Development and psychometric assessment of Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) in terms of smoking cessation among Chinese smokers.

The Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) is a two-stage (pre-intentional and post-intentional) behavioral change model that distinguishes between motivation and volition in behavior change process. This study aims to develop HAPA-based assessments for smoking cessation among current smokers. The HAPA-based measures were developed and the draft measures included nine constructs, namely, risk perception in smoking-induced cancer, risk perception in smoking-induced systemic disease, positive outcome expectancy, negative outcome expectancy, self-efficacy in quitting smoking, self-efficacy in maintaining, self-efficacy in re-initiating, quitting planning and coping planning in smoking cessation, with a total of 26 items. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in China in 2022. Principal Component Analysis was used for Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Cronbach's α coefficient was calculated to evaluate the internal consistency. Variables such as severity of smoking addiction were selected to evaluate the correlation between the HAPA scale and these variables. Of the 928 participants, 76.4% (709/928) were male and the median age was 35 years. Five factors were extracted by EFA. The factor loadings of each item were all greater than 0.60, and the cumulative variance contribution rate was 90.15%. The Cronbach's α coefficient of each HAPA-based subscales was 0.929-0.986. The HAPA-based measurements are comprehensive, reliable and valid in the assessment of smokers' smoking cessation cognition, which can be used to guide the design and implementation of intervention and the development of theory.

A gender specific risk assessment of coronary heart disease based on physical examination data.

Large-scale screening for the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) is crucial for its prevention and management. Physical examination data has the advantages of wide coverage, large capacity, and easy collection. Therefore, here we report a gender-specific cascading system for risk assessment of CHD based on physical examination data. The dataset consists of 39,538 CHD patients and 640,465 healthy individuals from the Luzhou Health Commission in Sichuan, China. Fifty physical examination characteristics were considered, and after feature screening, ten risk factors were identified. To facilitate large-scale CHD risk screening, a CHD risk model was developed using a fully connected network (FCN). For males, the model achieves AUCs of 0.8671 and 0.8659, respectively on the independent test set and the external validation set. For females, the AUCs of the model are 0.8991 and 0.9006, respectively on the independent test set and the external validation set. Furthermore, to enhance the convenience and flexibility of the model in clinical and real-life scenarios, we established a CHD risk scorecard base on logistic regression (LR). The results show that, for both males and females, the AUCs of the scorecard on the independent test set and the external verification set are only slightly lower (<0.05) than those of the corresponding prediction model, indicating that the scorecard construction does not result in a significant loss of information. To promote CHD personal lifestyle management, an online CHD risk assessment system has been established, which can be freely accessed at http://lin-group.cn/server/CHD/index.html .

Epidemiology and Prehospital Care of Pediatric Unintentional Injuries Among Countries with Different Economic Status in Asia: A Cross-National, Multi-Center Observational Study.

OBJECTIVE: Injury is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children. However, the epidemiology and prehospital care for pediatric unintentional injuries in Asia are still unclear. METHODS: A total of 9,737 pediatric patients aged <18 years with unintentional injuries cared for at participating centers of the Pan-Asian Trauma Outcome Study (PATOS) from October 2015 to December 2020 were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were divided into two groups: those <8 and those ≥8 years of age. Variables such as patient demographics, injury epidemiology, Injury Severity Score (ISS), and prehospital care were collected. Injury severity and administered prehospital care stratified by gross national income were also analyzed. RESULTS: Pediatric unintentional injuries accounted for 9.4% of EMS-transported trauma cases in the participating Asian centers, and the mortality rate was 0.88%. The leading cause of injury was traffic injuries in older children aged ≥8 years (56.5%), while falls at home were common among young children aged <8 years (43.9%). Compared with younger children, older children with similar ISS tended to receive more prehospital interventions. Uneven disease severity was found in that older children in lower-middle and upper-middle-income countries had higher ISS compared with those in high-income countries. The performance of prehospital interventions also differed among countries with different gross national incomes. Immobilizations were the most performed prehospital intervention followed by oxygen administration, airway management, and pain control; only one patient received prehospital thoracentesis. Procedures were performed more frequently in high-income countries than in upper-middle-income and lower-middle-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: The major cause of injury was road traffic injuries in older children, while falls at home were common among young children. Prehospital care in pediatric unintentional injuries in Asian countries was not standardized and might be insufficient, and the economic status of countries may affect the implementation of prehospital care.

Multi-assessment of critical steno-occlusive middle cerebral arteries: transcranial Doppler combined with magnetic resonance angiography.

Background: Accurate assessment of a stenotic or occluded middle cerebral artery (MCA) is essential before making optimal therapeutic decisions. However, complete occlusion is not always easy to determine for both magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and neurologists. We aimed to study noninvasive technology using transcranial Doppler (TCD) combined with MRA to assess severe stenosis and occlusion of the MCA. Methods: We studied consecutive patients with severe steno-occlusive MCA by digital subtraction angiography from Oct. 2011 to Mar. 2020 in our stroke center. Hemodynamic measurements of TCD, including peak velocity (PSV), mean flow velocity (MFV) and pulse index (PI), were recorded specifically at the steno-occlusive site by MRA. Results: A total of 152 MCAs of 148 patients were enrolled (60.0 ± 11.5 y, 107 male), including 82 severe stenotic MCAs and 70 occluded MCAs (Group S & Group O) by DSA. There were 86/152 (57%) MCAs showing discontinuity in MRA, which was significantly distributed more in Group O than in Group S (84% vs. 33%, P < 0.001). The PSV and MFV in Group S were greater (264 ± 78 cm/s vs. 33 ± 34 cm/s and 182 ± 61 cm/s vs. 21 ± 23 cm/s, respectively, P < 0.001), while the PI in Group O was greater (0.98 ± 0.49 vs. 0.72 ± 0.17, P < 0.001). PSV was positively correlated with severe MCA stenosis (ß = 0.036, P < 0.001, OR = 0.965, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.952-0.978). In severe steno-occlusive MCA, using PSV and MFV to detect MCA severe stenosis yielded areas under the curve of 0.983 (CI: 0.964-1.0) and 0.982 (CI: 0.962-1.0), respectively. The cutoff points of PSV ≥ 77 cm/s and MFV ≥ 51 cm/s both yielded an optimized sensitivity of 96.3% and specificity of 98.6%. Conclusion: The critical velocity at the steno-occlusive site is reliable for distinguishing between severe MCA stenosis and occlusion.

Comparative analysis and influencing factors of hospitalization expenses of three single diseases in a tertiary Class A general hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the hospitalization expenses among three single diseases in The First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University (a tertiary Class A general hospital), and analyze the factors affecting hospitalization costs, so as to provide some basis for controlling the unreasonable increase of hospitalization expenses as well as to render references for medical management. METHODS: By retrospective investigation, we selected the basic information of inpatient medical records and detailed billing of patients hospitalized in our hospital from Jan. 1, 2016 to Dec. 31, 2018. The collected data were sorted based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). Finally, 1,199 cases of frequently-occurring diseases and common illnesses such as rectal cancer (RC), nodular goiter (NG) and chronic renal failure (hemodialysis, HD) (CRF) were selected to conduct descriptive statistics on influencing factors and cost structure. The influencing factors of hospitalization expenses were identified by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: The hospitalization cost of inpatients with RC or CRF (HD) mainly spent on drugs, diagnosis and materials. As to NG, the cost of surgery, diagnosis and materials were the main components of hospitalization costs. Occupation and length of stay (LOS) were identified as the main influencing factors of hospitalization expenses for RC patients. While age and LOS were the main influencing factors of hospitalization cost for NG patients, and LOS alone for patients with CRF (HD). A across-sectional study was conducted on the CRF (HD) patients over 60 years old. CONCLUSIONS: In order to reasonably control inpatient medical expenses, comprehensive intervention should be carried out in clinical work, from rational drug use and selection of consumables, to shorten the hospitalization days to an appropriate level and reduce the waste of medical resources.

Early assessment of chemotherapeutic response in hepatocellular carcinoma based on serum surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

In clinical practice, the transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) has been widely accepted as the first option for non-surgical hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment. However, patients with HCC often suffer from poor response to TACE therapy. This can be prevented if the chemotherapeutic response can be early and accurately assessed, which is essential to guide timely and rational management. In this study, the serum SERS technique was for the first time investigated as a potential prognostic tool for early assessment of HCC chemotherapeutic response. According to the SERS spectral analysis results, it is newly found that not only the absolute circulating nucleic acids and collagen levels in pre-therapeutic serum but also the changes in circulating nucleic acids and amino acids between pre-therapeutic and post-therapeutic serum are expected to be potential serum markers for HCC prognosis. By further applying chemometrics methods to establish prognostic models, excellent prognostic accuracies were achieved within only 3 days after TACE therapy. Thus, the proposed method is expected to provide guidance on timely and rational management of HCC to improve its survival rate.

Optimizing the Water Ecological Environment of Mining Cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt Using the Cloud Model, CV-TOPSIS, and Coupling Coordination Degree.

The Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) is the core region for the security of mineral resources in China and is a strategic water source containing rich water resources. Coordinating the security of mineral resources and water resources in the YREB is a key problem. Establishing and optimizing the water ecological environment (WEE) is crucial for addressing this problem in mining cities, which are the main bases for the supply of mineral resources. This study applies the cloud model, CV-TOPSIS, the standard deviation ellipse, and the coupling coordination degree model to evaluate the WEE and the coordinated development state, and to optimize the WEE. The results show that: (1) the WEE of mining cities in the YREB is generally good; (2) the protection of WEE in most mining cities has achieved significant results recently, and the results in the downstream are more remarkable than those in the mid-upstream; (3) the coordinated development of WEE in regenerative mining cities is better than that of mature and declining cities; and (4) most mining cities still belong to the lagging type of water environment (heavy metal pollution has been better treated and the threat of water ecological security caused by heavy metal pollution is low). This study suggests improvements to the sewer system, promotes WEE management in the mid-upstream, and propels the transformational development of mature and declining mining cities in advance.

Identification of cyclin protein using gradient boost decision tree algorithm.

Cyclin proteins are capable to regulate the cell cycle by forming a complex with cyclin-dependent kinases to activate cell cycle. Correct recognition of cyclin proteins could provide key clues for studying their functions. However, their sequences share low similarity, which results in poor prediction for sequence similarity-based methods. Thus, it is urgent to construct a machine learning model to identify cyclin proteins. This study aimed to develop a computational model to discriminate cyclin proteins from non-cyclin proteins. In our model, protein sequences were encoded by seven kinds of features that are amino acid composition, composition of k-spaced amino acid pairs, tri peptide composition, pseudo amino acid composition, geary correlation, normalized moreau-broto autocorrelation and composition/transition/distribution. Afterward, these features were optimized by using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and minimum redundancy maximum relevance (mRMR) with incremental feature selection (IFS) technique. A gradient boost decision tree (GBDT) classifier was trained on the optimal features. Five-fold cross-validated results showed that our model would identify cyclins with an accuracy of 93.06% and AUC value of 0.971, which are higher than the two recent studies on the same data.

DeepIPs: comprehensive assessment and computational identification of phosphorylation sites of SARS-CoV-2 infection using a deep learning-based approach.

The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection around the globe has caused a massive health and socioeconomic crisis. Identification of phosphorylation sites is an important step for understanding the molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the changes within the host cells pathways. In this study, we present DeepIPs, a first specific deep-learning architecture to identify phosphorylation sites in host cells infected with SARS-CoV-2. DeepIPs consists of the most popular word embedding method and convolutional neural network-long short-term memory network architecture to make the final prediction. The independent test demonstrates that DeepIPs improves the prediction performance compared with other existing tools for general phosphorylation sites prediction. Based on the proposed model, a web-server called DeepIPs was established and is freely accessible at http://lin-group.cn/server/DeepIPs. The source code of DeepIPs is freely available at the repository https://github.com/linDing-group/DeepIPs.

Association between long-term prescription of febuxostat and the progression of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in patients with hypertension and asymptomatic hyperuricemia.

Both hypertension and hyperuricemia are closely associated with the morbidity and mortality of heart failure. This study was designed to evaluate the influences of long-term xanthine oxidase inhibitor (febuxostat) prescription on left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), left ventricular (LV) diastolic function, and new-onset heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in these patients. Using a propensity score matching of 1:2 ratio, this retrospective claims database study compared febuxosatat prescription (n = 96) and non-urate-lowering therapy (n = 192) in patients with hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and asymptomatic hyperuricemia. With a follow-up of 36 months, febuxostat significantly decreased the level of serum uric acid as well as generated more prominent improvement in LVH and LV diastolic function. Besides, the new-onset symptomatic HFpEF occurred in 2 of 96 patients in febuxostat group and 13 of 192 patients in non-urate-lowering group (P = 0.091). No increased risk for major adverse cardiovascular events in patients prescribed with febuxostat was noted. In conclusion, long-term febuxostat exposure was associated with protective effects in terms of LVH or LV diastolic dysfunction in patients with hypertensive LVH and asymptomatic hyperuricemia. Febuxostat also displayed a trend for reduced risk of new-onset HFpEF in this population.

A comparison and assessment of computational method for identifying recombination hotspots in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Meiotic recombination is one of the most important driving forces of biological evolution, which is initiated by double-strand DNA breaks. Recombination has important roles in genome diversity and evolution. This review firstly provides a comprehensive survey of the 15 computational methods developed for identifying recombination hotspots in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These computational methods were discussed and compared in terms of underlying algorithms, extracted features, predictive capability and practical utility. Subsequently, a more objective benchmark data set was constructed to develop a new predictor iRSpot-Pse6NC2.0 (http://lin-group.cn/server/iRSpot-Pse6NC2.0). To further demonstrate the generalization ability of these methods, we compared iRSpot-Pse6NC2.0 with existing methods on the chromosome XVI of S. cerevisiae. The results of the independent data set test demonstrated that the new predictor is superior to existing tools in the identification of recombination hotspots. The iRSpot-Pse6NC2.0 will become an important tool for identifying recombination hotspot.

Contemporary Chinese centenarians: Health profiles, social support and relationships in Suixi County.

BACKGROUND: Centenarians are the fastest growing population worldwide. However, this group has been less studied in developing countries. Contemporary centenarians in China have experienced many ups and downs due to historical reasons, which may have resulted in a population with different characteristics from those in other countries. This study aimed to investigate the current sociodemographic characteristics, health profiles, and social relationships of Chinese centenarians. METHODS: We conducted face-to-face surveys in April 2017 with centenarian residents in Suixi County, the first "International Healthy Longevity Area" in China. A total of 100 centenarians were involved, including 67 females and 33 males. Information for socioeconomic and demographics characteristics, quality of life (physical, cognitive, and psychological function), and social support and relationships was collected. Sex differences in each measure were examined. RESULTS: We find that good self-reported health, good life satisfaction, intact memory function, independence, and unsatisfied healthcare needs were reported by 24.4%, 45.9%, 31.6%, 46.3%, and 33.4% of the respondents respectively. Subjective symptoms among males were less prevalent (p < 0.05). There were no statistical significant sex differences in cognitive and psychological function. The major source of care provision has been family. Generally, the centenarians had intimate relationships within families but maintained distant relationships with friends and communities. CONCLUSION: Our results bring attention to family-based care to provide informal care, and health education to promote healthy behaviors and healthcare utilization, for the oldest-old in China. The findings also imply a crucial role of good relationships with family in exceptional longevity.

Top Illuminated Hysteresis-Free Perovskite Solar Cells Incorporating Microcavity Structures on Metal Electrodes: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Approach.

Further technological development of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) will require improvements in power conversion efficiency and stability, while maintaining low material costs and simple fabrication. In this Research Article, we describe top-illuminated ITO-free, stable PSCs featuring microcavity structures, wherein metal layers on both sides on the active layers exerted light interference effects in the active layer, potentially increasing the light path length inside the active layer. The optical constants (refractive index and extinction coefficient) of each layer in the PSC devices were measured, while the optical field intensity distribution was simulated using the transfer matrix method. The photocurrent densities of perovskite layers of various thicknesses were also simulated; these results mimic our experimental values exceptionally well. To modify the cavity electrode surface, we deposited a few nanometers of ultrathin MoO3 (2, 4, and 6 nm) in between the Ag and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) layers provide hydrophobicity to the Ag surface and elevate the work function of Ag to match that of the hole transport layer. We achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 13.54% without hysteresis in the device containing a 4 nm-thick layer of MoO3. In addition, we fabricated these devices on various cavity electrodes (Al, Ag, Au, Cu); those prepared using Cu and Au anodes displayed improved device stability of up to 72 days. Furthermore, we prepared flexible PSCs having a PCE of 12.81% after incorporating the microcavity structures onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) as the substrate. These flexible solar cells displayed excellent stability against bending deformation, maintaining greater than 94% stability after 1000 bending cycles and greater than 85% after 2500 bending cycles performed with a bending radius of 5 mm.

Chemometric Classification of Different Tree Peony Species Native to China Based on the Assessment of Major Fatty Acids of Seed Oil and Phenotypic Characteristics of the Seeds.

In the present study, we quantitatively measured five major fatty acids (FA) in seed oil using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and examined four phenotypic characteristics of the seeds from 19 populations from nine wild tree peony species native to China. The results showed that the unsaturated FAs contents were dominant, of which α-linolenic acid (ALA), linoleic acid, and oleic acid (OA) contents ranged from 14.84 to 42.54 g/100 g, 7.33 to 19.66 g/100 g, and 15.07 - 35.31 g/100 g crude oil, respectively. The phenotypic seed characteristics, such as thousand seed weight (244.01 - 1772.91 g), seed volume (91.31 - 1000.79 mm3 ), weight rate of kernel and coat (1.29 - 3.62) and oil extraction ratio (20.32 - 34.69%), dramatically varied. Based on the contents of the five FAs, the nine species were classified into two groups. The species belonging to subsection Vaginatae were arranged in cluster I and were characterized by high ALA content. Cluster II, consistent with subsection Delavayanae, had a high OA content. From horizontal and vertical perspectives, the natural distribution areas of these two groups were different, reflecting differences in the FA contents and phenotypic seed characteristics. In conclusion, the FAs composition could be used as a chemotaxonomic marker for tree peony species.

Early responses assessment of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma by serial dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility of utilizing serial dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) prospectively for early prediction of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) response in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-three advanced NPC patients were recruited and received three DCE-MRI exams before treatment (Pre-Tx), 3days (Day3-Tx) and 20days (Day20-Tx) after initiation of chemotherapy (one NAC cycle). Early response to NAC was determined based on the third MRI scan and classified partial response (PR) as responders and stable disease (SD) as non-responders. After intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), complete response (CR) patients were classified as responders. The kinetic parameters (Ktrans, Kep, ve, and vp) derived from extended Tofts' model analysis and their corresponding changes ΔMetrics(0-X) (X=3 or 20days) were compared between the responders and non-responders using the Student's T-test or Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Compared to the SD group, the PR group after one NAC cycle presented significantly higher mean Ktrans values at baseline (P=0.011) and larger ΔKtrans(0-3) and ΔKep(0-3) values (P=0.003 and 0.031). For the above parameters, we gained acceptable sensitivity (range: 66.8-75.0%) and specificity (range: 60.0-66.7%) to distinguish the non-responders from the responders and their corresponding diagnosis efficacy (range: 0.703-0.767). The PR group patients after one NAC cycle showed persistent inhibition of tumor perfusion by NAC as explored by DCE-MRI parameters comparing to the SD group (P<0.05) and presented a higher cure ratio after IMRT than those who did not (83.3% vs. 73.8%). CONCLUSIONS: This primarily DCE-MRI based study showed that the early changes of the kinetic parameters during therapy were potential imaging markers to predicting response right after one NAC cycle for NPC patients.

Rational design of inverted nanopencil arrays for cost-effective, broadband, and omnidirectional light harvesting.

Due to the unique optical properties, three-dimensional arrays of silicon nanostructures have attracted increasing attention as the efficient photon harvesters for various technological applications. In this work, instead of dry etching, we have utilized our newly developed wet anisotropic etching to fabricate silicon nanostructured arrays with different well-controlled geometrical morphologies, ranging from nanopillars, nanorods, and inverted nanopencils to nanocones, followed by systematic investigations of their photon-capturing properties combining experiments and simulations. It is revealed that optical properties of these nanoarrays are predominantly dictated by their geometrical factors including the structural pitch, material filling ratio, and aspect ratio. Surprisingly, along with the proper geometrical design, the inverted nanopencil arrays can couple incident photons into optical modes in the pencil base efficiently in order to achieve excellent broadband and omnidirectional light-harvesting performances even with the substrate thickness down to 10 µm, which are comparable to the costly and technically difficult to achieve nanocone counterparts. Notably, the fabricated nanopencils with both 800 and 380 nm base diameters can suppress the optical reflection well below 5% over a broad wavelength of 400-1000 nm and a wide angle of incidence between 0 and 60°. All these findings not only offer additional insight into the light-trapping mechanism in these complex 3D nanophotonic structures but also provide efficient broadband and omnidirectional photon harvesters for next-generation cost-effective ultrathin nanostructured photovoltaics.

[Study on optimal model of hypothetical work injury insurance scheme].

OBJECTIVE: To explore an optimal model of hypothetical work injury insurance scheme, which is in line with the wishes of workers, based on the problems in the implementation of work injury insurance in China and to provide useful information for relevant policy makers. METHODS: Multistage cluster sampling was used to select subjects: first, 9 small, medium, and large enterprises were selected from three cities (counties) in Zhejiang Province, China according to the economic development, transportation, and cooperation; then, 31 workshops were randomly selected from the 9 enterprises. Face-to-face interviews were conducted by trained interviewers using a pre-designed questionnaire among all workers in the 31 workshops. RESULTS: After optimization of hypothetical work injury insurance scheme, the willingness to participate in the scheme increased from 73.87%to 80.96%; the average willingness to pay for the scheme increased from 2.21% (51.77 yuan) to 2.38% of monthly wage (54.93 Yuan); the median willingness to pay for the scheme increased from 1% to 1.2% of monthly wage, but decreased from 35 yuan to 30 yuan. The optimal model of hypothetical work injury insurance scheme covers all national and provincial statutory occupational diseases and work accidents, as well as consultations about occupational diseases. The scheme is supposed to be implemented worldwide by the National Social Security Department, without regional differences. The premium is borne by the state, enterprises, and individuals, and an independent insurance fund is kept in the lifetime personal account for each of insured individuals. The premium is not refunded in any event. Compensation for occupational diseases or work accidents is unrelated to the enterprises of the insured workers but related to the length of insurance. The insurance becomes effective one year after enrollment, while it is put into effect immediately after the occupational disease or accident occurs. CONCLUSION: The optimal model of hypothetical work injury insurance scheme actually realizes cross-regional mobility of workers, minimizes regional differences, and embodies the fairness. The proposed model will, to some extent, protect the rights and interests of enterprises, as well as the healthy rights and interests of workers when they are unemployed.

[Spiral computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in assessment of the skull base encroachment in nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: With the general using of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), it is important to determine which method is more sensitive in detecting the skull base encroachment in clinic. This article was designed to investigate the diagnostic value of CT and MRI in detecting the skull base erosion in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. METHODS: Sixty-one cases pathologically proven as nasopharyngeal carcinoma were selected from August 1993 to September 2001. three-dimensional reconstruction with spiral CT thin slices scan were performed in 8 cases. CT scan was performed with Elscient CT Twin Flash; axial scan was parallel to the OM line routinely from soft palate to the suprasellar cistern. There were 13 cases with enhancement scan. MRI scan was performed by Philips T5-II super-conducting magnetic resonance imaging system (0.5T). The standard quadrature head coil was used. Routine axial, sagittal, and coronal image with SE sequences were obtained. Scanned field ranged from the soft palate to the suprasellar cistern. After plain scan, enhanced scan was performed in 55 of 61 cases. RESULTS: MRI discovered the skull base encroached more precisely than CT, 17 cases by CT and 26 cases by MRI, respectively. The early bone marrow infiltration was seen at clivus, basilar pterygoid, and basilar sphenoid in 6 cases by MRI scan while CT scan showed no abnormal lesion at these sites. In addition, MRI revealed nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissue infiltrated along the mandibular nerve (3 cases) while CT scan showed no change of these structures. CONCLUSION: Both CT and MRI can reveal that the tumor encroaches on the skull base by either destroying the bony structure or breaking through the natural foramen. MRI is more sensitive than CT in detecting the skull base encroachment. MRI could reveal the early infiltration of the bone marrow and tumor infiltration along the mandibular nerve. MRI confirms the dimension of nasopharyngeal carcinoma more precisely than CT. The three dimension reconstructional spiral CT was directer in discovering the dimension of the tumor.

[Assessment of retropharyngeal lymph node by comparing CT with MRI].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: The incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is high as part of malignancy of head and neck in South China. Some of the foreign radiologists investigated on it by comparing CT (computed tomography) with MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), but there was no description for metastatic retropharyngeal lymph node (RPN) of NPC. None of this kind of article published in domestic. The current study was designed to evaluate CT and MRI in identifying retropharyngeal node by comparing the finding of CT and MRI in 56 patients with NPC. METHODS: Fifty-six cases pathologically proven as nasopharyngeal carcinoma were selected from August, 1993 to December, 2000; CT scan were performed by Elscient CT Twin flash, axial scan were parallel to the OM line routinely from soft palate to the supracellar cistern. MRI scan were performed by Philip T5-II super-conducting magnetic resonance imaging system(0.5T). The standard quadrature head coil was used. Routine axial, saggital, and coronal scan with SE sequences were obtained. Scanned field ranged from soft palate to the supracellar cistern. After plain scaned, contrast material were administrated in 40 cases by intravenous injection of Gd-DTPA 0.1 mmol per kilogram body weight. And then repeat axial, saggital and coronal scan. RESULTS: MRI recovered the RPN more exactly than CT (13 cases by CT and 24 cases by MRI) and there was significant differentiation 0(P < 0.05). It is possible to distinguish the metastatic RPN of NPC from the directly infiltration of tumor by MRI. CONCLUSIONS: MRI is more precise than CT in differentiating the RPN from the directly invasion by tumor tissue of NPC, which will affects the 92 Chinese staging systems, for NPC obviously.