine surgeons alike should raise awareness of this unusual condition for diagnosis and treatment. Particularly when neurologic signs and symptoms are present, there should be a strong suspicion for cervical angina in any patient with inadequately explained noncardiac chest pain. Cervical angina can be diagnosed according to negative cardiac workups, positive neurologic examination, and cervical radiographic findings (herniated disk, spinal cord compression, or foraminal encroachment). However, the mechanisms of pain production in cervical angina remain unclear. Previous studies attributed the pain to cervical nerve root compression, cervical sympathetic afferent fibers, referred pain, or lesions of the posterior horn of the spinal cord. Conservative treatments, which include neck collar fixation, head traction, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, have been determined to be successful in most patients with cervical angina. But when conservative treatment fails, anterior cervical surgery with complete decompression of the spinal cord and/or nerve root has been identified to effectively relieve cervical angina symptoms.

Cervical angina has been defined as chest pain that resembles true cardiac angina but originates from the disorders of the cervical spine. Thus, physicians and spine surgeons alike should raise awareness of this unusual condition for diagnosis and treatment. Particularly when neurologic signs and symptoms are present, there should be a strong suspicion for cervical angina in any patient with inadequately explained noncardiac chest pain. Cervical angina can be diagnosed according to negative cardiac workups, positive neurologic examination, and cervical radiographic findings (herniated disk, spinal cord compression, or foraminal encroachment). However, the mechanisms of pain production in cervical angina remain unclear. Previous studies attributed the pain to cervical nerve root compression, cervical sympathetic afferent fibers, referred pain, or lesions of the posterior horn of the spinal cord. Conservative treatments, which include neck collar fixation, head traction, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, have been determined to be successful in most patients with cervical angina. But when conservative treatment fails, anterior cervical surgery with complete decompression of the spinal cord and/or nerve root has been identified to effectively relieve cervical angina symptoms.

【Objective】 To evaluate musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) detected subclinical synovitis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with different clinical remission criteria so as to explore the clinical characteristics of subclinical synovitis. 【Methods】 Forty-six consecutive patients with RA in clinical remission [disease activity score-28 (DAS28)≤2.6] underwent clinical and MSUS examinations at baseline and 1 year follow-up. Clinical remission was defined according to the DAS28 using the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) and C-reactive protein level (DAS28-CRP), clinical disease activity index (CDAI), simplified clinical disease activity index (SDAI), and American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism criteria Boolean (ACR/EULAR criteria). Subclinical synovitis was assessed by MSUS. Differences between the subclinical synovitis and non-subclinical synovitis groups were analyzed. 【Results】 The percentages of patients who achieved DAS28-ESR, DAS28-CRP, CDAI, SDAI, and ACR/EULAR remission at baseline and 1 year were 97.8%, 95.6%, 67.4%, 54.3%, 52.2% and 91.3%, 93.5%, 54.3%, 50.0%, and 45.6%, respectively. Subclinical synovitis was detected in 55.5%, 54.5%, 45.2%, 40.0%, 41.6% and 45.2%, 46.5%, 40.0%, 39.1%, and 38.1% of these patients, respectively. There were 45.6% and 41.3% patients who fulfilled all the criteria, yet 38.1% and 36.8% still had evidence of subclinical synovitis at baseline and 1 year. Compared with the patients without subclinical synovitis, those with subclinical synovitis had a significantly positive rate of anti-CCP antibody and a higher disease activity score at baseline (P<0.05). 【Conclusion】 MSUS detected subclinical synovitis is common. The positive anti-CCP antibody and higher disease activity score at baseline may be related to subclinical synovitis in patients with RA in clinical remission.

Objective To explore the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the new onset and treatment-naive systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and study the correlation between serum 25(OH)D values and disease activity of SLE. Methods A retrospective case series analysis was done in 117 new-onset and treatment-na?ve SLE hospitalized patients during May 2016 and May 2017 in the Department of Rheumatology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University and 39 age and gender matched healthy controls. Cinical and demographic details were collected. Disease activity of SLE was evaluated according to the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI) score. The t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-square test, Spearman rank correlation coefficient test and multivariate linear regres sion were performed. Results Among the 117 SLE patients, 102 were female (87.2％) with the mean age of (36 ± 15) years. The median duration before diagnosis was 5(1, 12) months and the mean SLEDAI score was (12 ±7). The mean level of 25(OH)D was significantly lower in SLE patients [(10.1±6.0) ng/ml] than in healthy controls [(17 ±8) ng/ml, t=-5.273, P<0.01 ], and the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was higher in SLE patients (109/117, 93.2％) than in healthy controls (28/39, 71.8％, x2=12.486, P<0.01). With 10 ng/ml as the cut-off point of serum 25 (OH)D, patients were divided into two groups. The percentages of haematological damage (84.3％ vs 66.0％, x2=5.321, P=0.021), lupus nephritis (32.9％ vs 14.9％, x2=4.759, P=0.029) and serositis (28.6％ vs 8.5％, x2=6.940, P=0.008), SLEDAI score [(13±8) vs (9±5), t=3.503, P=0.001)] and 24-hour urinary protein [(0.57±1.05) vs (0.21±0.46), t=2.437, P=0.017] were significantly higher in the 25 (OH)D<10 ng/ml group, but complement C3 [(0.5±0.3) g/L vs (0.7±0.3) g/L t=-2.441, P=0.016] and hemoglobin [(93±19) g/L vs (104 ±19) g/L, t=-3.052, P=0.003) were significantly lower in this group. The differences were statistically significant. SLEDAI score (r=-0.433, P=0.000), 24-hour urinary protein (r=-0.434, P=0.000)was significantly inversely correlated and complement C3 (r=0.296, P=0.001), hemoglobin (r=0.323, P=0.000) was significantly positively correlated with serum 25(OH)D level. There was an independent inverse correlation between SLEDAI score and serum 25(OH)D levels (β=-0.376, P=0.000). Conclusion The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the new-onset and treatment-naive systemic lupus erythematosus patients is significantly higher than that in healthy controls. There is an independent inverse correlation between serum 25 (OH)D values and disease activity of SLE.