A pilot study on the effects of early use of valproate sodium on neuroinflammation after traumatic brain injury / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the effect of early use of sodium valproate on neuroinflammation after traumatic brain injury (TBI).@*METHODS@#A total of 45 children who visited in Xuzhou Children's Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University from August 2021 to August 2022 were enrolled in this prospective study, among whom 15 healthy children served as the healthy control group, and 30 children with TBI were divided into a sodium valproate treatment group and a conventional treatment group using a random number table (n=15 each). The children in the sodium valproate treatment group were given sodium valproate in addition to conventional treatment, and those in the conventional group were given an equal volume of 5% glucose solution in addition to conventional treatment. The serum concentrations of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3), high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were measured in the healthy control group on the day of physical examination and in the children with TBI on days 1, 3, and 5 after admission. Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOS-E) score was evaluated for the children with TBI 2 months after discharge.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the healthy control group, the children with TBI had significantly higher serum concentrations of NLRP3, HMGB1, TNF-α, and IL-1β on day 1 after admission (P<0.017). The concentration of NLRP3 on day 5 after admission was significantly higher than that on days 1 and 3 after admission in the children with TBI (P<0.017). On days 3 and 5 after admission, the sodium valproate treatment group had a significantly lower concentration of NLRP3 than the conventional treatment group (P<0.05). For the conventional treatment group, there was no significant difference in the concentration of HMGB1 on days 1, 3, and 5 after admission (P>0.017), while for the sodium valproate treatment group, the concentration of HMGB1 on day 5 after admission was significantly lower than that on days 1 and 3 after admission (P<0.017). On day 5 after admission, the sodium valproate treatment group had a significantly lower concentration of HMGB1 than the conventional treatment group (P<0.05). For the children with TBI, the concentration of TNF-α on day 1 after admission was significantly lower than that on days 3 and 5 after admission (P<0.017). On days 3 and 5 after admission, the sodium valproate treatment group had a significantly lower concentration of TNF-α than the conventional treatment group (P<0.05). The concentration of IL-1β on day 3 after admission was significantly lower than that on days 1 and 5 after admission (P<0.017) in the children with TBI. On days 3 and 5 after admission, the sodium valproate treatment group had a significantly lower concentration of IL-1β than the conventional treatment group (P<0.05). The GOS-E score was significantly higher in the sodium valproate treatment group than that in the conventional treatment group 2 months after discharge (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Early use of sodium valproate can reduce the release of neuroinflammatory factors and improve the prognosis of children with TBI.

The sleep condition and its association with cognitive function of the elderly in six provinces of China / 中华预防医学杂志

Objective: To analyze the association between sleep duration and cognitive function of the elderly in six provinces of China. Methods: Based on the cross-sectional survey data of the elderly from the Healthy Ageing Assessment Cohort Study in 2019, 4 644 participants' sociodemographic and economic indicators, lifestyle, prevalence of major chronic diseases, and sleep status, including night-time sleep duration, daytime sleep duration and insomnia, were collected by questionnaires. Cognitive function was evaluated by the Mini-Mental State Examination. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the association between night-time sleep duration, daytime sleep duration and cognitive function. Results: The mean age of 4 644 respondents was (72.3±5.7) years, and 2 111 of them were males (45.5%). The mean total daily sleep time of the elderly was (7.9±1.9) hours, and the proportion of those who slept less than 7.0, 7.0-8.9 and≥9.0 hours was 24.1% (1 119), 42.1% (1 954) and 33.8% (1 571), respectively. The mean sleep time at night was (6.9±1.7) hours. About 23.7% (1 102) of the elderly did not sleep during the day, and the mean duration of the elderly who slept during the day was (78±51) minutes. Among the elderly with insomnia, 47.9% were still satisfied with their sleep quality. The mean value of MMSE score of 4 644 respondents was (24.5±5.3), and the cognitive impairment rate was 28.3% (1 316). The results of multivariate logistic regression model analysis showed that the OR (95%CI) value of the risk of cognitive impairment in older people who did not sleep, slept for 31 to 60 minutes and slept more than one hour was 1.473 (1.139 to 1.904), 1.277 (1.001 to 1.629) and 1.496 (1.160 to 1.928), respectively, compared with those who slept for 1 to 30 minutes during the daytime. Compared with those who slept for 7.0‒8.9 hours at night, the OR (95%CI) value of the risk of cognitive impairment in older people who slept more than 9.0 hours was 1.239 (1.011 to 1.519). Conclusion: The cognitive function is related to sleep duration in the Chinese elderly.

S-propargyl-cysteine delays the progression of atherosclerosis and increases eNOS phosphorylation in endothelial cells / 生理学报

The present study aimed to investigate the protective effect of S-propargyl-cysteine (SPRC) on atherosclerosis progression in mice. A mouse model of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque was created in ApoE-/- mice by carotid artery tandem stenosis (TS) combined with a Western diet. Macrophotography, lipid profiles, and inflammatory markers were measured to evaluate the antiatherosclerotic effects of SPRC compared to atorvastatin as a control. Histopathological analysis was performed to assess the plaque stability. To explore the protective mechanism of SPRC, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured in vitro and challenged with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL). Cell viability was determined with a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8). Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation and mRNA expression were detected by Western blot and RT-qPCR respectively. The results showed that the lesion area quantified by en face photographs of the aortic arch and carotid artery was significantly less, plasma total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were reduced, plaque collagen content was increased and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) was decreased in 80 mg/kg per day SPRC-treated mice compared with model mice. These findings support the role of SPRC in plaque stabilization. In vitro studies revealed that 100 μmol/L SPRC increased the cell viability and the phosphorylation level of eNOS after ox-LDL challenge. These results suggest that SPRC delays the progression of atherosclerosis and enhances plaque stability. The protective effect may be at least partially related to the increased phosphorylation of eNOS in endothelial cells.

Research progress of NOD2-mediated signaling pathways and relationship with autoinflammatory diseases and its inhibitors / 药学学报

Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain containing protein 2 (NOD2) is a member of intracellular pattern recognition receptor. After being activated, it will induce the release of inflammatory factors through a series of signal cascade transduction, thus playing an important role in the innate immune response. The abnormal NOD2 signaling pathway is involved in the occurrence and development of many diseases, especially the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the NOD2 gene have been identified to be closely associated with autoinflammatory diseases (AIDs). Therefore, inhibitors targeting NOD2 pathway have great potential in the treatment of inflammatory immune diseases. This review presents the recent progress of NOD2 receptor-mediated signal transduction pathways and its regulation mechanisms, the relationship between NOD2 and AIDs, and the inhibitors of NOD2 pathway.

Design and clinical application evaluation of multi-leaf collimators / 中国辐射卫生

@#Multi-leaf collimators are devices to block rays from medical linear accelerators, which directly affect doses to targets and organs at risk by adjusting field shape and dose distribution in radiation therapy. As multi-leaf collimators are diversified in structure, there has been growing research on dosimetric comparison of various multi-leaf collimators. In this paper, we introduced the classifications of multi-leaf collimators according to their basic components, as well as the hardware structure and design features of the products of main accelerator manufacturers, including Varian’s Millennium MLC, HD120 MLC, and Halcyon, Elekta’s MLCi/i2 and Agility, and Accuray’s InCise 2 MLC and TomoTherapy. In terms of clinical application evaluation, focusing on radiotherapy plans for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, we reviewed comparative studies on the dosimetry performance of multi-leaf collimators and the effects of relevant parameters on dose distribution. We hope this review on the design and application evaluation of multi-leaf collimators can provide a reference for more innovative design and accelerator selection and parameter setting in clinical individualized treatment.

New advances in the pathogenesis and drug research of psoriasis / 药学学报

Psoriasis is a chronic, recurrent, and inflammatory skin disease induced by multiple factors. Its typical clinical manifestation is scaly erythema or plaques, which can cause various complications such as metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and inflammatory arthritis, seriously affecting the quality of life of patients. A deep understanding of the pathogenesis of psoriasis is helpful to discover new therapeutic targets and develop effective new therapeutic drugs, thus having important clinical significance. This manuscript reviews the new advances in the pathogenesis and drug research of psoriasis in recent years.

Progress of transcatheter aortic valve replacement in patients with atrioventricular regurgitation / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#As the indications for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) expand, multi-valve lesions are becoming more common in clinical practice. Moderate to severe atrioventricular regurgitation, particularly when persistent after TAVR, significantly increases the risk of adverse events. Therefore, many studies have evaluated factors that contribute to the improvement of atrioventricular regurgitation. However, this field remains controversial due to the heterogeneity of retrospective studies and the lack of randomized controlled trials. Despite advances in atrioventricular valve intervention techniques, evidence for atrioventricular regurgitation intervention after TAVR is still scarce. The management decision for atrioventricular regurgitation in patients who underwent TAVR is complex and must take into account the severity of valve disease, anatomical characteristics, quality of life, and procedural complexity. We conducted a review of atrioventricular regurgitation in patients who have received TAVR in hope that it will help decision-making in clinical practice.

The effect of CT detector width and signal acquisition positions on image quality / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the influence of different detector widths and signal acquisition positions of wide-detector CT in different scanning modes on CT number and noise, and to provide a basis for reasonable selection of scanning modes and related parameters in clinical practice.Methods:The body dose phantom was scanned by GE Revolution CT. The scan was performed with detector widths of 40, 80 and 160 mm in sequential scanning mode and with detector width/pitch combinations of 40 mm/0.516, 40 mm/0.984, 80 mm/0.508 and 80 mm/0.992 in spiral scanning mode. The phantom was placed at the central and peripheral of the selected detector widths, and the adjacent positions between two axial scans. The images of the phantom were evaluated subjectively and the CT numbers and SDs were measured. The differences between the measured values at different imaging parameters were compared. The multi-group Friedman test was used to compare CT numbers and SD under different scanning parameters in sequential scanning mode, and the Wilcoxon test was used to compare CT numbers and SD in spiral scanning mode.Results:There was no statistically significant difference in the geometric shapes of the phantom images obtained at any combination of parameters. In sequential scanning mode, the differences at different detector widths were statistically significant (χ 2=14.00, P=0.001) with CT numbers at 40 mm and 160 mm greater than CT numbers at 80 mm ( P<0.05). The differences at different signal acquisition positions were statistically significant (χ 2=12.04, P=0.002) with CT numbers at peripheral and adjacent greater than CT numbers at central ( P<0.05). In spiral scanning mode CT numbers at detector width at 80 mm were greater than CT numbers at 40 mm ( Z=-2.10, P=0.036). For SD, the differences at different detector widths were statistically significant in sequential scanning modes (χ 2=8.17, P=0.017) with SD at 160 mm greater than SD at 80 mm ( P<0.05). The differences at different signal acquisition positions were statistically significant (χ 2=13.50, P=0.001) with SD at peripheral greater than SD at central ( P<0.05). In spiral scanning mode SDs at pitches 0.984 and 0.992 were greater than SDs at 0.516 and 0.508 ( Z=-2.66, P=0.008). There were no significant differences among other groups. Conclusion:The selection of scanning mode, detector width and signal acquisition position of wide-detector CT will affect the image CT numbers and SDs.

Diagnostic value of neutrophil CD64 index in disseminated nontuberculous mycobacteria infection / 中华传染病杂志

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic value of neutrophil CD64 index (nCD64) in disseminated nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection.Methods:Thirty-six patients with NTM infection from January 2020 to June 2021 in Huashan Hospital, Fudan University were included. Patients were classified into groups of disseminated infection and focal infection according to their medical history and discharge diagnosis. The expressions of nCD64 in patients with focal infection and disseminated infection before treatment were collected and analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test, and the diagnostic value of nCD64 for disseminated NTM infection was analyzed using the receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve). Results:Among the 36 patients with NTM infection, 18 cases were focal infection (due to the low white blood cell count of the patient with myelodysplastic syndrome, the detection results were biased, which were excluded from the subsequent analysis) and 18 cases were disseminated infection. The expression of nCD64 in focal infection was 0.72(0.50, 1.55), and that in disseminated infection was 13.63(6.77, 32.31). The difference was statistically significant ( U=15.50, P<0.001). Using focal infection as a control, the area under the ROC curve for the operational characteristics of the subjects was 0.949 3 for disseminated NTM infection. The diagnostic cut-off value of nCD64 was 3.06, with the sensitivity and specificity of the disseminated NTM infection were 88.89% and 100.00%, respectively. Conclusions:In patients with NTM infection before effective treatment, the diagnostic cut-off value of nCD64 of 3.06 has high sensitivity and specificity, which is useful for the aided diagnosis of disseminated NTM infection.

The role of phosphatidylcholine 34:1 in the occurrence, development and treatment of ulcerative colitis

Lipid homeostasis is considered to be related to intestinal metabolic balance, while its role in the pathogenesis and treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) remains largely unexplored. The present study aimed to identify the target lipids related to the occurrence, development and treatment of UC by comparing the lipidomics of UC patients, mice and colonic organoids with the corresponding healthy controls. Here, multi-dimensional lipidomics based on LC-QTOF/MS, LC-MS/MS and iMScope systems were constructed and used to decipher the alteration of lipidomic profiles. The results indicated that UC patients and mice were often accompanied by dysregulation of lipid homeostasis, in which triglycerides and phosphatidylcholines were significantly reduced. Notably, phosphatidylcholine 34:1 (PC34:1) was characterized by high abundance and closely correlation with UC disease. Our results also revealed that down-regulation of PC synthase PCYT1α and Pemt caused by UC modeling was the main factor leading to the reduction of PC34:1, and exogenous PC34:1 could greatly enhance the fumarate level via inhibiting the transformation of glutamate to N-acetylglutamate, thus exerting an anti-UC effect. Collectively, our study not only supplies common technologies and strategies for exploring lipid metabolism in mammals, but also provides opportunities for the discovery of therapeutic agents and biomarkers of UC.

Design and application of a multi-assisted function incision and orifice closure buckle / 中华危重病急救医学

Incision infection is one of the common complications in surgery. Infected incisions usually need to perform procedures including suture removal, debridement, drainage, sterilization and anti-inflammatory. Until, the wound edge was sutured again after the wound infection was controlled. This contributes to considerable physical and psychological suffering for patients. To this end, with Dalian Medical University as the main inventor and other several experts, a multi-assistance function incision and orifice closure buckle have been designed and obtained the national utility model patent (patent number: ZL 2019 2 1803918.4). The closure buckle with was composed of two blocks with an adhesive layer and one tensioning mechanism. The device is easy to operate, and could effectively play an analgesic, antibacterial and promote healing on the basis of perfecting its wound margins and orifice. It has certain clinical application value.

Application of NoSAS score, STOP-BANG Questionnaire and Epworth sleepiness scale in evaluating obstructive sleep apnea risk in patients with respiratory disease / 国际生物医学工程杂志

Objective:To compare the value of NoSAS score, STOP-BANG questionnaire (SBQ) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) in assessing the risk of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) in patients with respiratory disease (RD).Methods:The clinical data, NoSAS, SBQ and ESS scores of 190 patients who underwent overnight polysomnography (PSG) were collected. According to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, with different apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) as the judgment cutoff, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and accuracy of the three scales were compared.Results:With AHI ≥5 times/h as the cutoff, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of NoSAS and SBQ were 0.833 and 0.729, respectively, indicating that both have predictive value for mild OSAHS. Among them, NoSAS had a larger DOR value (16.150), indicating that NoSAS had the higher accuracy in assessing the risk of mild OSAHS. When AHI>15 times/h was used as the cutoff, the AUC value of NoSAS was 0.704, indicating that it has predictive value for moderate OSAHS. When AHI>30 times/h was used as the cutoff, the AUC value (0.706) and DOR value (6.527) of SBQ were high, indicating that it has predictive value and good accuracy for severe OSAHS. The SBQ is more sensitive than NoSAS and ESS when evaluating patients at high risk for OSAHS ( SBQ≥3). Conclusions:When evaluating the risk of mild and moderate OSAHS in RD patients, NoSAS is better than SBQ and ESS, and when evaluating severe OSAHS, SBQ is better than NoSAS and ESS. In clinical work, appropriate predictive tools should be selected according to the actual situation to assess the risk of OSAHS, so as to formulate and implement early intervention plans based on the assessment results.

Self-management of older adults at high risk of stroke / 国际脑血管病杂志

Stroke in the elderly has a high incidence rate and great harm. Strengthening the management of high-risk populations is the key to primary stroke prevention. Disease self-management has a better cost-effectiveness ratio. This article reviews the self-management of the elderly at high risk of stroke from the aspects of current situation, content and influencing factors of self-management.

Comparison of pathogenicity and gene expression profiles between adult Schistosoma japonicum isolated from hilly and marshland and lake regions of Anhui Province / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To compare the differences in pathogenicity and gene expression profiles between adult Schistosoma japonicum isolated from hilly and marshland and lake regions of Anhui Province, so as to provide the scientific evidence for formulating the precise schistosomiasis control strategy in different endemic foci. Methods C57BL/6 mice were infected with cercariae of S. japonicum isolates from Shitai County (hilly regions) and Susong County (marshland and lake regions) of Anhui Province in 2021, and all mice were sacrificed 44 days post-infection and dissected. The worm burdens, number of S. japonicum eggs deposited in the liver, and the area of egg granulomas in the liver were measured to compare the difference in the pathogenicity between the two isolates. In addition, female and male adult S. japonicum worms were collected and subjected to transcriptome sequencing, and the gene expression profiles were compared between Shitai and Susong isolates of S. japonicum. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. Results The total worm burdens [(14.50 ± 3.96) worms/mouse vs. (16.10 ± 3.78) worms/mouse; t = 0.877, P = 0.392], number of female and male paired worms [(4.50 ± 0.67) worms/mouse vs. (5.10 ± 1.45) worms/mouse; t = 1.129, P = 0.280], number of unpaired male worms [(5.50 ± 4.01) worms/mouse vs. (5.60 ± 1.69) worms/mouse; t = 0.069, P = 0.946], number of eggs deposited in per gram liver [(12 116.70 ± 6 508.83) eggs vs. (16 696.70 ± 4 571.56) eggs; t = 1.821, P = 0.085], and area of a single egg granuloma in the liver [(74 359.40 ± 11 766.34) µm2 vs. (74 836.90 ± 13 086.12) µm2; t = 0.081, P = 0.936] were comparable between Shitai and Susong isolates of S. japonicum. Transcriptome sequencing identified 584 DEGs between adult female worms and 1 598 DEGs between adult male worms of Shitai and Susong isolates of S. japonicum. GO enrichment analysis showed that the DEGs between female adults were predominantly enriched in biological processes of stimulus response, cytotoxicity, multiple cell biological processes, metabolic processes, cellular processes and signaling pathways, cellular components of cell, organelles and cell membranes and molecular functions of binding and catalytic ability, and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that these DEGs were significantly enriched in pathways of vascular endothelial growth factor signaling, glutathione metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism. In addition, the DEGs between male adults were predominantly enriched in biological processes of signaling transduction, multiple cell biological processes, regulation of biological processes, metabolic processes, development processes and stimulus responses, cellular components of extracellular matrix and cell junction and molecular functions of binding and catalytic ability, and these DEGs were significantly enriched in pathways of Wnt signaling, Ras signaling, natural killer cells-mediated cytotoxicity, extracellular matrix-receptor interactions and arginine biosynthesis. Conclusions There is no significant difference in the pathogenicity between S. japonicum isolates from hilly and marshland and lake regions of Anhui Province; however, the gene expression profiles vary significantly between S. japonicum isolates.

Research status of occupational methanol poisoning based on literature bibliometrics / 中国职业医学

@#Objective To analyze the research status and hotspot of occupational methanol poisoning at home and abroad. Methods ， The China National Knowledge Resource Database Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform and Web of Science were used as the data sources. The relevant literatures on occupational methanol poisoning published in domestic and foreign ， Results journals up to June 30 2021 were searched. The bibliometrics was used to analyzed the literatures. A total of 255 literatures were included in analysis. There were 187 Chinese articles and 68 English articles. Most of Chinese articles were ， ， published from 2001 to 2005 with an average of 26.7 literatures per five years until June 2021. Among them 72 literatures （ ）， ， were published in core journals 38.5% and 176 authors from 27 provinces autonomous regions and municipality directly ， under the central government published relevant literatures. The research contents mainly focused on the classification ， ， poisoning mode clinical manifestations visual impairment and poisoning prevention and treatment of occupational methanol - ， poisoning. Most of the English literatures were published in 2016 2020 with an average of 4.9 articles per five years until June ， （ ）， 2021. Among them 36 were published in SCI journals 52.9% and 57 authors from 11 countries published relevant ， ， ， literatures. The research contents mainly focused on the clinical diagnosis drug treatment intoxication mechanism visual Conclusion sequelae and brain injury of occupational methanol poisoning. The research on occupational methanol poisoning ， ， ， mainly focuses on clinical diagnosis clinical manifestations treatment and prognosis and pathogenesis. The focus of relevant research at home and abroad is different.

The IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway mediated by radiotherapy regulates the expression of PD-L1 in esophageal cancer cells / 中华肿瘤杂志

Objective: To explore the possible mechanism of radiotherapy regulating the expression of PD-L1 in esophageal carcinoma. Methods: Three esophageal cancer cell lines (Eca109, Kyse150, TE1) were irradiated with different doses of X-rays, and 6 Gy+ AG490 group was set. The mRNA expression of PD-L1 was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The protein expressions of PD-L1, STAT3, p-STAT3 were detected by western blotting and the protein level of IL-6 was detected by ELISA. Results: The mRNA expressions of PD-L1 in Eca109, Kyse150 and TE1 were 2.86±0.30, 960.01±21.27 and 106.78±6.67, higher than 1.07±0.15 in normal esophageal cell line HET-1A (P<0.01). The protein expressions of PD-L1 in Eca109, Kyse150 and TE1 were 0.091±0.036, 1.533±0.079 and 0.914±0.035, higher than 0.063±0.01 in normal esophageal cell line HET-1A (P<0.01). After 48 hours of 6 Gy irradiation, the protein expression levels of PD-L1 in Eca109, Kyse150 and TE1 were 0.135±0.007, 1.66±0.06 and 1.32±0.06, higher than 0.09±0.01, 1.21±0.05 and 0.93±0.03 of the 0 Gy group (P<0.01), while the protein expression levels of p-STAT3 in Eca109, Kyse150 and TE1 were 1.44±0.26, 0.75±0.04 and 1.92±0.17, higher than 0.18±0.05, 0.48±0.02 and 0.36±0.06 of the 0 Gy group (P<0.01). IL-6 protein expression increased significantly after different doses of irradiation (P<0.01). After the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway was blocked by the specific inhibitor AG490, the expressions of PD-L1 of Eca109, Kyse150 and TE1 in the 6 Gy+ AG490 groups were 0.11±0.03, 1.07±0.08 and 0.96±0.11, without significant differences of 0.09±0.01, 0.96±0.05 and 0.85±0.09 of the 0 Gy group (P>0.05), while the protein expressions of p-STAT3 were 0.76±0.11, 0.59±0.06 and 0.96±0.12, without significant differences of 0.67±0.08, 0.54±0.06 and 0.84±0.11 of the 0 Gy group (P>0.05). Conclusion: Radiotherapy may regulate the expression of PD-L1 in esophageal cancer cells through IL-6 / STAT3 signaling pathway.

Mutual information-based contrastive learning for the generation of pseudo-CT images of the head from magnetic resonance imaging / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective:To compare the abilities of different neural networks to generate pseudo-computed tomography (CT) images from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images and to explore the feasibility of pseudo-CT for clinical radiotherapy planning.Methods:A total of 29 brain cancer patients with planning CT and diagnostic MRI were selected. 23 of these patients were used for training neural networks and 6 for testing pseudo-CT images. Cycle-consistent generative adversarial network (cycleGAN), contrastive learning for unpaired image-to-image translation (CUT), and improved network denseCUT proposed in this study were applied to generate pseudo-CT images from MRI images. The pseudo-CT images were imported into a clinical treatment planning system to verify the feasibility of applying this method to radiotherapy planning.Results:The comparison between the generated pseudo-CT images and real CT images showed that the mean absolute errors were (72.0±6.9), (72.5±8.0), and (64.6±7.3) HU for the cycleGAN, CUT, and denseCUT, respectively. Meanwhile, the structure similarity indices were 0.91±0.01, 0.91±0.01, and 0.93±0.01, respectively. The peak signal-to-noise ratios were (28.5±0.7), (28.5±0.7), and (29.5±0.7) dB, respectively. The 2%/2 mm γ passing rates were 98.05%, 97.92%, and 98.31% for the cycleGAN, CUT, and denseCUT, respectively.Conclusions:DenseCUT can generate more accurate pseudo-CT images and the pseudo-CT can meet the demand for the dose calculation of IMRT plan.

A new scoring system based on lumbar MRI image to assess bone mineral density / 中国医师杂志

Objective:To establish a scoring system based on lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images to evaluate bone mineral density and evaluate its correlation with T score of dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA).Methods:The clinical data of 82 patients with lumbar degenerative diseases who were admitted to the Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University from January 2019 to August 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. According to the lower value of T value of femoral neck and total hip bone mineral density detected by DEXA, they were divided into normal bone mass group ( n=40) and abnormal bone mass group ( n=42). The vertebral body bone mass (VBQ) score of the patient was calculated by dividing the average signal intensity of L 1-4 vertebral body by the signal intensity of L 3 level cerebrospinal fluid on T 1 weighted image of MRI. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to evaluate the ability of VBQ score to distinguish between normal bone mass and abnormal bone mass and the accuracy of predicting the occurrence of abnormal bone mass. Further, the correlation between VBQ score and T value was determined by regression analysis. Results:The lowest T value measured by DEXA in the abnormal bone mass group were significantly lower than those in the normal bone mass group, and the VBQ score was significantly higher than that in the normal bone mass group(all P<0.001). The area under curve (AUC) of VBQ score for predicting abnormal bone mass was 0.93, the cut-off value was 2.98, with sensitivity 81.6%, and specificity 88.6%. The VBQ score was corrected with the lowest T value measured by DEXA ( r=-0.77). Conclusions:VBQ score could effectively distinguish normal bone mass from abnormal bone mass and was negatively correlated with the lowest T value of DEXA.

Aging weakens Th17 cell pathogenicity and ameliorates experimental autoimmune uveitis in mice

Aging-induced changes in the immune system are associated with a higher incidence of infection and vaccination failure. Lymph nodes, which filter the lymph to identify and fight infections, play a central role in this process. However, careful characterization of the impact of aging on lymph nodes and associated autoimmune diseases is lacking. We combined single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) with flow cytometry to delineate the immune cell atlas of cervical draining lymph nodes (CDLNs) of both young and old mice with or without experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). We found extensive and complicated changes in the cellular constituents of CDLNs during aging. When confronted with autoimmune challenges, old mice developed milder EAU compared to young mice. Within this EAU process, we highlighted that the pathogenicity of T helper 17 cells (Th17) was dampened, as shown by reduced GM-CSF secretion in old mice. The mitigated secretion of GM-CSF contributed to alleviation of IL-23 secretion by antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and may, in turn, weaken APCs' effects on facilitating the pathogenicity of Th17 cells. Meanwhile, our study further unveiled that aging downregulated GM-CSF secretion through reducing both the transcript and protein levels of IL-23R in Th17 cells from CDLNs. Overall, aging altered immune cell responses, especially through toning down Th17 cells, counteracting EAU challenge in old mice.

Effect of somatostatin on postoperative gastrointestinal function and stress level in children with acute abdomen: a prospective randomized controlled study / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the effect of somatostatin on postoperative gastrointestinal function and stress level in children with acute abdomen.@*METHODS@#A total of 102 children with acute abdomen who underwent surgery in Xuzhou Children's Hospital from August 2019 to June 2021 were enrolled as subjects and were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, with 51 children in each group. The children in the control group were given conventional treatment such as hemostasis and anti-infective therapy after surgery, and those in the observation group were given somatostatin in addition to conventional treatment. Peripheral blood samples were collected from both groups before surgery and on days 1 and 5 after surgery. The two groups were compared in terms of the serum levels of endothelin-1 (ET-1), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol, gastrin, and motilin, postoperative recovery, and the incidence rate of complications.@*RESULTS@#There was no significant difference in the serum levels of ET-1, ACTH, cortisol, gastrin, and motilin between the two groups before surgery (P>0.05). Compared with the control group, the observation group had significantly lower serum levels of ET-1, ACTH, and cortisol on days 1 and 5 after surgery (P<0.05) and significantly higher levels of motilin and gastrin on day 5 after surgery (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the observation group had significantly shorter time to first passage of flatus, first bowel sounds, and first defecation after surgery, as well as a significantly shorter length of hospital stay (P<0.05). The incidence rate of complications in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (6% vs 24%, P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#In children with acute abdomen, somatostatin can significantly reduce postoperative stress response, improve gastrointestinal function, and reduce the incidence rate of complications, thereby helping to achieve a good prognosis.