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Objective:To investigate the feasibility of blue velvet arena test (BVAT) in evaluating spatial memory function in patients with chronic insomnia disorder (CID).Methods:From June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022, 62 CID outpatients or inpatients were enrolled continuously in the Department of Sleep Disorders, the Affiliated Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, and 56 good sleepers in the same period were enrolled to serve as controls. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess their sleep quality. Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA), nine box maze test (NBMT), and BVAT were used to assess general cognition and memories.Results:Compared to the controls, the CID patients had increased PSQI score [15.0 (12.8, 16.0) vs 0 (0, 1.0); Z=-9.47, P<0.001], and decreased MoCA score [24.5 (21.5, 27.0) vs 27.0 (26.0, 28.0); Z=-4.18, P<0.001]; increased numbers of errors in the spatial working [1.0 (0.8, 2.0) vs 1.0 (0, 1.0); Z=-2.24, P<0.05], object working [1.5 (0.8, 3.0) vs 0 (0, 1.0); Z=-4.36, P<0.001] and object recognition [0 (0, 0) vs 0 (0, 0); Z=-2.10, P<0.05] memories in NBMT; and increased average erroring distance in BVAT [23.0 (16.4, 27.2) cm vs 18.7 (16.6, 20.7) cm; Z=-3.30, P<0.01]. Partial correlation analysis showed that in the CID patients, the average erroring distance in BVAT was positively correlated with erroneous numbers in spatial working memory in NBMT ( r=0.54, P<0.001). Principal components analysis showed that the average erroring distance of BVAT (load=0.844) and the errors of spatial working memory in NBMT (load=0.801) were jointly attributed to the first factor. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the sensitivity of BVAT was higher than that of NBMT (0.575 vs 0.250, P<0.05) for spatial memory detection in total sample. Conclusion:The BVAT has a higher reliability in the functional assessment of spatial memory in CID patients.
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Objective To investigate the value of PCT in the diagnosis of severe infection in children.Methods The clinical data of patients with infectious diseases treated in our hospital from December 2013 to February 2016 were retrospectively analyzed.According to the degree of infection,the patients were divided into local infection group and severe infection group,At the same time,the clinical data of 50 children with non infectious diseases were selected as control group.The differences of serum PCT and cytokine levels were observed between the three groups,at the same time,according to the prognosis of patients with severe infection group were divided into improvement group and deterioration group,The differences of serum PCT and inflammatory cytokines levels in the patients with severe infection in the improvement group and the worsening group,Analysis of the correlation between PCT levels and serum inflammatory cytokines levels in children with severe.Results There were significant differences in the levels of PCT,IL-18,IL-6 and hs-CRP between the three groups,which were from high to low: severe infection group,local infection group and control group; Deterioration of PCT,IL-18,IL-6,hs-CRP and levels were higher than the improvement group(t=-10.099,-8.949,-10.827,-2.088,P<0.05); The level of PCT were positively correlated with IL-18,IL-6 and hs-CRP levels in children with severe infection(r=0.385,0.412,0.408,P=0.012,0.008,0.017).Conclusion PCT has a good diagnostic value in children with severe infection,and it is closely related with the level of inflammatory cytokines in children with severe infection.
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PURPOSE: To evaluate our data concerning the prognostic factors for locoregional control, survival, late complications, and sphincter conservation in a series of epidermoid cancers of the anal canal without clinical evidence of metastasis. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between June 1972 and January 1997, 305 patients were treated with curative-intent radiotherapy (RT). The T stage according to the 1987 International Union Against Cancer classification was T1 in 26, T2 in 141, T3 in 104, and T4 in 34. Forty-nine patients had nodal involvement at presentation. The pretreatment anal function score, according to our in-house system, was 0 for 22 patients, 1 for 182, 2 for 74, 3 for 7, and 4 for 11 patients; for 9 patients, scores were unavailable. The treatment started with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in 303 patients (median dose 45 Gy). After a rest period of 4-6 weeks, a boost of 20 Gy was delivered by EBRT in 279 patients and by interstitial (192)Ir brachytherapy in 17 patients. Seven patients received only one course of EBRT (mean dose 49.5 Gy), and 2 patients were treated with interstitial (192)Ir brachytherapy alone (55 Gy and 60 Gy). Concomitant chemotherapy (5-fluorouracil and either mitomycin C or cisplatin) was delivered to 19 patients. The mean follow-up was 103 months (median 84). RESULTS: At the end of RT, the local tumor clinical complete response rate was 96% for T1, 87% for T2, 79% for T3, and 44% for T4. Of the 61 locally progressive tumors, 27 (44%) were salvaged with abdominoperineal resection. The rate of local tumor relapse was 12%. Among 37 local tumor relapses, 20 (54%) were salvaged with abdominoperineal resection and one with interstitial (192)Ir brachytherapy. The overall local control rate (with or without salvage local therapy) was 84%. The local control rate with good anal function (score 0 or 1) was 56.5%. Of 181 available patients with their anus preserved, 94% had good anal function. For a subgroup of 15 patients with a tumor length of <2 cm and without nodal involvement, the clinical complete response rate after RT completion was 100%, the local control rate with or without local salvage treatment was 100%, and among 13 available patients with their anus preserved, the anal function score was good in 12 patients (92%). The 10-year disease-free survival rate was 74%. After multivariate analysis, three independent predictive factors significantly influenced disease-free survival: the interval between the two courses of RT (>38 days vs. < or =38 days, p = 0.0025), pretreatment anal function score (0 vs. 1 vs. 2 vs. 3 vs. 4, p = 4.4.10(-6)), and clinical complete response after RT completion (no complete response vs. complete response, p = 2.5.10(-14)). CONCLUSION: We confirm the excellent results with RT in T1 and T2 lesions. However, to improve survival without colostomy with good anal sphincter function, chemoradiotherapy should be preferred for tumors > or =2 cm in length and for locally advanced tumors.
