Integrating Brain Morphological Features and Ionized Serum Magnesium to Identify Mild Tic Comorbidity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) is a serious complication of osteoporosis and the most common type of fragility fracture. With the progressive global population aging, the prevalence of OVCF continues to increase, affecting 20% to 30% of individuals aged over 50 years worldwide. Currently, percutaneous vertebral augmentation (PVA) has become a widely used surgical treatment for OVCF due to its advantages including minimal invasiveness, rapid postoperative recovery, short operative duration, and favorable patient tolerance. Falls constitute a major global public health concern among the aging population, potentially resulting in severe adverse outcomes, including fractures, traumatic brain injury, and restricted mobility. Notably, falls serve as the leading cause of osteoporotic fractures in older adults, among which thoracolumbar vertebral fractures are the most prevalent subtype. For elderly postoperative patients with OVCF, fall risk is attributable to multiple synergistic factors. First, OVCF patients commonly suffer from sarcopenia and frailty, which impair neuromuscular performance and compromise postural balance. Second, vertebral structural damage induced by compression fractures alters spinal biomechanics, triggers kyphotic deformity and anterior displacement of the body’s center of gravity, and consequently undermines postural regulation and gait stability. Third, postoperative weakness of the paraspinal and core muscles is common in this population, which persistently impairs dynamic balance capacity. Furthermore, unresolved low back pain and incomplete functional recovery of the lumbar spine further limit joint mobility and compromise activities of daily living. Critically, falls experienced by elderly postoperative patients with OVCF not only elevate the risks of refracture, surgical failure, and permanent functional disability, but also substantially increase the healthcare burden and mortality rates. Self-awareness of falls refers to a context-dependent, composite characteristic of older adults’ subjective risk perception and behavioral intention in response to existing or potential fall events. It is a multidimensional concept that encompasses both the perception of fall risk and a holistic judgment of whether one possesses the awareness to cope. A higher level of self-awareness of falls is closely associated with improved fall-preventive behaviors and reduced fall risk in older populations. Nevertheless, elderly postoperative patients with OVCF commonly exhibit impaired self-awareness of falls due to the combined effects of proprioceptive and cognitive decline, excessive fear of falling and anxiety, chronic pain, sedative medication use, and adverse environmental conditions. Inadequate improvement in self-awareness of falls, a critical cognitive and psychological factor influencing adherence to fall prevention strategies, may result in insufficient engagement in preventive behaviors, thereby creating a vicious cycle of “fall—fracture—re-fall” among this patient population.