Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that frequently occurs in the older population. Previous epidemiological studies have suggested an association between PD and autoimmune diseases (AIDs). However, some studies have shown conflicting results. This study aimed to summarize existing epidemiological studies on the association between PD with AIDs and to conduct a meta-analysis of combinable results. Four electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, and MEDLINE) were searched from each database’s inception date until December 12, 2022. All studies that explored the relationship between PD and AIDs were included for quantitative analysis and qualitative review. The pooled relative risk with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was calculated using a random or fixed effects model. A total of 46 observational studies involving 873,643 patients and 13,402,821 controls were included; ultimately, 38 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The risk of PD combined with AIDs was significantly higher (odds ratio [OR]=1.55, 95% CI: 1.33–1.81), and subgroup analysis found no significant differences in risk by study type, gender, age, and race. Regarding the AID types, the results showed an increased risk of PD combined with bullous pemphigoid (OR=2.67, 95% CI: 2.15–3.31), inflammatory bowel disease (OR=1.30, 95% CI: 1.18–1.45), Crohn’s disease (OR=1.30, 95% CI: 1.20–1.42), ulcerative colitis (OR=1.31, 95% CI: 1.14–1.50), Sjögren’s syndrome (OR=1.61, 95% CI: 1.24–2.09), and Graves’ disease (OR=1.45, 95% CI: 1.24–1.70) than controls. However, there appeared to be no significant association between PD and systemic lupus erythematosus (OR=0.82, 95% CI: 0.66–1.03), multiple sclerosis (OR=2.02, 95% CI: 0.87–4.70), rheumatoid arthritis (OR=0.79, 95% CI: 0.61–1.03), or celiac disease (OR=1.16, 95% CI: 0.79–1.69). This study supports the existence of a strong link between AIDs and PD. When PD and AIDs are identified, clinicians need to be aware of the possibility of coexistence. However, there are some limitations of this study, such as the apparent heterogeneity of some of the results and the fact that most of the included study types were retrospective. Therefore, future larger prospective cohort studies are needed to further explore the interaction between PD and AIDs.Systematic review registrationINPLASY, identifier INPLASY202280088.

Background To establish the normal reference range of fetal thorax by two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound VOCAL technique and evaluate the application in diagnosing fetal thoracic malformations. Methods A prospective cross-sectional study was undertaken involving 1077 women who have a normal singleton pregnancy at 13–40 weeks gestational age (GA). 2D ultrasound and 3D ultrasound VOCAL technique were utilized to assess fetal thoracic transverse diameter, thoracic anteroposterior diameter, thoracic circumference, thoracic area, lung volume, thoracic volume and lung-to-thoracic volume ratio. The nomograms of 2D and 3D fetal thoracic measurements were created to GA. 50 cases were randomly selected to calculate intra- and inter-observer reliability and agreement. In addition, the case groups including congenital skeletal dysplasia (SD) (15), congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) (30), pulmonary sequestration (PS) (25) and congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM) (36) were assessed by the nomograms and followed up subsequently. Results Both 2D and 3D fetal thoracic parameters increased with GA using a quadratic regression equation. The intra- and inter-observer reliability and agreement of each thoracic parameter were excellent. 2D fetal thoracic parameters could initially evaluate the fetal thoracic development and diagnose the skeletal thoracic deformity, and lung volume, thoracic volume and lung-to-thorax volume ratio were practical to diagnose and differentiate CDH, PS and CCAM. Conclusion We have established the normal fetal thoracic reference range at 13–40 weeks, which has a high value in diagnosing congenital thoracic malformations.

Objectives To explore the feasibility of shear wave elastography for evaluating sarcopenia. Methods The shear wave velocities (SWV) of the tibialis anterior, medial gastrocnemius, and soleus were measured in 130 subjects in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University from January 2021 to June 2022. Consistency was evaluated in 20 cases using the intraclass correlation coefficient. According to the 2019 Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia（AWGS） diagnostic criteria, the patients were divided into a healthy and a sarcopenia group. The differences in SWV between the two groups were compared, and their correlation between calf muscles and muscle mass, grip strength, and pace were analyzed. The diagnostic cutoff value of calf muscle SWV for sarcopenia was obtained using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and the diagnostic efficacy of different ROC curves was compared. Results The SWV inter‐group and intra‐group correlation coefficients of the three lower limbs muscles were all greater than 0.85. Moreover, the corresponding SWV in the sarcopenia group were significantly smaller than those in the healthy control group (P < .05). Further, SWV were positively correlated with the appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI), grip strength, and gait speed. Finally, the SWV of the anterior tibialis and medial gastrocnemius muscles were 3.02 and 2.26 m/s, respectively, and their diagnostic efficacy for sarcopenia did not differ significantly (Z = 0.190, P = .8497). Conclusion SWE can be used to detect the hardness of the anterior tibialis and medial gastrocnemius, calculate their muscle mass as an effective tool to evaluate sarcopenia.

Background: The simultaneous resection of synchronous colorectal cancer liver metastasis (SCRLM) has been widely applied. It is necessary to establish a risk scoring system to predict post-operative recurrence, especially in patients with neoadjuvant treatment. Methods:The medical records of 221 patients undergoing simultaneous resection of CRLM were assessed in this study with a further 128 patients allocated to a validation group. All patients in the study group were classified according to their history of neoadjuvant treatment and univariate and multivariate analyses were applied to study independent risk factors. A score model was then generated according to the factors included. Our data set were also applied to validate three other existing scoring models [Fong clinical recurrence score (CRS), Konopke, and Zakaria disease-free survival (DFS) score], and the concordance index was calculated for comparison among these models.Results: CRLM involving more than three nodes positive for a primary tumor was considered an independent risk factor for progression in patients without neoadjuvant treatment and all score models could discretely stratify patients according to disease free survival. In patients receiving neoadjuvant treatment, CRLM involving more than one node and transfusion invasion were major determinants in patients after treatment. However, only our scoring system and Fong's CRS score could discretely discriminate patients. In the validation group, patients were significantly classified with the score system.Conclusions: Existing score models had better values for determining prognosis in patients with SCRLM, especially in those undertaking neoadjuvant treatment. Larger cohorts, along with more detailed clinical features and multicenter validation should be undertaken before utilization.