Effects of cation types in persulfate on physicochemical and adsorptive properties of biochar prepared from persulfate-pretreated bamboo.

The adsorption behaviors of biochar are largely impacted by biomassfeedstock. In this study, two biochars were prepared from torrefaction of ammonium persulfate- and potassium persulfate-pretreated bamboo and then activated by cold alkali, which are named as ASBC and KSBC, respectively. The two biochars were characterized by different instruments, and their adsorption properties over cationic methylene blue (MB) were compared. The type of persulfates little affected the specific surface areas, but significantly impacted O (29.54 % vs. 35.113 %) and N (12.13 % vs. 3.74 %) contents, functional groups, and zeta potentials of biochars. MB adsorption onto ASBC/KSBC is a single-layer chemical endothermic process and ASBC/KSBC exhibit high adsorption capacity over MB (475/881 mg·g-1) at 303 K. Obviously, the sorption capacity of MB onto KSBC much surpasses that of MB onto ASBC. These results indicate biomass pre-treatment is a cheap and convenient method to prepare biochars with unique physicochemical and adsorptive properties.

[Transcriptome-wide identification and expression pattern analysis for Dof gene family in Panax ginseng from Jilin].

Dof(DNA binding with one finger), a unique class of transcription factors in plants, play an important role in seed development, tissue differentiation, and metabolic regulation. To identify the number and function of Dof gene family members in Panax ginseng, this study identified the members of Dof gene family in P. ginseng and systematically analyzed their structures, evolution, functional differentiation, expression patterns, and interactions using bioinformatics methods at the transcriptome level. At the same time, the association analysis of Dof genes from P. ginseng with key enzyme genes for ginsenoside synthesis was carried out to screen the candidate PgDof genes involved in the regulation of ginsenoside biosynthesis. The results showed that there were 54 genes belonging to the Dof gene family in P. ginseng from Jilin. All PgDof genes had Zf-Dof conserved motifs, implying that they were evolutionarily conserved and could be divided into five groups. Expression pattern analysis confirmed that the expression of PgDof gene family members in different tissues, different year-old P. ginseng, and different farm varieties varied significantly. Simultaneously, as revealed by "gene-saponin content" and "gene-gene" linkage analysis, an important candidate PgDof14-1 gene involved in the regulation of ginsenoside biosynthesis was obtained. From the established genetic transformation system of this gene in the hairy roots of P. ginseng, a positive hairy root clone was determined. This study has laid a theoretical foundation for the study of Dof gene family in P. ginseng.

Preoperative evaluation of iliac blood vessels for first kidney transplant recipients: Combination of conventional and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography.

OBJECTIVE: To assess iliac blood vessels using conventional ultrasound (US) and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) before kidney transplantation (KT) and determine whether US findings related to post-transplant outcomes. METHODS: A total of 119 patients received US and CEUS before KT waiting-list acceptance. The preoperative iliac blood hemodynamics and vascular conditions were evaluated. The operative strategy and follow-up outcomes were recorded. Logistic regression and correlation analysis were used. The accuracy in determining the patency of iliac blood vessels was calculated before and after the injection of contrast materials. RESULTS: CEUS can help to significantly improve the visualization of the internal iliac artery, but there was no significant correlation with post-transplant outcomes. In terms of accuracy, there were significant differences in determining the patency of internal iliac arteries between conventional US and CEUS (60.5% and 100%, p < 0.001). The surgical strategy of one patient was regulated and two patients were excluded from KT according to US findings. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with conventional US, CEUS helps to improve the visualization of the internal iliac artery. Conventional US and CEUS have the potential to serve as effective methods to evaluate anatomy and hemodynamics of iliac vessels and have a potential value while defining clinical algorithms in surgery decision-making.

The utility of two-dimensional shear wave elastography and texture analysis for monitoring liver fibrosis in rat model.

BACKGROUND: Liver fibrosis is a common pathological change caused by a variety of etiologies. Early diagnosis and timely treatment can reverse or delay disease progression and improve the prognosis. This study aimed to assess the potential utility of two-dimensional shear wave elastography and texture analysis in dynamic monitoring of the progression of liver fibrosis in rat model. METHODS: Twenty rats were divided into control group (n = 4) and experimental groups (n = 4 per group) with carbon tetrachloride administration for 2, 3, 4, and 6 weeks. The liver stiffness measurement was performed by two-dimensional shear wave elastography, while the optimal texture analysis subsets to distinguish fibrosis stage were generated by MaZda. The results of elastography and texture analysis were validated through comparing with histopathology. RESULTS: Liver stiffness measurement was 6.09 ± 0.31 kPa in the control group and 7.10 ± 0.41 kPa, 7.80 ± 0.93 kPa, 8.64 ± 0.93 kPa, 9.91 ± 1.13 kPa in the carbon tetrachloride induced groups for 2, 3, 4, 6 weeks, respectively (P < 0.05). By texture analysis, histogram and co-occurrence matrix had the most frequency texture parameters in staging liver fibrosis. Receiver operating characteristic curve of liver elasticity showed that the sensitivity and specificity were 95.0% and 92.5% to discriminate liver fibrosis and non-fibrosis, respectively. In texture analysis, five optimal parameters were selected to classify liver fibrosis and non-fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Two-dimensional shear wave elastography showed potential applications for noninvasive monitoring of the progression of hepatic fibrosis, even in mild fibrosis. Texture analysis can further extract and quantify the texture features in ultrasonic image, which was a supplementary to further visual information and acquired high diagnostic accuracy for severe fibrosis.

Additional value of superb microvascular imaging for assessing hepatic arterial blood flow after pediatric liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to explore the value of SMI compared with conventional ultrasonography for assessing hepatic arterial blood flow after pediatric liver transplantation. METHODS: From March 2018 to November 2018, a total of 105 pediatric recipients with biliary atresia underwent liver transplantation in our hospital. Ultrasound examinations were performed at the bedside in the intensive care unit to check the patency of the blood flow in the hepatic allograft. CDI, PDI, cSMI, and mSMI were performed to assess the display, orientation, and distribution of the graft hepatic artery. Ultrasound examinations were performed by one radiologist, and the images were judged by two observers. RESULTS: The median age, weight, and height of the recipients were 6.97 (5.92, 9.58) months, 6.50 (6.00, 7.80) kg, and 64.00 (62.00, 68.00) cm, respectively. The measure of kappa agreement was 0.902, 0.889, 0.882, and 0.882 for CDI, PDI, cSMI, and mSMI, respectively. HAT occurred in 7 pediatric recipients and was confirmed by CTA (computed tomography angiography) and surgery. The diagnostic performance of sensitivity, specificity, PPV (positive predictive value), NPV (negative predictive value), and accuracy were 100%, 92.86%, 50%, 100%, and 93.33% for CDI and 100%, 98.98%, 87.50%, 100%, and 99.05% for SMI. CONCLUSIONS: As an additional method to CDI, SMI can clearly show the distribution of hepatic arterial blood flow and provide more details, thereby markedly improving the diagnostic performance of postoperative HAT.

MicroRNA-144 regulates angiotensin II-induced cardiac fibroblast activation by targeting CREB.

Cardiac fibrosis is involved in adverse cardiac remodeling and heart failure, which is the leading cause of deteriorated cardiac function. Accumulative evidence has elucidated that microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in the pathogenesis of cardiac fibrosis. However, the exact molecular mechanism underlying miR-144 in cardiac fibrosis remains unknown. In the present study, a transverse aortic constriction (TAC) mouse model and angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) were constructed in order to investigate the expression levels of miR-144. It was demonstrated that miR-144 was significantly downregulated following pathological stimuli. CFs infected with miR-144 mimics were then used to test the effect of miR-144 on CF activation in vitro. The results revealed that overexpression of miR-144 led to a dramatically decreased proliferation and migration ability in CFs, as well as the transformation from fibroblasts to myofibroblasts, which was characterized by the decreased expression of collagen-I, collagen-III, CTGF, fibronectin and α-SMA. By contrast, such effects could be reversed by miR-144 knockdown. Mechanistically, the bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay in the present study demonstrated that cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) was a direct target of miR-144, and the expression of CREB was attenuated by miR-144. The results of the present study demonstrated that miR-144 played a key role in CF activation, partially by targeting CREB, which further suggested that the overexpression of miR-144 may be a promising strategy for the treatment of cardiac fibrosis.

Shear wave elastography for evaluation of the urgency of liver transplantation in pediatric patients with biliary atresia.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the role of two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) in the preoperative evaluation of pediatric patients with biliary atresia awaiting liver transplantation. METHODS: Among a total of 152 pediatric patients enrolled in this single-institution prospective study between March 2018 and August 2019, 143 patients (age range, 4-97 months; median age, 7 months; 84 males, 59 females) who underwent successful routine ultrasound examination, SWE examination, and blood test before liver transplantation were included in the final analysis. The values of liver stiffness measured by SWE were compared with ultrasound and blood test parameters by Spearman's correlation analysis. RESULTS: The overall median liver stiffness with 2D-SWE was 29.0 ± 10.9 kPa, with a range of 9.0-53.3 kPa. The success rate of 2D-SWE measurements was 98.0% (149/152). Liver stiffness measurement (LSMs) had no significant correlation with gender, age, weight, and height of the pediatric recipients. LSMs were correlated with ultrasound parameters including portal vein (PV) maximum velocity, PV direction, hepatic artery resistance index (HARI), spleen diameter, ascites, and blood test parameters (albumin level, platelet count level, and international normalized ratio). In the pediatric recipients with hepatofugal PV flow, high HARI (HARI â‰§ 0.90), and ascites, or without Kasai operation, LSMs were significantly higher (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: SWE is feasible and valuable for assessing liver damage in children with biliary atresia awaiting liver transplantation and might be used as selection criteria for children in need of priority access to liver transplantation.

Aspergillolide, a new 12-membered macrolide from sea cucumber-derived fungus Aspergillus sp. S-3-75.

A new 12-membered macrolide, aspergillolide (1), along with nine known compounds (2-10), were isolated from the fungus Aspergillus sp. S-3-75 associated with the sea cucumber Holothuria nobilis Selenka. The structure and absolute stereochemistry of 1 were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic methods and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.

[Reviews on natural monocyclic sesquiterpenoids and their bioactivities].

Sesquiterpenes are a class of terpenoids composed of three isoprene units( 15 carbons). Sesquiterpenoids possess a variety of different structures,including acyclic sesquiterpenes,monocyclic sesquiterpenoids,bicyclic sesquiterpenoids,tricyclic sesquiterpenoids,tetracyclic sesquiterpenoids and macrocyclic sesquiterpenoids. Among them,a large number of monocyclic sesquiterpenoids were isolated and display extensive bioactivities,such as cytotoxic,antioxidant,anti-inflammatory,antibacterial and other activities. In this review,we summarized the progress about the phytochemistry and biological activities of monocyclic sesquiterpenoids( a total of161 compounds) reported from 2014 to 2018( 5 years),including megastigmanes,monocyclofarnesol-type,bisabolane-type,germacrane-type,and other types of monocyclic sesquiterpenoids. Furthermore,several future research perspectives and development of sesquiterpenoids as potential therapeutic agents were discussed as well.

Comparisons and Combined Application of Two-Dimensional and Three-Dimensional Real-time Shear Wave Elastography in Diagnosis of Thyroid Nodules.

Purpose Two-dimensional and three-dimensional real-time shear wave elastography (2D+3D SWE) represents a new technology for the quantification of tissue elasticity. This study investigated whether they could be performed to differentiate between benign and malignant thyroid nodules. Methods Conventional B-mode ultrasound, 2D and 3D SWE were performed in 96 patients with 97 thyroid nodules with pathology results. Results All the elastography values of 2D&3D SWE in malignant thyroid nodules were higher than those in benign nodules. These two elastography methods alone could not improve diagnostic value comparing to B-mode ultrasound significantly. However, B-mode US + 2D SWE (TI-RADS ≥ 4c or S-Emean ≥ 23.75 kPa, suspicious), B-mode US + 3D SWE (TI-RADS ≥ 4c or 3D-T-Emean ≥ 20.75 kPa, suspicious), B-mode US + 2D + 3D SWE (TI-RADS ≥ 4c or S-Emean ≥ 23.75 kPa or 3D-T-Emean ≥ 20.75 kPa, suspicious) had higher sensitivity and accuracy values than those of 3 methods alone but lower specificity values. Among them, B-mode ultrasound + 2D SWE had the highest sensitivity, NPV, accuracy and Youden's index (0.881, 0.788, 0.804 and 0.57). Conclusions 2D SWE or 3D SWE alone could not improve the diagnostic value of differentiating malignant from benign thyroid nodules comparing to conventional B-mode ultrasound. But combination methods could improve the diagnostic value, especially B-mode US + 2D SWE.

Soluble expression, rapid purification, biological identification of chicken interferon-alpha using a thioredoxin fusion system in E. coli and its antiviral effects to H9N2 avian influenza virus.

In this paper, we report a soluble expression based on Escherichia coli and two-step purification of a novel thioredoxin-tagged chicken interferon-α fusion protein (Trx-rChIFN-α) by using pET32a(+) expression system. The mature ChIFN-α gene was amplified by Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and subcloned into pET-32a (+) vector prior to transformation into Rosetta (DE3) competent cells. After IPTG induction, the recombinant fusion protein was expressed efficiently in the soluble fraction. The protein purification was performed by nickel affinity chromatography and DEAE anion exchange chromatography. The purified product has a purity of 95% with a yield of 47.3 mg/L of culture. The specific activity of the fusion protein reaches to 2.0 × 107 IU/mg as determined in the CEF/VSV titration system. After excision of the Trx tag by enterokinase, the remaining solo protein was confirmed as rChIFN-α protein by SDS-PAGE, N-terminal sequencing and mass spectrometry. The effects of this Trx-rChIFN-α fusion protein against H9N2 influenza virus infection were also evaluated in ovo. The results showed that the Trx-rChIFN-α protein could significantly reduce the hemagglutination titer of H9N2 virus, and the H9N2 viruses HA gene copy numbers. These findings will enable us to produce large amount and bio-active rChIFN-α protein for future applications.

A Nomogram Based on a TRUS Five-Grade Scoring System for the Prediction of Prostate Cancer and High Grade Prostate Cancer at Initial TRUS-Guided Biopsy.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of transrectal ultrasound five-grade scoring system (TRUS-5) in predicting prostate cancer (PCa) and high grade PCa (HGPCa), compared with TRUS two-grade scoring system (TRUS-2), and establish a TRUS-5 based nomogram for the prediction of PCa and HGPCa at initial biopsy (IPBx). Methods: Data were collected from 862 men who underwent initial TRUS-guided 12-core prostate biopsy. Age, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), percent free PSA, digital rectal examination (DRE), prostate volume (PV), PSA density (PSAD) and TRUS findings were included in the analysis. For TRUS-5, the probability of PCa was quantified on a scale from 1 (benign) to 5 (malignant). TRUS-2 used the grades "normal" and "suspicious". After univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, nomogram models were developed and internally validated based on independent predictors to predict the probability of PCa and HGPCa. Results: Overall PCa was detected in 42% (362/862) with 26.22% (226/862) showing HGPCa. TRUS-5 significantly outperformed TRUS-2 for the risk prediction of PCa and HGPCa (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC]: 0.787 vs. 0.694 for PCa, 0.841 vs. 0.713 for HGPCa, P<0.05). The TRUS-5 based nomogram showed higher AUCs (0.905 for PCa, 0.903 for HGPCa) than PSA alone, clinical base model, the TRUS-2 based model, and other predictive models (P<0.05). Conclusions: TRUS-5 represents a better imaging predictor than TRUS-2 for PCa and HGPCa. Our TRUS-5 based nomogram models performed well for the prediction of PCa and HGPCa at IPBx, which may help to make the decision to biopsy.

[Reviews on natural naphthoquinones and their bioactivities].

The naphthaquinones are widely distributed in plants. They are usually in higher plants, but a few of them were also found in microorganisms. There is a lot of research showing that they had multiple pharmaco-activities such as cytotoxic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities, etc. In recent years, they have attracted extensive attention at home and abroad especially in terms of the anti-tumor activity. For further research, 69 new natural naphthoquinones reported in the last five years (2013-2017) were reviewed. They were divided into five major types: simple 1,4-naphthoquinones, furan and pyran naphthoquinones, 1,2-naphthoquinones, naphthohydroquinones and naphthoquinone polymers, which showed cytotoxic, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial biological activities, et al. The research of these compounds in the future was also proposed.

[Characteristics of Particulate and Inorganic Elements of Motor Vehicles Based on a Tunnel Environment].

Respirable particulate matter(PM2.5)samples were collected at different locations (inside and outside the tunnel) at the Zhang Zizhong Tunnel in Tianjin in September 2015. Seventeen inorganic elements were measured, and the sources were analyzed by the PCA receptor model. The results show that the daily average concentration of PM2.5 inside and outside the tunnel is (94.79±62.78) µg·m-3 and (83.92±61.60) µg·m-3, respectively. The concentration during the working day is higher than on a non-working day, and, to a certain extent, PM2.5 concentration in the tunnel during peak periods is correlated with the vehicle flow, which indicates that PM2.5 concentration is affected by motor vehicle pollution seriously. In the tunnel, the concentrations of Si, Fe, Al, Ca, and Mg are higher, the mass fraction reach 98.48% of all analyzed elements and these elements are less affected by vehicles. Fe and trace heavy metals (Zn, Cu, and Pb) are related closely to motor vehicle pollution. From the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test, there are significant differences in Ba, Cu, Zn, Mo, Sn, and Sb inside and outside the tunnel. Enrichment factors inside and outside the tunnel show that the enrichment factor ratios of Co, Mn, Cr, Ca, Mg, Ba, Fe, Mo, and V are less than 5, which are mainly from the crust. In addition, the enrichment factor ratios of Cu, Zn, Pb, Sn, Sb, and Cd are greater than 5, which are affected largely by anthropogenic sources. The factor analysis indicates that the main pollution sources in the tunnel are the mixed sources of wear and the combustion of fuel, the dust, and the combustion of diesel vehicles. In addition, in order to analyze the source of motor vehicle pollution further, a factor analysis indicates that the main pollution sources are tire wear and exhaust emission, brake wear and exhaust emissions, and diesel emissions.

G protein­coupled estrogen receptor/miR­148a/human leukocyte antigen­G signaling pathway mediates cell apoptosis of ovarian endometriosis.

The focus of the current study was a G protein­coupled estrogen receptor (GPER)/microRNA (miR)­148a/human leukocyte antigen­G (HLA­G) signaling pathway in ovarian endometriosis. Reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to analyze the changes in miR­148a expression. A MTT assay, flow cytometry and caspase­3/9 activity assays were performed to analyze cell proliferation, apoptosis and caspase­3/9 activity levels, respectively. Protein expression was measured using western blot analysis. In tissue samples from healthy controls, and patients with endometriosis and endometriosis­associated ovarian cancer, the expression of miR­148a was lower in in endometriosis and EAOC samples compared with healthy controls. Overexpression of miR­148a using miR mimics significantly decreased proliferation, promoted apoptosis, increased the Bcl­2 associated X apoptosis regulator (Bax)/Bcl­2 apoptosis regulator (Bcl­2) ratio and caspase3/9 activity, and suppressed HLA­G protein expression in Hs 832(C).T cells. miR­148a downregulation using miR inhibitor significantly increased cell viability, inhibited apoptosis, and reduced the Bax/Bcl­2 ratio and caspase3/9 activity, and induced HLA­G protein expression in Hs 832(C).T cells. The GPER inhibitor, G15, suppressed GPER protein expression, upregulated miR­148a expression, decreased cell proliferation, promoted apoptosis, increased the Bax/Bcl­2 ratio and caspase3 activity, and suppressed HLA­G protein expression in Hs 832(C).T cells. The findings indicate that GPER/miR­148a/HLA­G signaling pathway may mediates the development of ovarian endometriosis and may become a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of endometriosis.

Quantitative contrast-enhanced ultrasound evaluation of pathological complete response in patients with locally advanced breast cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: To clarify whether the quantitative parameters of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can be used to predict pathological complete response (pCR) in patients with locally advanced breast cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-one patients with histologically proved locally advanced breast cancer scheduled for NAC were enrolled. The quantitative data for CEUS and the tumor diameter were collected at baseline and before surgery, and compared with the pathological response. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to examine quantitative parameters at CEUS and the tumor diameter to predict the pCR, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used as a summary statistic. RESULTS: Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that PEAK (the maximum intensity of the time-intensity curve during bolus transit), PEAK%, TTP% (time to peak), and diameter% were significant independent predictors of pCR, and the area under the ROC curve was 0.932(Az1), and the sensitivity and specificity to predict pCR were 93.7% and 80.0%. The area under the ROC curve for the quantitative parameters was 0.927(Az2), and the sensitivity and specificity to predict pCR were 81.2% and 94.3%. For diameter%, the area under the ROC curve was 0.786 (Az3), and the sensitivity and specificity to predict pCR were 93.8% and 54.3%. The values of Az1 and Az2 were significantly higher than that of Az3 (P = 0.027 and P = 0.034, respectively). However, there was no significant difference between the values of Az1 and Az2 (P = 0.825). CONCLUSION: Quantitative analysis of tumor blood perfusion with CEUS is superior to diameter% to predict pCR, and can be used as a functional technique to evaluate tumor response to NAC.

The utility and limitations of contrast-enhanced transrectal ultrasound scanning for the detection of prostate cancer in different area of prostate.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ability of contrast-enhanced transrectal ultrasound (CETRUS) scanning for prostate cancer detection in different area, compared with conventional transrectal ultrasound (TRUS). METHODS: 228 patients underwent TRUS-guided prostate biopsy after examinations of TRUS and CETRUS scanning. Cancer detection between CETRUS and TRUS were compared by patient and by site in different areas (right, left; base, mid-gland, apex). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the diagnostic performance of CETRUS. RESULTS: 89 patients were malignant and 48 patients were significant cancer. Compared with TRUS, CETRUS could increase the detection rates of overall and significant cancer (P = 0.008; P = 0.031). CETRUS had higher sensitivity, specificity (except right lobe), accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) in total, right and left lobe (P < 0.05). The sensitivity were greater for CETRUS in all areas except left base and right apex (P < 0.05). The accuracy were greater for CETRUS in all areas except left mid-gland and right apex (P < 0.05). ROC analysis showed CETRUS totally got the AUC of 0.816. The AUC was higher in left lobe than right lobe (0.837 vs. 0.793). It was most accurate at the base (0.833), then mid-gland (0.826), and lowest in apex (0.772). CONCLUSIONS: CETRUS had a significant advantage over conventional TRUS for prostate cancer detection in different areas. CETRUS much more easily missed the cancer in apex, we must focus more on apex and may add other imaging modalities to improve the visualization and detection of prostate cancer.

Preliminary Results of Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Imaging by Combined Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses for Evaluation of Breast Lesions.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the application of a new elastographic technique, acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging, and its diagnostic performance for characterizing breast lesions. METHODS: One hundred consecutive female patients with 126 breast lesions were enrolled in our study. After routine breast ultrasound examinations, the patients underwent ARFI elasticity imaging. Virtual Touch tissue imaging (VTI) and Virtual Touch tissue quantification (Siemens Medical Solutions, Mountain View, CA) were used to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the elasticity and hardness of tumors. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of ARFI for discrimination between benign and malignant breast lesions. RESULTS: Pathologic analysis revealed 40 lesions in the malignant group and 86 lesions in the benign group. Different VTI patterns were observed in benign and malignant breast lesions. Eighty lesions (93.0%) of benign group had pattern 1, 2, or 3, whereas all pattern 4b lesions (n = 20 [50.0%]) were malignant. Regarding the quantitative analysis, the mean VTI-to-B-mode area ratio, internal shear wave velocity, and marginal shear wave velocity of benign lesions were statistically significantly lower than those of malignant lesions (all P < .001). The cutoff point for a scoring system constructed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of ARFI was estimated to be between 3 and 4 points for malignancy, with sensitivity of 77.5%, specificity of 96.5%, accuracy of 90.5%, and an area under the curve of 0.933. CONCLUSIONS: The application of ARFI technology has shown promising results by noninvasively providing substantial complementary information and could potentially serve as an effective diagnostic tool for differentiation between benign and malignant breast lesions.

[Constituents isolated from n-butanol extract of leaves of Moringa oleifera].

Seventeen compounds were isolated from n-butanol extract of the leaves of Moringa oleifera, using column chromatography over macroporous resin HP-20,Sephadex LH-20, and ODS. Their structures were identified as two carboline,tangutorid E(1) and tangutorid F(2); three phenolic glycosides,niazirin(3)，benzaldehyde 4-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside(4) and 4-O-ß-D-glucopyranosidebenzoic acid(5); four chlorogenic acid and derivatives,4-caffeoylquinic acid(6),methyl 4-caffeoylquinate(7),caffeoylquinic acid(8) and methyl caffeoylquinate(9); two nucleosids,uridine(10) and adenosine(11); one flavone,quercetin 3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside(12); five other types of compounds,phthalimidineacetic acid(13),3-pyridinecarboxamide(14),3,4-dihydroxy-benzoic acid(15),5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxylic acid(16) and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde(17) by the spectral data of ¹H, ¹³C-NMR and MS. Among them,compounds 1-2,7,9-10,16 and 17 were isolated from M. oleifera for the first time.