Psychometric validation of the Chinese version of the dry eye-related quality-of-life score questionnaire

AIM:To psychometrically validate the Chinese version of the dry eye-related quality-of-life score questionnaire(DEQSCHN)among Chinese patients with dry eye.METHODS:This study involved 231 participants,including 191 with dry eye disease(DED)comprising the dry eye disease group,and 40 healthy participants forming the control group.Participants were required to complete the DEQS-CHN,and Chinese dry eye questionnaire and undergo clinical tests including the fluorescein breakup time(FBUT),corneal fluorescein staining(CFS),and Schirmer I test.To assess the internal consistency and retest reliability,Cronbach’sαand the intraclass correlation coefficient(ICC)were employed.Content validity was assessed by item-level content validity index(ICV)and an average scale-level content validity index(S-CVI/Ave).Construct validity was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis.The concurrent validity was assessed by calculating correlations between DEQS-CHN and Chinese dry eye questionnaire.Discriminative validity was evaluated through nonparametric tests,with receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve serving as conclusive indicators of the questionnaire’s distinguishing capability.RESULTS:The Cronbach’sαcoefficients for frequency and degree of ocular symptoms,impact on daily life,and summary score were 0.736,0.704,0.811,0.818,0.861,and 0.860,respectively,and the ICC were 0.611,0.677,0.715,0.769,0.711,and 0.779,respectively.All I-CVI scores ranged from 0.833 to 1.000,with an S-CVI/Ave of 0.956.Confirmatory factor analysis results exhibited a wellfitting model consistent with the original questionnaire[χ^(2)/df=2.653,incremental fit index(IFI)=0.924,comparative fit index(CFI)=0.924,Tucker-Lewis index(TLI)=0.909,and root mean square error of approximation(RMSEA)=0.065].There was a moderate positive correlation between the DEQS-CHN and the Chinese dry eye questionnaire(r^(2)=0.588).The dry eye group demonstrated significantly higher scores compared to the control group,and the area under the curve(AUC)value was 0.8092.CONCLUSION:The DEQS-CHN has been demonstrated as a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the impact of dry eye disease on the quality of life among Chinese individuals with DED.

Efficacy and safety of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation combined with conventional rehabilitation training in acute stroke patients: a randomized controlled trial conducted for 1 year involving 60 patients

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation(ta-VNS)is a novel noninvasive treat-ment for stroke that directly stimulates the peripheral auricular branch of the vagus nerve.There have been recent reports that ta-VNS combined with conventional rehabilitation training promotes the recovery of neurological function of patients with acute stroke.However,these were small-sample-sized studies on the recovery of neurological function in patients after percutaneous vagus nerve stimulation in the subacute and chronic phases after stroke.This double-blinded randomized controlled trial involved 60 acute ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke patients aged 18-80 years who received treatment in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University.The subjects were randomly assigned to receive ta-VNS or sham ta-VNS combined with conventional rehabilitation training.The follow-up results over 1 year revealed that ta-VNS combined with conventional rehabilitation training greatly improved the recovery of motor and sensory functions and emotional responses compared with sham ta-VNS combined with conventional rehabilitation training.There were no obvious side effects.These findings suggest that ta-VNS combined with conventional rehabilitation training for the treatment of acute ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke patients is safe and effective.

Eeffect of super early comprehensive rehabilitationon neurodevelopmental prognosis of high-risk infants

Objective: To observe the effect of super-early comprehensive rehabilitation intervention on neurodevelopmental prognosis of premature high-risk infants;Methods: Premature high-risk infantsmet the inclusion criteria were divided into control group (n=30) and treatment group (n=30) according to parental willingness. The control group was given routine treatment, while the treatment group was treated with comprehensive rehabilitationon the basis of the control group. The course of treatment for both groups was 10 d. The changes of body weight, milk consumption, NBNA score, GMFM score and Gesell score were observed. Results:After treatment, the body weight and milk consumption of the treatment group increased significantly compared with those before treatment (P<0.01), which was significantly better than that of the control group (P<0.01);the NBNA score of the treatment group was higher than that of the control group at 40 weeks of gestational age (P<0.05), and the abnormal rate of NBNA was lower than that of the control group (P<0.01). The GMFM scores of A-energy and B-energy areas and the five dimensions of social adaptation, big exercise, fine exercise, language and personal social interaction in the treatment group increased significantly in 1 month, 2 months and 3 months after birth,which were significantly better than those in the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusion: Super-early comprehensive rehabilitation can improve the physical quality of high-risk infants and promote the development of the nervous system, with remarkable effect.

Anterior Cingulate Cortex Mediates Hyperalgesia and Anxiety Induced by Chronic Pancreatitis in Rats

Central sensitization is essential in maintaining chronic pain induced by chronic pancreatitis(CP),but cortical modulation of painful CP remains elusive.Here,we examined the role of the anterior cingulate cortex(ACC)in the pathogenesis of abdominal hyperalgesia in a rat model of CP induced by intraductal administration of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid(TNBS).TNBS treatment resulted in long-term abdominal hyperalgesia and anxiety in rats.Morphological data indicated that painful CP induced a significant increase in FOS-expressing neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarii(NTS)and ACC,and some FOS-expressing neurons in the NTS projected to the ACC.In addition,a larger portion of ascending fibers from the NTS innervated pyramidal neurons,the neural subpopulation primarily expressing FOS under the condition of painful CP,rather than GABAergic neurons within the ACC.CP rats showed increased expression of vesicular glutamate transporter 1,and increased membrane trafficking and phosphorylation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor(NMDAR)subunit NR2B and theα-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptor(AMPAR)subunit GluR1 within the ACC.Microinjection of NMDAR and AMPAR antagonists into the ACC to block excitatory synaptic transmission significantly attenuated abdominal hyperalgesia in CP rats,which was similar to the analgesic effect of endomorphins injected into the ACC.Specifically inhibiting the excitability of ACC pyramidal cells via chemogenetics reduced both hyperalgesia and comorbid anxiety,whereas activating these neurons via optogenetics failed to aggravate hyperalgesia and anxiety in CP rats.Taken together,these findings provide neurocircuit,biochemical,and behavioral evidence for involvement of the ACC in hyperalgesia and anxiety in CP rats,as well as novel insights into the cortical modulation of painful CP,and highlights the ACC as a potential target for neuromodulatory interventions in the treatment of painful CP.