Sub-region based radiomics analysis for prediction of isocitrate dehydrogenase and telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter mutations in diffuse gliomas.

AIM: To enhance the prediction of mutation status of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter, which are crucial for glioma prognostication and therapeutic decision-making, via sub-regional radiomics analysis based on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 401 participants with adult-type diffuse gliomas. Employing the K-means algorithm, tumours were clustered into two to four subregions. Sub-regional radiomics features were extracted and selected using the Mann-Whitney U-test, Pearson correlation analysis, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, forming the basis for predictive models. The performance of model combinations of different sub-regional features and classifiers (including logistic regression, support vector machines, K-nearest neighbour, light gradient boosting machine, and multilayer perceptron) was evaluated using an external test set. RESULTS: The models demonstrated high predictive performance, with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values ranging from 0.918 to 0.994 in the training set for IDH mutation prediction and from 0.758 to 0.939 for TERT promoter mutation prediction. In the external test sets, the two-cluster radiomics features and the logistic regression model yielded the highest prediction for IDH mutation, resulting in an AUC of 0.905. Additionally, the most effective predictive performance with an AUC of 0.803 was achieved using the four-cluster radiomics features and the support vector machine model, specifically for TERT promoter mutation prediction. CONCLUSION: The present study underscores the potential of sub-regional radiomics analysis in predicting IDH and TERT promoter mutations in glioma patients. These models have the capacity to refine preoperative glioma diagnosis and contribute to personalised therapeutic interventions for patients.

[Analysis of pollen sensitization characteristics of artemisia allergic rhinitis in three urban and rural areas of Inner Mongolia].

Objective: To investigate the distribution rules of artemisia pollen and the clinical sensitization characteristics of allergic rhinitis (AR) induced by artemisia pollen in three urban and rural areas of Inner Mongolia. Methods: From March to October 2019, in 3 central cities (Chifeng, Hohhot, Ordos) and rural areas of Inner Mongolia, an epidemiological investigation method combining multi-stage stratified random sampling and face-to-face questionnaire survey was adopted to screen suspected AR patients, and skin prick test (SPT) was applied for diagnosis. At the same time, pollen monitoring was carried out in 3 areas to analyze the distribution and clinical sensitization characteristics of artemisia pollen.SPSS26.0 statistical software was used to process all the data. Chi-square test was used to compare rates among different age, sex, region and nationality, Spearman test was used to describe correlation analysis, and pairwise comparison of positive rates among multiple samples was used Bonferroni method. Results: Among the 6 393 subjects, 1 093 cases were diagnosed with AR, and the prevalence of AR was 17.10% (1 093/6 393). Among them, pollen-induced allergic rhinitis, the prevalence of PiAR was 10.97% (701/6 393), accounting for 64.14%(701/1 093).The highest incidence was in the youth group (20-39 years old), accounting for 46.94% (329/701).The diagnosed prevalence was higher in females than in males (11.35% vs. 10.64%, χ2 value 12.304, P<0.001).The prevalence rate of ethnic minority was higher than that of Han nationality (13.01% vs. 10.65%, χ2 value 6.296, P=0.008).The prevalence in urban areas was also significantly higher than that in rural areas (18.40% vs. 5.50%, χ2 value 10.497, P<0.001).There was significant difference in prevalence rate among the three regions in Inner Mongolia (6.06% in Chifeng, 13.46% in Hohhot, 16.39% in Ordos, χ2 value 70.054, P<0.001).The main clinical symptoms of artemisia PiAR were sneezing (95.58%), nasal congestion (91.73%) and nasal itching (89.30%).Allergic conjunctivitis accounted for 79.60% (558/701), chronic sinusitis for 55.63% (390/701), asthma for 23.25% (163/701).The pattern of artemisia pollen sensitization was mainly multiple sensitization, and the frequency of clinical symptoms and clinical diseases induced by hypersensitization with other allergens accounted for more than that caused by single artemisia pollen. The spread period of Artemisia pollen in the three regions was from June to October, and the peak state was in August in summer. The peak time of clinical symptoms in artemisia PiAR patients was about 2 weeks earlier than the peak time of pollen concentration, and the two were significantly positively correlated (R=0.7671, P<0.001). Conclusion: Artemisia pollens are the dominant pollens in late summer and early autumn in Inner Mongolia, and the prevalence of artemisia PiAR is high. Controlling the spread of Artemisia pollens is of great significance for the prevention and treatment of AR.

Pregnancy outcome after in-vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection in women with congenital uterus didelphys.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pregnancy and obstetric outcomes of patients with congenital uterus didelphys who achieved clinical pregnancy after in-vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). METHODS: This was a retrospective matched-cohort study of 83 infertile patients with uterus didelphys who underwent IVF/ICSI and achieved clinical pregnancy from January 2005 to December 2018 at our center. For each patient in the study group, three control patients with normal uterine morphology who underwent IVF/ICSI in 2018 were selected randomly. Patients in the two groups were matched for number of gestational sacs, maternal age, infertility type, cause of infertility, fertilization method, endometrial thickness 1 day before embryo transfer and number of embryos transferred. The classification of congenital uterine anomalies was based on the American Fertility Society system (1988). The pregnancy and obstetric outcomes of the didelphic and control groups were compared separately for singleton and twin pregnancies, and for all pregnancies combined. RESULTS: In singleton pregnancies, women with uterus didelphys had increased risk of preterm birth (odds ratio (OR), 4.68; rate difference (RD), 0.14; P < 0.001), Cesarean section (OR, 2.80; RD, 0.17; P = 0.016) and birth weight < 2500 g (OR, 4.06; RD, 0.10; P = 0.017) compared to women with normal uterine morphology. In twin pregnancies, the presence of uterus didelphys was associated with increased risk of preterm delivery (OR, 4.79; RD, 0.37; P = 0.006), perinatal mortality (OR, 3.16; RD, 0.19; P = 0.043) and birth weight < 2500 g (OR, 9.57; RD, 0.35; P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of uterus didelphys was associated with significantly increased risk of some adverse pregnancy outcomes compared to pregnancies with normal uterine morphology in women who underwent IVF/ICSI. A twin pregnancy in women with uterus didelphys was associated with worse perinatal outcome. © 2021 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Xiangshao granules can relieve emotional symptoms in menopausal women: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of Xiangshao granules for treating emotional disorders in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. METHODS: The current investigation was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial that included 300 perimenopausal and postmenopausal Chinese women aged 40-60 years. Participants received either a placebo (n = 150) or Xiangshao granules (n = 150) for 8 weeks. Outcome measures included Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) scores, which were assessed at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks. The primary efficacy variables were changes in HAMD and HAMA scores after 8 weeks. RESULTS: After 8 weeks, the mean HAMD scores decreased from 15.0 to 7.9 in the Xiangshao group and from 16.3 to 10.0 in the placebo group, and the respective mean reductions in HAMA scores were from 16.0 to 8.5 and from 17.1 to 10.9. Clinical improvements in symptoms of both depression and anxiety after 8 weeks differed significantly in the two groups (p < 0.05). The cure rate was significantly higher in the Xiangshao group. There were no significant differences in the rates of adverse events in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Xiangshao granules can relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety significantly and safely.

[The combination of YAP/TAZ predicts the clinical prognosis in patients with cholangiocarcinoma after radical resection].

Objective: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a malignant tumor derived from bile duct epithelial cells with extremely poor prognosis. The Hippo-Yes-associated protein (YAP)/transcription activator with PDZ binding motif (TAZ) signaling plays a critical role in cancer stem cell biology. Previous studies have shown that the positive expression of YAP/TAZ in CCA predicts larger tumor size and unfavorable clinical outcomes. We aim to evaluate the prognostic value of YAP/TAZ detection in CCA patients. Methods: CCA patients who underwent radical resection were retrospectively analyzed at our institution from January 2011 to June 2016. Postoperative pathological specimens were scored by YAP/TAZ immunohistochemical staining. The prognostic value of YAP/TAZ was analyzed by multivariate Cox-proportional hazards model. Results: A total of 91 CCA patients were enrolled. During a median follow-up time of 11.0 months, 69.2% patients relapsed and 45.1% died. The median OS and DFS were 10.7 months and 8.8 months respectively. The YAP/TAZ dual positive patients owned a worse TNM stage (P=0.015), poorer tissue differentiation (P=0.007), and a higher CA199 than those in negative patients. Multivariate Cox analysis identified that YAP/TAZ dual positivity as a significant factor predicted poorer OS (P=0.010) and DFS (P=0.028) in CCA patients after radical resection. In subgroup analysis, YAP/TAZ combination also significantly predicted OS (P=0.044) and DFS (P=0.043) in CCA patients with positive lymphatic metastasis and/or surgical margin who required adjuvant therapy. Conclusions: YAP/TAZ positivity is an independent predictive factor for survival in CCA patients after radical resectiony.

[Choices of emergency treatment and surgical method for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms].

Objective: To investigate the emergency management process of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA), and analyze the perioperative mortality factors of different surgical methods. Methods: The emergency data and hospitalization data of 91 patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm in Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from June 2010 to June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.Twelve of the patients died preoperatively due to excessive blood loss, and the remaining 79 patients were hospitalized for open surgery (OSR) or endovascular repair (EVAR).The differences in age, time to hospital arrival, emergency preparation time, first creatinine value, emergency infusion volume, preoperative drop in blood pressure, preoperative use of vasoactive drugs and iliac artery involvement were compared between preoperative death group (n=12) and preoperative survival group (n=79), OSR group (n=50) and EVAR group (n=29), postoperative death group (n=23) and postoperative survival group (n=56). Results: Seventy-nine patients received open surgery or endovascular repair, and 23 died after operation. Age, time to hospital arrival, first creatinine value and emergency infusion volume were (77±11) years, (18±5)h, (469±150) µmol/L, (4 140±1 743) ml in the preoperative death group and (70±10) years, (12±8) h, (228±174) µmol/L, (1 358±1 211) ml in the preoperative survival group, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences in preoperative data, intraoperative treatment and postoperative perioperative mortality between the open surgery group and the endovascular repair group (all P>0.05). The intraoperative blood loss, operation time and aortic occlusion rate in the endovascular repair group were 100 (50, 175) ml, (3.2±0.9) h, 13.8%, respectively, which were better than that in the open surgery group 1700 (600, 3425) ml, (5.2±1.1) h, 100%. The differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Age, emergency preparation time, first creatinine value, emergency infusion volume, blood pressure decline rate and vasoactive drug utilization rate in the death group were (77±8) years, (4.1±1.7) h, (456±172) µmol/L, (2 024±1 687) ml, 100%, 100%, respectively, and (68±10) years, (2.7±2.2) h, (135±26) µmol/L, (1 085±825) ml, 21.4%, 12.5% in the survival group, respectively. The differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Conclusions: Age, emergency preparation time, first creatinine value, emergency infusion volume, decreased blood pressure and use of vasoactive drugs are all associated with perioperative death in patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. EVAR surgery is a better choice if conditions exist.

STIL is upregulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues and promotes nasopharyngeal carcinoma proliferation, migration and invasion.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the most common primary malignancy that originates from the nasopharynx. Some regulatory networks involved in nasopharyngeal carcinoma have been reported, but the relevant genes have not been fully identified. We have used mRNA microarray to identify differential expression genes between NPC tissues and adjacent normal tissues. Then high-content shRNA screening was carried out to screen the genes that may control proliferation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Cell proliferation was monitored by MTT assays and Celigo image cytometry in vitro and subcutaneous transplantation model in vivo. Flow cytometric analysis was carried out to detect the distribution of cell cycle stages and apoptosis. Transwell assay was performed to measure the migratory and invasive capacities of NPC cells. We identified 20 genes that potentially play an important role in the proliferation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma by mRNA microarray and functional analysis. The result of high-content shRNA screening indicated that STIL had the greatest effect on reducing the proliferation rate of NPC cells. The analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data showed that STIL was upregulated in several human cancer tissues, and higher STIL expression level was correlated with shorter survival time. STIL knockdown also inhibited NPC cell migration and invasion, promoted G1/S phase transition and apoptosis. Three genes including ITGA2, SMAD2, JAK1, associated with molecular mechanisms of cancer were influenced by downregulating STIL. Our study confirmed STIL as a key regulator that promotes the proliferation of NPC, providing insight into the molecular mechanisms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and suggesting a novel therapeutic strategy.

[Prognosis factors analysis of patients with malignant solitary pulmonary nodules].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the prognosis factors that influence the postoperative survival rate in patients with malignant solitary pulmonary nodules and to provide a reference for the prognosis risk stratification of early lung cancer patients. METHODS: In this study, we retrospectively reviewed 172 patients who were admitted to Peking University First Hospital from April 2006 to December 2013. All cases were radiologically defined as solitary pulmonary nodule and were pathologically confirmed to be stage Ia non-small cell lung cancer after surgical procedure. The patients' clinical and follow-up data were summarized and analyzed. The relevance between survival time and factors that may affect patients' prognosis was evaluated, which included gender, age, clinical symptoms, smoking history, comorbidity index, tumor biomarkers, nodule type, type of surgery, nodule location, nodule histopathological type, nodule size, histopathological differentiation grade, proliferating cell nuclear antigen Ki-67 expression level and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutation. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, Cox univariant and multivariant regression analysis were conducted to evaluate the factors affecting prognosis. RESULTS: The 3-year overall survival rate of the atients with malignant solitary pulmonary nodules was 93.6%, and the 5-year overall survival rate was 89.8%. KaplanMeier survival analysis and Cox univariant regression analysis showed that the overall survival rate of the male patients was significantly lower than that of the female patients. In addition, the elderly patients with histopathology characterized as high Ki-67 proliferation index were also associated with the worse overall survival (P<0.05). Cox multivariant regression analysis demonstrated that age more than 65 years as well as the high Ki-67 expression level were independent risk factors for overall survival in patients with malignant solitary pulmonary nodules (age: P=0.023, HR=3.531, 95%CI 1.190-10.472; Ki-67: P=0.004, HR=1.021, 95%CI 1.007-1.035). CONCLUSION: For patients with malignant solitary pulmonary nodules, with pathological defined as stage Ia non-small cell lung cancer, age, gender and Ki-67 expression levels might be important prognostic factors. Comprehensive consideration of Ki-67 proliferation index and clinical pathological features may help to stratify the prognosis more accurately and guide the selection of appropriate therapeutic strategies, which needs to be verified by multi-center studies.

[The potential role of lung dendritic cells and Th17/regulatory T cells in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

Objective: To explore the role of lung dendritic cells (DCs) and Th17/regulatory T cells (Treg) pathway in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD). Methods: COPD patients who received lobectomy from Sep. 2015 to Mar. 2016 in our hospital were enrolled and classified into non-smoking non-COPD group, smoking without COPD group and COPD group. The expression of CD(80), chemokine recepter-6 (CCR6), interleukin-17A (IL-17A) and fork-head transcription factor P3 (FoxP3) were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in lung tissue. Mature DCs (mDCs), immature DCs (imDCs), Th17 cells and Treg cells in lung tissue were detected by flow cytometry (FCM) and the correlation between Th17/Treg cells with lung function was analyzed. Results: (1) The expression of CD(80) and FoxP3 in COPD group was decreased, while the expression of CCR6 and IL-17A was increased (P<0.05). (2) The percentage of mDCs and Treg in lung tissue of COPD group was significantly decreased. In contrast, the proportion of imDCs and Th17 cells in COPD group was significantly increased (P<0.05). (3) The imbalance of Th17/Treg ratio in lung tissue was seen in patients with COPD, suggesting the potential mechanism of Th17 cell-mediated proinflammatory response. (4) The percentage of Th17 cells and Th17/Treg ratio in COPD patients was negatively correlated with forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV(1)) as a percentage of predicted value (FEV(1)% pred), forced vital capacity(FVC) as a percentage of predicted value (FVC% pred), FEV(1)/FVC. On the other hand, the percentage of Treg cells was positively correlated with FEV(1)% pred, FVC% pred, FEV(1)/FVC. Conclusions: The data in this study demonstrate the maturation disorder of dendritic cells in lung tissue of COPD patients. The imbalance of Th17/Treg ratio suggests that Th17 cell-mediated proinflammatory response may be involved in the pathogenesis of COPD.

[Dietary sodium intake of adult residents in 15 provinces of China in 2015].

Objective: To analyze the status of dietary sodium intake of Chinese adult residents in fifteen provinces in 2015. Methods: Data were collected from 2015 China Nutrition Transition Cohort Study. This cohort study used a three consecutive 24-h retrospective method to record food intake and weighing method to record household condiment consumption. In this study, 14 847 residents aged 18 years and over with complete data from 15 provinces in 2015 were selected for the comparison of dietary sodium intake (median) with different characteristics. Results: Among the 14 847 residents, 47.1% were males, and the rural and northern residents accounted for 60.1% and 37.7%, respectively. Median sodium intake was 3 960.0 mg/d among residents in 2015. The sodium intake of males (4 272.1 mg/d) was higher than that of females (3 716.6 mg/d). Across age subgroups, sodium intake was highest among residents aged 45-59 years (4 257.0 mg/d; 18-44 years old, 3 867.1 mg/d; ≥60 years old, 3 799.0 mg/d). Sodium intake was higher in rural area (4 042.9 mg/d) than in urban area (3 866.8 mg/d), higher in north (4 229.2 mg/d) than in south (3 806.8 mg/d) (all P values <0.05). 11.8% of residents with dietary sodium intake were below 2 000 mg/d. The main sources of dietary sodium were condiments (79.4%), regular cooking foods (11.9%) and processed foods (8.7%). Among the condiments, the salt and soy sauce accounted for 63.6% and 10.4%, respectively. Conclusion: In 2015, Chinese adult residents had higher dietary sodium intake with gender and regional differences. Condiments were the main source of dietary sodium.

A first-principles study of the structural, mechanical and electronic properties of precipitates of Al2Cu in Al-Cu alloys.

The properties of precipitates are important in understanding the strengthening mechanism via precipitation during heat treatment and the aging process in Al-Cu based alloys, where the formation of precipitates is sensitive to temperature and pressure. Here we report a first-principles investigation of the effect of temperature and pressure on the structural stability, elastic constants and formation free energy for precipitates of Al2Cu, as well as their mechanical properties. Based on the formation enthalpy of Guinier-Preston (GP(I)) zones, the size of the GP(I) zone is predicted to be about 1.4 nm in diameter, which is in good agreement with experimental observations. The formation enthalpies of the precipitates are all negative, suggesting that they are all thermodynamically stable. The present calculations reveal that entropy plays an important role in stabilizing θ-Al2Cu compared with θC'-Al2Cu. The formation free energies of θ''-Al3Cu, θC'-Al2Cu, θD'-Al5Cu3 and θt'-Al11Cu7 increase with temperature, while those of θ'-Al2Cu, θO'-Al2Cu and θ-Al2Cu decrease. The same trend is observed with the effect of pressure. The calculated elastic constants for the considered precipitation phases indicate that they are all mechanically stable and anisotropic, except θC'-Al2Cu. θD'-Al5Cu3 has the highest Vicker's hardness. The electronic structures are also calculated to gain insight into the bonding characteristics. The present results can help in understanding the formation of precipitates by different treatment processes.

Effects of miRNA-143 and the non-coding RNA MALAT1 on the pathogenesis and metastasis of HeLa cells.

Cervical cancer is a common female malignancy of global dimensions. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in the development, differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis of tumors. The non-coding RNA MALAT1 participates in various physiological processes that are important for proper functioning of the body. Here, we analyzed the expression of miRNA-143 and MALAT1 in HeLa cells to evaluate their roles in the occurrence and metastasis of cervical cancer. HeLa cells were divided into five groups depending on the treatment conditions, namely, transfected with miRNA-143, MALAT1, miRNA-143 inhibitor and the MALAT1 inhibitor, and the untreated control. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze the expression of miRNA-143 and MALAT1, the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay to assess proliferation, the trans-well assay to study cell invasion and migration, and western blot to analyze the levels of E-cadherin and vimentin. The proliferation of HeLa cells increased upon treatment with the miRNA-143 inhibitor and decreased when treated with the MALAT1 inhibitor, compared to the proliferation of the groups that were transfected with miRNA-143 and MALAT1, respectively (P < 0.05). Thus, miRNA-143 decreased cell invasion and migration potency, downregulated vimentin and upregulated E-cadherin expression, while MALAT1 had the opposite effects. In conclusion, the low expression of miRNA-143 and high expression of MALAT1 in cervical cancer cells could possibly potentiate cell invasion/migration and alter the levels of vimentin and E-cadherin.

Soil organic matter as sole indicator of soil degradation.

Soil organic matter (SOM) is known to play vital roles in the maintenance and improvement of many soil properties and processes. These roles, which largely influence soil functions, are a pool of specific contributions of different components of SOM. The soil functions, in turn, normally define the level of soil degradation, viewed as quantifiable temporal changes in a soil that impairs its quality. This paper aims at providing a generalized assessment of the current state of knowledge on the usefulness of SOM in monitoring soil degradation, based on its influence on the physical, chemical and biological properties and processes of soils. Emphasis is placed particularly on the effect of SOM on soil structure and availability of plant nutrients. Although these properties are discussed separately, the soil system is of dynamic and interactive nature, and changes in one property will likely affect other soil properties as well. Thus, functions of SOM almost always affect various soil properties and processes and engage in multiple reactions. In view of its role in soil aggregation and erosion control, in availability of plant nutrients and in ameliorating other forms of soil degradation than erosion, SOM has proven to be an important indicator of soil degradation. It has been suggested, however, that rather than the absolute amount, temporal change and potential amount of SOM be considered in its use as indicator of soil degradation, and that SOM may not be an all-purpose indicator. Whilst SOM remains a candidate without substitute as long as a one-parameter indicator of soil degradation is needed, narrowing down to the use of its labile and microbial components could be more appropriate, since early detection is important in the control and management of soil degradation.

Rab3A, Rab27A, and Rab35 regulate different events during mouse oocyte meiotic maturation and activation.

Rab family members play important roles in membrane trafficking, cell growth, and differentiation. Almost all components of the cell endomembrane system, the nucleus, and the plasma membrane are closely related to RAB proteins. In this study, we investigated the distribution and functions of three members of the Rab family, Rab3A, Rab27A, and Rab35, in mouse oocyte meiotic maturation and activation. The three Rab family members showed different localization patterns in oocytes. Microinjection of siRNA, antibody injection, or inhibitor treatment showed that (1) Rab3A regulates peripheral spindle and cortical granule (CG) migration, polarity establishment, and asymmetric division; (2) Rab27A regulates CG exocytosis following MII-stage oocyte activation; and (3) Rab35 plays an important role in spindle organization and morphology maintenance, and thus meiotic nuclear maturation. These results show that Rab proteins play important roles in mouse oocyte meiotic maturation and activation and that different members exert different distinct functions.

E-selectin gene polymorphism (A561C) and essential hypertension. Meta-analysis in the Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: The A561C polymorphism of the E-selectin gene (SELE) has been reported to be associated with essential hypertension (EH) in several studies; however, results among these studies were inconsistent. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis to explore the association of the A561C polymorphism with EH. METHODS: Publications were retrieved through searching PubMed, Web of Science, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biological Medicine, and the Wanfang database. Odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to estimate the strength of association of A561C with EH. Subgroup analysis was also performed to assess ethnic discrepancies. A total of seven studies comprising 2,127 EH patients and 2,078 controls were analyzed. RESULTS: In the dominant model analysis, we found significant associations between the A561C polymorphism and EH in all subjects (CC+AC vs. AA, OR = 1.96, 95 %CI 1.57-2.44, P heterogeneity = 0.381), in a Han Chinese subgroup (CC+AC vs. AA, OR = 2.38, 95 %CI 1.73-3.29, P heterogeneity = 0.269), and in non-Han Chinese minorities (CC+AC vs. AA, OR = 1.62, 95 %CI 1.19-2.21, P heterogeneity = 0.84). CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that C allele carriers of the SELE gene polymorphism (A561C) might be predisposed to EH in the Chinese population. Further investigations in other ethnic populations should be conducted to verify these findings.

Diffusion-weighted imaging with fat suppression using short-tau inversion recovery: Clinical utility for diagnosis of breast lesions.

AIM: To compare the utility of conventional diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with fat suppression using short-tau inversion recovery (STIR-DWI) for the detection of breast lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images of 56 patients (both DWI and STIR-DWI performed) were retrospectively analysed. Parameters compared between DWI and STIR-DWI were image artefacts, image signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). Diagnostic utility was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: No abnormality was detected in 17 patients, with lesions observed in 39 patients (16 benign, 23 malignant; confirmed by biopsy or surgical histopathology). The rate of image artefacts was significantly lower for STIR-DWI (p < 0.01): quality levels 1 (best), 2, and 3 accounted for 50%, 35.7%, and 14.3% of DWI images, and 96.4%, 3.6% and 0% of STIR-DWI images, respectively. The SNR was not significantly different. ADC values of breast lesions and normal glands were significantly lower for DWI than for STIR-DWI (p = 0.03 and 0.034). ADC values of malignant lesions, but not benign lesions, were significantly lower for DWI than for STIR-DWI (p = 0.02). CNR values of both benign and malignant lesions were not significantly different between DWI and STIR-DWI. The area under the ROC curve, for the use of ADC values to differentiate benign from malignant lesions, was not significantly different between DWI (0.931) and STIR-DWI (0.914). Taking a threshold ADC value of 1.23 × 10(-3) mm(2)/s, the sensitivity and specificity were 87.5% and 87% for DWI, and 87.5% and 82.6% for STIR-DWI, respectively. CONCLUSION: STIR-DWI is adequate for clinical use in breast MRI investigations.

[Dosimetric analysis of different optimization algorithms for three-dimensional brachytherapy for gynecologic tumors].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the dosimetric difference between manual and inverse optimization in 3-dimensional (3D) brachytherapy for gynecologic tumors. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted among a total of 110 patients with gynecologic tumors undergoing intracavitary combined with interstitial brachytherapy or interstitial brachytherapy. Based on the original images, the brachytherapy plans were optimized for each patient using Gro, IPSA1, IPSA2 (with increased volumetric dose limits on the basis of IPSA1) and HIPO algorithms. The dose-volume histogram (DVH) parameters of the clinical target volume (CTV) including V200, V150, V100, D90, D98 and CI, and the dosimetric parameters D2cc, D1cc, and D0.1cc for the bladder, rectum, and sigmoid colon were compared among the 4 plans. RESULTS: Among the 4 plans, Gro optimization took the longest time, followed by HIPO, IPSA2 and IPSA1 optimization. The mean D90, D98, and V100 of HIPO plans were significantly higher than those of Gro and IPSA plans, and D90 and V100 of IPSA1, IPSA2 and HIPO plans were higher than those of Gro plans (P < 0.05), but the CI of the 4 plans were similar (P > 0.05). For the organs at risk (OARs), the HIPO plan had the lowest D2cc of the bladder and rectum; the bladder absorbed dose of Gro plans were significantly greater than those of IPSA1 and HIPO (P < 0.05). The D2cc and D1cc of the rectum in IPSA1, IPSA2 and HIPO plans were better than Gro (P < 0.05). The D2cc and D1cc of the sigmoid colon did not differ significantly among the 4 plans. CONCLUSION: Among the 4 algorithms, the HIPO algorithm can better improve dose coverage of the target and lower the radiation dose of the OARs, and is thus recommended for the initial plan optimization. Clinically, the combination of manual optimization can achieve more individualized dose distribution of the plan.