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Objective:To investigate the feasibility of deep learning radiomics model in the prediction of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) response in breast cancer based on ultrasound images at an early stage.Methods:Between January 2018 and June 2021, 218 patients with breast cancer who underwent NAC were enrolled in the retrospective study. All patients received a full cycle of NAC before surgery and underwent standard ultrasound examination before NAC and after the second cycles of NAC. Of all the patients, 166 patients came from institution 1 (the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University) were allocated into a primary cohort.Based on the architecture of Resnet 50 convolutional neural, a deep learning prediction model was built.Further validation was performed in an external testing cohort ( n=52) from institution 2 (General Hospital of Eastern Theater Command, PLA). The clinical model was constructed using independent clinical variables. To evaluate the predictive performance, areas under the curve (AUCs) of these models and two radiologists were compared by using the DeLong method. Results:The Resnet 50 model predicted the response of NAC with accuracy. The deep learning model, achieving an AUC of 0.923 (95% CI=0.884-0.962) in the primary cohort and an AUC of 0.896 (95% CI=0.807-0.980) in the test cohort, outperformed the clinical model and also performed better than two radiologists′ prediction (all P<0.05). Furthermore, the two radiologists achieved a better predictive efficacy (AUC 0.832 and 0.808 for radiologists 1 and 2, respectively) when assisted by the DL model (all P<0.01). Conclusions:The deep learning radiomics model is able to predict therapy response in the early-stage of NAC for breast cancer patients, which could guide clinicians and provide benefit for timely treatment strategy adjustment.
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Objective:To investigate the diagnostic value and imaging characteristics of ultrasound and multi-slice spiral CT in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) wrist joint lesions.Methods:The clinical data of 54 cases of RA wrist arthropathy in Jianhu Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University from December 2018 to April 2020 were analyzed. All the patients were examined by ultrasound and multi-slice spiral CT. The imaging characteristics of ultrasound and multi-slice spiral CT were analyzed, and the detection rates of synovitis, joint effusion, tenosynovitis, bone erosion and wrist joint lesions were calculated.Results:A total of 1 188 joints were examined in 54 patients with RA, including 108 wrist joints, 540 metacarpophalangeal joints and 540 proximal interphalangeal joints. There was no significant difference in the detection rate of wrist joint synovitis, joint effusion and tenosynovitis between ultrasound and CT ( P>0.05). The wrist joint lesions detection rates of ultrasound and CT were 97.2%(105/108) and 46.3% (50/108), the difference was statistically significant ( χ2 = 36.52, P<0.05). Ultrasound image features: synovitis ultrasound image showed hypoechoic joint cavity, not by joint displacement or compression image, color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) examination could see blood flow signal;joint effusion in ultrasound image of joint effusion was strip, strip-shaped, non-uniform distribution, image was affected by joint displacement or compression, CDFI examination had no blood flow signal; bone erosion ultrasound image showed bone cortical continuous interruption or "crater" "insect erosion" like defects. CT imaging features: wrist joint space narrow, osteoporosis, some patients with scaphoid, distal radius visible bone erosion. Conclusions:The detection rate of wrist synovitis, joint effusion and tenosynovitis by ultrasound and multi-row spiral CT are similar. The multi-row spiral CT examination have a slight advantage in evaluating the joint space and bone changes. The sensitivity of wrist bone erosion and wrist joint lesions are higher than those of multi-row spiral CT, which can guide the early clinical diagnosis and treatment of RA.
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Objective:To investigate the effectiveness of radiomics model based on preoperative ultrasound in predicting disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) from multicenter data.Methods:A total of 418 patients with TNBC between July 2012 and December 2016 were consecutively recruited for this study from three different institutions including the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine and General Hospital of Eastern Theater Command. In the training cohort ( n=271) from institution 1(the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression algorithm was employed to select recurrence-related radiomics features and build a signature derived from the grayscale US images. The relationship between the radiomics score (Rad-score) and DFS was evaluated. Univariate and multivariate cox regression were utilized to identify the significant radiomics features and clinical-pathologic variables, which were integrated into a radiomics nomogram. An independent external cohort ( n=147) from the other two institutions was validated for evaluating the calibration and discrimination of the predictive nomogram. Results:Higher Rad-score was an independent risk predictor of worse DFS in two cohorts (both P<0.05). The radiomics model, comprising axillary lymph node status, Ki-67 index and radiomics signature, showed better prognostic performance ( P<0.01) than those of the clinical-pathologic model or tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging system with the concordance index (C-index) of 0.75 (95% CI=0.72-0.78) and 0.73(95% CI=0.71-0.75) in the training and validation cohorts respectively. Furthermore, the calibration curves achieved satisfactory agreement and the decision curves further confirmed the clinical utility of the radiomics nomogram. Conclusions:The US-based radiomics signature is a powerful predictor for the assessment of DFS in patients with TNBC. Moreover, the proposed radiomics model integrating the optimal radiomics signature and clinical-pathologic data could improve personalized DFS estimation.
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Objective:To analyze the influence of different factors on the entropy and grayscale values extracted from the ultrasonic original radio-frequency signals of normal human gastrocnemius.Methods:The ultrasonic original radio-frequency signals of 10 healthy men and 10 healthy women admitted to the Department of Ultrasound of First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from October to December 2019 in natural ankle joint position, maximum plantar flflexion and maximum dorsiflflexion position were collected, and the entropy and grayscale values were obtained by processing these signals with MATLAB software to analyze the differences of parameters in different positions and sections, and to discuss the influence of age, gender and BMI on them.Results:Comparison of the values between different sections: the differences between longitudinal extraction entropy values and transverse extraction entropy values at the maximum dorsiflexion position were statistically significant ( P<0.05), the differences between longitudinal extraction grayscale values and transverse extraction grayscale values at the natural position were statistically significant ( P<0.05) and both of values extracted in the longitudinal plane were higher than those extracted in the transverse plane. Comparison of the values among different positions of the ankle joints: the values of the maximal metatarsal flexion were statistically different from those of the natural position and the maximal dorsiflexion ( P<0.05), and the values of the maximal metatarsal flexion were the lowest, while the entropy and gray values of the natural position and the maximal dorsiflexion were not statistically different ( P>0.05). There was no significant difference in ultrasonic characteristic parameters between different genders and different age groups ( P>0.05). There was no correlation between BMI and characteristic parameters ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The entropy and grayscale values extracted from the original radio-frequency ultrasonic signals of healthy persons′ gastrocnemius can quantitatively reflect the difference in muscle structure from different positions and setions. As a result, this method can be considered in the quantitative evaluation of neuromuscular diseases.
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Objective To investigate the correlation between iron metabolism index and intelligence development of Dongxiang and Han students in Dongxiang county and Lanzhou city of Gansu province.Methods A total of 396 students aged from 6 to 11 years old were randomly selected for venous blood collection from two primary schools with Dongxiang and Han children in Dongxiang county and Lanzhou city.Blood routine and serum iron metabolism indicators were detected and iron metabolism indicators from different ethnic groups were analyzed.Students diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia(IDA) named as IDA group,and students without IDA who had similar background were enrolled in the control group.The correlation between iron metabolism index and intelligence quotient was analyzed.Results The ferritin level of Dongxiang students (51.81 μg/L)was lower than that of Han students(65.73 μg/L),and total iron binding capacity of students in Dongxiang county [(65.04 ± 6.68) μ mol/L] was higher than that of students in Lanzhou city [(59.92 ±5.91) μmol/L].The transferrinsaturation of students in Dongxiang county [0.23 (0.19 ～ 0.30)] was lower than that of students in Lanzhou city[0.26(0.20 ～0.32)].The differences were statistically significant(P ＜0.05).Analysis of multiple linear regression showed that ferritin and serum iron were correlated to intelligence quotient score of the IDA students (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Ferritin and serum iron are associated with primary school students' intelligence quotient.Religious practice,regional economic and cultural level have a certain influence on iron metabolism of local primary school students.It is very important to strengthen the supplement of dietary iron in primary school students in Dongxiang County and reduce the prevalence of iron deficiency.
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Objective@#To evaluate the effect of the Thyroid Imaging Report and Data System proposed by American Radiological Society (ACR-TIRADS) for differential diagnosis in thyroid nodules, and compare ACR-TIRADS to the TIRADS proposed by Kwak et al.(K-TIRADS) and the ultrasound-based risk stratification system evaluated by American Thyroid Association (ATA-Risk Stratification).@*Methods@#The clinical data of 1 760 patients with 1 912 thyroid nodules from 8 hospitals in Jiangsu province were retrospectively analysed. All of them were categorized based on ultrasound-based risk stratification systems. The ROC curve was established to assess and compare the diagnostic value of the systems.@*Results@#The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of ACR-TIRADS was 0.830, with high sensitivity and negative predictive value (86.9% and 87.5%, respectively), and relatively low specificity and positive predictive value (64.1% and 62.9%, respectively). The sensitivity and specificity of K-TIRADS were up to 84.9% and 76.1%, respectively. The AUC of ATA-Risk Stratification was 0.852, with relatively high specificity (83.4%), and low sensitivity (79.4%). There were significant differences in the AUC among the three ultrasound-based risk stratification systems, of which K-TIRADS was the highest (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in sensitivity of ACR-TIRADS and K-TIRADS (P=0.137), but significantly higher than that of ATA-Risk Stratification (P<0.001). There were significant differences in the specificity among the three systems, of which ATA-Risk Stratification was the highest (P<0.001). In addition, there were 109 nodules (5.7%) couldn′t be classified based on ATA-Risk Stratification, with high malignancy rate of 31.2%.@*Conclusions@#The diagnostic efficiency of ACR-TIRADS is good, but lower than K-TIRADS and ATA-Risk Stratification. ACR-TIRADS has the highest sensitivity, and ATA-Risk Stratification has the highest specificity, while the overall diagnostic efficiency of K-TIRADS is the best.
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Objective To analyze the influencing factors of strain ratio in diagnosing thyroid lesions of thyroid imaging reporting and data system (TI-RADS) 4-6 categories, and explore the application value of elastic strain ratio in differentiating malignant thyroid nodules from benign ones under different influencing factors.Methods A retrospective analysis was made on the pathologic data of 278 nodules undergone TI-RADS ultrasonography stratification and ultrasound elestography, and 105 nodules of TI-RADS 4-6 categories were selected as research objects. A receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to identify the cut-off point for differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules. A logistic regression model was established to analyze the factors affecting strain ratio in the differential diagnosis on thyroid nodules of TI-RADS 4-6 categories. Analyses were made in groups to judging the sensitive, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value and negative predictive of strain ratio under the impact of different factors. Results The best cut-off point of ROC curve for benign and malignant nodules was 0.54. It was found through the logistic regression model that the strain ratio value was closely related to the size, calcification, and thyroid diffuse disease, and strain ration was of higher value in the thyroid nodules which were less than 1 cm without calcification and thyroid diffuse disease.Conclusions Three factors including size, calcification, and diffuse lesions of the thyroid nodules can influence the elastic strain ratio of TI-RADS 4-6 thyroid nodules. Comprehensive analysis of these three influencing factors can improve the application value of elastic strain ratio in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules.
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To compare the diagnostic value between the thyroid imaging reporting and data system ( TIRADS) and ultrasound ( US ) patterns of 2015 American Thyroid Association ( ATA ) guidelines in the differentiation of benign and malignant thyroid nodules. 639 patients in Jiangsu province who were scheduled for ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy or thyroidectomy were recruited for the retrospective study. All of them were categorized based on TIRADS and ultrasound patterns of ATA ( 2015 ) guidelines. The receiver operating characteristic curve was established to assess and compare the diagnostic value of the two models. Results:( 1 ) 639 patients with 847 thyroid nodules were included in this study, 510 females and 129 males. The mean age was (46. 77 ±12.98)yearsold. (2)818nodulescouldbeclassifiedaccordingtoTIRADS. ThemalignancyratesofTIRADS2,3, 4A, 4B, 5 were 0, 15. 9%, 49. 1%, 78. 8% ,and 100%, respectively. (3) Ultrasound patterns of ATA could be assigned to 793 nodules. The malignancy rates of nodules with very low, low, intermediate, high suspicion for malignancy were 6. 2%, 10. 3%, 24. 9% and 70. 1%, respectively. (4) Ultrasound patterns of ATA had higher specificity (77. 9%) compared to TIRADS. The sensitivity and area under curve of ultrasound patterns of ATA were lower than those of TIRADS, though, not significant. Ultrasound patterns of ATA(2015) guidelines may yield higher specificity in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules, while TIRADS classification may offer a relatively higher sensitivity and area under curve.
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Objective To compare the diagnostic efficiency of the thyroid imaging reporting and data system (TIRADS), the Bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology(BSRTC) and BRAFV600E detection, and their combined use in the differentiation between benign and malignant thyroid nodules. Methods One hundred and twenty eight patients with 128 thyroid nodules who were scheduled for ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) were recruited for the study. All of them underwent ultrasound, fine-needle aspiration cytology(FNAC) examination, and BRAFV600E detection. TIRADS and BSRTC systems were adopted to judge the ultrasound and FNAC results. The receiver operating characteristic curve was established to assess the diagnostic value of each method. Results The sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of TIRADS were 74. 3%, 84. 5%, and 0. 794, respectively. BSRTC had higher specificity(98. 3%) and equal sensitivity compared to TIRADS. The sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of BRAFV600E detection were the highest ones among the three methods. Combinations of different methods could increase the diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy. The combination of FNAC and BRAFV600E detection significantly increased the diagnostic efficiency(AUC=0. 984), with sensitivity 98. 6% and specificity 98. 3%. Conclusions The diagnostic value of BRAFV600E detection in the differentiation of benign and malignant thyroid nodules is better than both TIRADS and BSRTC, and the combination of FNAC and BRAFV600E detection reaches the best diagnostic efficiency.
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Objective To compare the diagnostic performances of strain elastography (SE) and shear-wave elastography (SWE) in differentiating benign and malignant solid breast lesions. Methods From January 2015 to December 2015, 150 patients with 155 lesions were examined with SE and SWE respectively in the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University. Elasticity scores on a improved 5-point scale,strain ratio (SR), maximum elasticity (Emax), mean elasticity (Emean), standard deviation of the elasticity (Esd) and the lesion-to-fat elasticity ratio (Eratio) were assessed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of SE and SWE parameters were plotted to assess the value in distinguishing benign and malignant breast lesions. The results were compared using the area under the ROC curve (AUC). The accuracy of the parameters with the largest AUC were compared between SE and SWE by McNemar test in different breast imaging reporting and data system (BI-RADS) categories. Results The AUC of elasticity scores, SR, Emax,Emean, Esd and Eratio were 0.823, 0.810, 0.877, 0.835, 0.881 and 0.853, respectively. The SE and SWE parameter with the largest AUC were elasticity scores and Esd respectively. The accuracy of Esd was higher than that of elasticity scores(86.3% vs 64.7%)in 4A lesions (2=4.639, P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in accuracy in other BI-RADS categories. Conclusions Both SE and SWE were helpful for the differentiation of benign and malignant solid breast lesions, and the diagnostic performance of SE and SWE was similar. The optimization of elastography can be achieved by combination with BI-RADS.
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Objective To explore the application value of ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy(FNAB) in diagnosing thyroid nodules of TI-RADS 4-6 categories.Methods A retrospective analysis was made on the pathologic data of 494 patients (totally 501 nodules) who underwent TI-RADS ultrasonographic stratification and ultrasound-guided FNAB.168 thyroid nodules of TI-RADS 4-6 categories were selected from 163 patients and classified into three groups:group T,TI-RADS 4A categories;group Ⅱ,TI-RADS 4B category; group Ⅲ,TI-RADS 5-6 category(the pathologically confirmed cases in category 6 had been removed).The ultimate pathologic findings were taken as golden standards to calculate the accuracy,sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value of ultrasound-guided FNAB in the three groups.ROC curve was drawn to evaluate the diagnostic value of FNAB.Results The accuracy,sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value of the ultrasound-guided FNAB in the three groups were listed as follows:group Ⅰ 74.4％,73.3％,75.0％,64.7％;group Ⅱ 83.9％,87.5％,71.4％,91.3％;group Ⅲ 89.3％,91.7 ％,75.0％,95.7 ％ respectively.The positive predictive values of the ultrasound-guided FNAB for group Ⅰ and group Ⅱ was higher than that of conventional TI-RADS classification criteria,so the difference was statistically significant; while the positive predictive values for group Ⅲ was close to the conventional ultrasound TI-RADS classification criteria,the difference was not statistically significant.Conclusions The combination application of TI-RADS classification criteria and FNAB can improve the accuracy of ultrasound diagnosis in group Ⅰ and group Ⅱ,and reduce the puncture rate of group Ⅲ.
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Objectives To explore the relevant factors of liver X receptor (LXR) and lipid metabolism in school-age chil-dren with obesity. Methods A total of 80 obese children were selected by indexes of physical growth from pupils in Grades 1-6, aged 7-14 years from June 2011 to October 2011. Fifty-one age and sex matched children with normal BMI were chosen as nor-mal controls. The metabolic indexes including aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), glutamyl transpep-tidase (GGT), total cholesterol (CHOL), triacylglycerol (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipopro-tein cholesterol (LDL-C) and expression of LXR were detected in fasting blood. Results The expression level of LXR in obese children (9.14 ± 1.15) was higher than that in control children (2.84 ± 3.68) with significant difference (t=4.55,P=0.000). Eighty percent (80%) of obese children were LXR>1 (64/80) which was higher than that of control children (23/51, 45.1%), and signifi-cant difference was found between the two groups (χ2=17.01, P=0.000). Compared to controls, the levels of AST, ALT, GGT, CHOL, TG and LDL-C were higher while the level of HDL-C was lower in obese children (P1 (P<0.05). Conclusions Obesity in school-age chil-dren can up-regulate the expression of liver X receptor and cause liver damage and abnormal lipids metabolism.
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Objective To evaluate the efifcacy and safety of Xiyanping in the treatment of hand-foot and mouth disease. Methods Based on the principles and methods of Cochrane systematic reviews, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Medline, Chinese Bio-medicine Database (CBM), China Journal Full-text Database (CNKI), VIP database and Wanfang database were searched. All of the randomized controlled trials (RCT) of Xiyanping versus ribavirin were included. The data were extracted and evalu-ated by two reviewers independently. Risk assessment tool was used to assess the risk of bias and software Revman5.0 was used for meta-analysis. Results Twenty-four RCT and 3314 patients were included. Comparing to ribavirin, Xiyanping showed better therapeutic outcomes regarding to total effective rate, durations of fever and rash elimination (RR=1.17, 95%CI:1.12~1.23;MD=-1.56, 95%CI:-2.10~-1.02;MD=-1.41, 95%CI:-1.90~-0.93). Side effects were rare in both groups and could be recovered after drug withdrawal. Conclusions The current evidence suggests that Xiyanping is superior to ribavirin in the treatment of hand-foot and mouth disease.
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Objectives To investigate the serum uric acid level and its related factors in obese children. Methods Obese children were selected from all pupils (ages 7-14) of 3 primary schools. Age-and sex-matched children with normal body mass index (BMI) were chosen as normal controls. Fasting venous blood samples were collected to detect uric acid (UA), glucose (GLU), total cholesterol (CHOL), triacylglycerol (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipopro-tein cholesterol (LDL-C). Results Sixty-eight (2.2%) obese children (57 boys and 11 girls) were detected from 3 000 children. Compared with 136 normal controls, the blood pressure (BP), levels of UA, CHOL, TG and LDL-C, and waist circumference (WC) were higher while HDL-C was lower in obese children (P<0.05). The detection rate of hyperuricemia in obese children (35.3%) were signiifcantly higher than that in normal controls (5.9%) (P<0.05). UA was positively related with WC, BMI, BP and TG, negatively related with HDL-C. Conclusions Obesity can lead to higher serum UA, higher BP and abnormal lipid metabolism. The level of serum UA was correlated with BP and abnormal lipid metabolism.
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Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of hypertonie saline enhanced radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in the treatment of liver cancer. Methods The clinical data of 42 patients with primary liver cancer (n = 28) or metastatic liver eancer (n = 14) who had been admitted to First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from September 2001 to December 2007 were collected. Forty-eight lesions were detected with a diameter ranging from 1.2 cm to 7.5 cm. RFA electrode and 20G needle were pricked into the target lesion under the guidance of B ultrasound or computed tomography (CT) through percutaneoas puncture or open approaches. An amount of 5-10 ml hypertonie saline was infused through the needle at regular intervals during RFA. All patients were followed up for 3-79 months. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound and CT scanning were performed postoperatively to determine the efficacy of RFA. The levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) before and after treatment were compared using t test, and the survival of the patients were analyzed using a Kaplan-Meier survival curve. Results The AFP expression changed to negative in 14 out of the 18 AFP-positive patients, with statistical difference (t =7.703, P <0.05). The complete necrosis rate of tumors was 94% (45/48), and the necrosis rate of tumors with diameter of ≤4.0 cm reached 100% (35/35). The incidence of complication was 5% (2/42). No perioperative mortality occurred. The 1-, 2-, 3-year survival rates were 91%, 85% and 70%, respectively. Conclusions Hypertonic saline enhanced RFA in the treatment of liver cancer was proved to be safe and effective.
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The effect of gelatin on anaero-cultivation of Bifidobacterium adolescent is and stabilization of its living cell in dried preparation was investigared. It was shown that the well-distributed mixture of gelatin and medium could have a cushioning effect on pH reduction resulting from acid-production while incubating, and the dried mixture comprising living cell of bifidobacterium adolescentis was prepared, in which the stability and viability of cell come from cultures of gelatin mixture was increased compared with that without gelatin mixture. It was shown that oxygen toxicity to anaerobic cell was well reduced because of cell immobilization by the gel mixure after drying with saccharide substance , and then fermentable dynamics in 50L fermentor was tested as well as the relationship of growth kinetics, pH, dissolved oxygen rate, and content of soluble solids.