Development and validation of a CT-based radiomics model for differentiating pneumonia-like primary pulmonary lymphoma from infectious pneumonia: A multicenter study / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Pneumonia-like primary pulmonary lymphoma (PPL) was commonly misdiagnosed as infectious pneumonia, leading to delayed treatment. The purpose of this study was to establish a computed tomography (CT)-based radiomics model to differentiate pneumonia-like PPL from infectious pneumonia.@*METHODS@#In this retrospective study, 79 patients with pneumonia-like PPL and 176 patients with infectious pneumonia from 12 medical centers were enrolled. Patients from center 1 to center 7 were assigned to the training or validation cohort, and the remaining patients from other centers were used as the external test cohort. Radiomics features were extracted from CT images. A three-step procedure was applied for radiomics feature selection and radiomics signature building, including the inter- and intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs), a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO). Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify the significant clinicoradiological variables and construct a clinical factor model. Two radiologists reviewed the CT images for the external test set. Performance of the radiomics model, clinical factor model, and each radiologist were assessed by receiver operating characteristic, and area under the curve (AUC) was compared.@*RESULTS@#A total of 144 patients (44 with pneumonia-like PPL and 100 infectious pneumonia) were in the training cohort, 38 patients (12 with pneumonia-like PPL and 26 infectious pneumonia) were in the validation cohort, and 73 patients (23 with pneumonia-like PPL and 50 infectious pneumonia) were in the external test cohort. Twenty-three radiomics features were selected to build the radiomics model, which yielded AUCs of 0.95 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.94-0.99), 0.93 (95% CI: 0.85-0.98), and 0.94 (95% CI: 0.87-0.99) in the training, validation, and external test cohort, respectively. The AUCs for the two readers and clinical factor model were 0.74 (95% CI: 0.63-0.83), 0.72 (95% CI: 0.62-0.82), and 0.73 (95% CI: 0.62-0.84) in the external test cohort, respectively. The radiomics model outperformed both the readers' interpretation and clinical factor model ( P <0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The CT-based radiomics model may provide an effective and non-invasive tool to differentiate pneumonia-like PPL from infectious pneumonia, which might provide assistance for clinicians in tailoring precise therapy.

Inhibitory effects of simeprevir on Staphylococcusepidermidis and itsbiofilm in vitro / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVES@#Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) is a Gram-positive opportunistic pathogen that often causes hospital infections. With the abuse of antibiotics, the resistance of S. epidermidis gradually increases, and drug repurposing has become a research hotspot in the treating of refractory drug-resistant bacterial infections. This study aims to study the antimicrobial and antibiofilm effects of simeprevir, an antiviral hepatitis drug, on S. epidermidis in vitro.@*METHODS@#The micro-dilution assay was used to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of simeprevir against S. epidermidis. Crystal violet staining assay was used to detect the biofilm inhibitory effect of simeprevir. The antimicrobial activity of simeprevir against S. epidermidis and its biofilm were explored by SYTO9/PI fluorescent staining. The combined effect between simeprevir and gentamycin was assessed by checkerboard assay and was confirmed by time-inhibition assay.@*RESULTS@#Simeprevir showed significant antimicrobial effects against S. epidermidis type strains and clinical isolates with the MIC and MBC at 2-16 μg/mL and 4-32 μg/mL, respectively. The antimicrobial effects of simeprevir were confirmed by SYTO9/PI staining. Simeprevir at MIC could significantly inhibit and break the biofilm on cover slides. Similarly, simeprevir also significantly inhibit the biofilm formation on the surface of urine catheters either in TSB [from (0.700±0.020) to (0.050±0.004)] (t=54.03, P<0.001), or horse serum [from (1.00±0.02) to (0.13±0.01)] (t=82.78, P<0.001). Synergistic antimicrobial effect was found between simeprevir and gentamycin against S. epidermidis with the fractional inhibitory concentration index of 0.5.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Simeprevir shows antimicrobial effect and anti-biofilm activities against S. epidermidis.

Selection Principles and Analysis of Common Prescriptions in Clinical Practice Guidelines of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Based on Cough in Children / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo collect common prescriptions from multiple channels based on the mainstream guidance materials combined with ancient books to provide references for the selection principles of common prescriptions in clinical practice guidelines of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） and western medicine. MethodWith the research on the selection of commonly used prescriptions in Clinical Practice Guidelines of Chinese and Western Medicine for Cough in Children as an example，the nation-recommended Schedule Ⅲ drugs and prescriptions for cough in children in the clinical diagnosis and treatment guidelines of TCM （TCM and western medicine）/expert consensus/clinical pathway/diagnosis and treatment protocols，three TCM pediatric textbooks， the experience of famous experts， and ancient books were searched for the establishment of a prescription database and analysis of medication regularity. ResultThe results showed that there were 71 commonly used prescriptions for the treatment of cough in children. The top 3 clinically indicated syndromes were the syndrome of phlegm-heat blocking the lung，the syndrome of wind-heat invading the lung，and the syndrome of wind-cold attacking the lung，and the top 5 efficacies corresponding to high-frequency drugs were reliving cough and dyspnea， clearing heat/resolving phlegm， dispersing wind/dissipating cold， clearing heat/purging fire， and dispersing wind/dissipating heat. The most commonly used Chinese medicines included Armeniacae Semen Amarum， Platycodonis Radix， Bolbostemmatis Rhizoma， Ephedrae Herba， Scutellariae Radix， Pinelliae Rhizoma， and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium. Some drugs showed high internal correlations with Armeniacae Semen Amarum and Platycodonis Radix. There were 228 prescriptions for the treatment of cough in children based on the ancient books in the Chinese Medical Code. The most commonly used Chinese medicines were Pinelliae Rhizoma， Armeniacae Semen Amarum， Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma， Poria， Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium， Platycodonis Radix， Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens， and Bolbostemmatis Rhizoma. The top 5 efficacies corresponding to high-frequency drugs were dispersing wind/dissipating cold， relieving cough and dyspnea， clearing heat/resolving phlegm， warming cold/resolving phlegm， and tonifying Qi. Some drugs showed high internal correlations with Pinelliae Rhizoma and Platycodonis Radix. As revealed by the comparison of ancient and modern medication， the medication principles could be roughly classified into two categories： ventilating the lung/descending Qi and resolving phlegm. In ancient medication， the drugs for cough in children were mainly used for warming， tonifying， dissipating cold， excreting water， alleviating edema， and astringing lung and intestines， while in modern medication， the prescriptions were mainly for dispersing wind， clearing heat， tonifying yin， and moistening dampness. ConclusionThis study systematically analyzed the commonly used prescriptions for the treatment of cough in children and provided references for the selection of TCM in clinical practice guidelines.

Establishment and Evaluation of Rat Model of Acute Coronary Syndrome with Combined Blood Stasis and Poison / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo compare the feasibility of establishing the rat model of acute coronary syndrome with combined blood stasis and poison by lipopolysacharide （LPS） injection， ligation of coronary artery and different combinations of the two methods. MethodA total of 225 male SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group， simple coronary artery ligation group， first injected LPS group ［LPS（5 mg·kg）injection 24 h before coronary artery ligation］ and follow injected LPS group ［LPS（5 mg·kg）injection 10 min after coronary artery ligation］. The indexes of each group were detected at 3， 24， 72 h after modeling， and the model was comprehensively evaluated. The general state and macroscopic evaluation indexes of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome （tongue and pulse） of rats in each group were observed. ECG and echocardiography were used to evaluate cardiac function， and the myocardial ischemia and infarction areas were measured by Evans blue/2，3，5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride （TTC） staining. The content of creatine kinase isoenzyme （CK-MB）， lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）， creatine kinase （CK）， and troponin T （cTnT） in serum as well as interleukin-1 β （IL-1β） and IL-6 changes were determined by biochemical method or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Hematology analyzer was adopted to determine the white blood cell （WBC） count， and the four coagulation indexes， platelet aggregation rate， hemorheology and other coagulation evaluation indexes were also detected. The myocardial tissue was observed by hematoxylin-eosin（HE）staining. ResultAfter 3 h of modeling， compared with the conditions in sham operation group， the R， G and B values of tongue of rats （P<0.01）， pulse amplitude （P<0.01）， and cardiac function in simple coronary artery ligation group were decreased， and the color of hypoglossal veins became purple（P<0.01）. The content of CK， LDH， cTnT， IL-1β and IL-6 in serum（P<0.05）， myocardial infarction area（P<0.01）， and total number of WBCs （P<0.05）were increased. Compared with simple coronary artery ligation group， first injected LPS group and follow injected LPS group had increased hypoglossal veins， decreased R value of tongue and elevated cTnT content （P<0.01）， while follow injected LPS group had reduced B value of tongue， decreased cardiac output （CO）（P<0.05）， increased IL-1β content， and thinned left ventricular anterior walls at end-systole （LVAWs）（P<0.01）. After 24 h of modeling， compared with sham operation group， simple coronary artery ligation group presented significantly decreased R， G and B values of tongue， lengthened purplish dark hypoglossal veins （P<0.01）， reduced pulse amplitude（P<0.01） and cardiac function， enlarged myocardial infarction area（P<0.01）， increased whole blood viscosity， platelet aggregation rate， fibrinogen （FIB）， shortened prothrombin time （PT） and thrombin time （TT）（P<0.01）， and elevated total number of WBCs （P<0.01）and content of CK， LDH， cTnT and IL-6 in serum（P<0.05）. Compared with the conditions in simple coronary artery ligation group， the pulse amplitude， R， G and B values of tongue （P<0.01）， and ejection fraction （EF） and fractional shortening （FS） scores （P<0.05）dropped， and hypoglossal veins were deepened and lengthened（P<0.05）， and cTnT content was increased（P<0.01）in first injected LPS group and follow injected LPS group. However， follow injected LPS group had thinned LVPWs， increased LDH content， platelet aggregation rate（P<0.05）， myocardial infarction area， and total number of WBC， level of IL-1β（P<0.05）， and shortened TT（P<0.01）. Additionally， 72 h after modeling， compared with sham operation group， simple coronary artery ligation group showed significantly reduced pulse amplitude， lowered R， G and B values of tongue， thickened and lengthened hypoglossal veins（P<0.01）， decreased cardiac function， and increased content of cTnT， FIB， whole blood viscosity（P<0.01），platelet aggregation rate， level of IL-6 and IL-1β（P<0.05）. Compared with the conditions in simple coronary artery ligation group， the hypoglossal veins of the first injected LPS group and the follow injected LPS group were more purple， and the content of cTnT was boosted（P<0.01）， whereas follow injected LPS group had decreased pulse amplitude， R， G and B values of tongue， EF and FS scores （P<0.05）， and enlarged myocardial infarction area（P<0.01）. ConclusionCompared with the other modeling methods and models at different modeling time， the established model by LPS injection 10 min after coronary artery ligation for 24 h was more consistent with the clinical characteristics of acute coronary syndrome with combined blood stasis and poison.

Establishment and Evaluation of Rat Model of Acute Coronary Syndrome with Combined Blood Stasis and Poison / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo compare the feasibility of establishing the rat model of acute coronary syndrome with combined blood stasis and poison by lipopolysacharide （LPS） injection， ligation of coronary artery and different combinations of the two methods. MethodA total of 225 male SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group， simple coronary artery ligation group， first injected LPS group ［LPS（5 mg·kg）injection 24 h before coronary artery ligation］ and follow injected LPS group ［LPS（5 mg·kg）injection 10 min after coronary artery ligation］. The indexes of each group were detected at 3， 24， 72 h after modeling， and the model was comprehensively evaluated. The general state and macroscopic evaluation indexes of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome （tongue and pulse） of rats in each group were observed. ECG and echocardiography were used to evaluate cardiac function， and the myocardial ischemia and infarction areas were measured by Evans blue/2，3，5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride （TTC） staining. The content of creatine kinase isoenzyme （CK-MB）， lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）， creatine kinase （CK）， and troponin T （cTnT） in serum as well as interleukin-1 β （IL-1β） and IL-6 changes were determined by biochemical method or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Hematology analyzer was adopted to determine the white blood cell （WBC） count， and the four coagulation indexes， platelet aggregation rate， hemorheology and other coagulation evaluation indexes were also detected. The myocardial tissue was observed by hematoxylin-eosin（HE）staining. ResultAfter 3 h of modeling， compared with the conditions in sham operation group， the R， G and B values of tongue of rats （P<0.01）， pulse amplitude （P<0.01）， and cardiac function in simple coronary artery ligation group were decreased， and the color of hypoglossal veins became purple（P<0.01）. The content of CK， LDH， cTnT， IL-1β and IL-6 in serum（P<0.05）， myocardial infarction area（P<0.01）， and total number of WBCs （P<0.05）were increased. Compared with simple coronary artery ligation group， first injected LPS group and follow injected LPS group had increased hypoglossal veins， decreased R value of tongue and elevated cTnT content （P<0.01）， while follow injected LPS group had reduced B value of tongue， decreased cardiac output （CO）（P<0.05）， increased IL-1β content， and thinned left ventricular anterior walls at end-systole （LVAWs）（P<0.01）. After 24 h of modeling， compared with sham operation group， simple coronary artery ligation group presented significantly decreased R， G and B values of tongue， lengthened purplish dark hypoglossal veins （P<0.01）， reduced pulse amplitude（P<0.01） and cardiac function， enlarged myocardial infarction area（P<0.01）， increased whole blood viscosity， platelet aggregation rate， fibrinogen （FIB）， shortened prothrombin time （PT） and thrombin time （TT）（P<0.01）， and elevated total number of WBCs （P<0.01）and content of CK， LDH， cTnT and IL-6 in serum（P<0.05）. Compared with the conditions in simple coronary artery ligation group， the pulse amplitude， R， G and B values of tongue （P<0.01）， and ejection fraction （EF） and fractional shortening （FS） scores （P<0.05）dropped， and hypoglossal veins were deepened and lengthened（P<0.05）， and cTnT content was increased（P<0.01）in first injected LPS group and follow injected LPS group. However， follow injected LPS group had thinned LVPWs， increased LDH content， platelet aggregation rate（P<0.05）， myocardial infarction area， and total number of WBC， level of IL-1β（P<0.05）， and shortened TT（P<0.01）. Additionally， 72 h after modeling， compared with sham operation group， simple coronary artery ligation group showed significantly reduced pulse amplitude， lowered R， G and B values of tongue， thickened and lengthened hypoglossal veins（P<0.01）， decreased cardiac function， and increased content of cTnT， FIB， whole blood viscosity（P<0.01），platelet aggregation rate， level of IL-6 and IL-1β（P<0.05）. Compared with the conditions in simple coronary artery ligation group， the hypoglossal veins of the first injected LPS group and the follow injected LPS group were more purple， and the content of cTnT was boosted（P<0.01）， whereas follow injected LPS group had decreased pulse amplitude， R， G and B values of tongue， EF and FS scores （P<0.05）， and enlarged myocardial infarction area（P<0.01）. ConclusionCompared with the other modeling methods and models at different modeling time， the established model by LPS injection 10 min after coronary artery ligation for 24 h was more consistent with the clinical characteristics of acute coronary syndrome with combined blood stasis and poison.

Selection Principles and Analysis of Common Prescriptions in Clinical Practice Guidelines of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Based on Cough in Children / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo collect common prescriptions from multiple channels based on the mainstream guidance materials combined with ancient books to provide references for the selection principles of common prescriptions in clinical practice guidelines of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） and western medicine. MethodWith the research on the selection of commonly used prescriptions in Clinical Practice Guidelines of Chinese and Western Medicine for Cough in Children as an example，the nation-recommended Schedule Ⅲ drugs and prescriptions for cough in children in the clinical diagnosis and treatment guidelines of TCM （TCM and western medicine）/expert consensus/clinical pathway/diagnosis and treatment protocols，three TCM pediatric textbooks， the experience of famous experts， and ancient books were searched for the establishment of a prescription database and analysis of medication regularity. ResultThe results showed that there were 71 commonly used prescriptions for the treatment of cough in children. The top 3 clinically indicated syndromes were the syndrome of phlegm-heat blocking the lung，the syndrome of wind-heat invading the lung，and the syndrome of wind-cold attacking the lung，and the top 5 efficacies corresponding to high-frequency drugs were reliving cough and dyspnea， clearing heat/resolving phlegm， dispersing wind/dissipating cold， clearing heat/purging fire， and dispersing wind/dissipating heat. The most commonly used Chinese medicines included Armeniacae Semen Amarum， Platycodonis Radix， Bolbostemmatis Rhizoma， Ephedrae Herba， Scutellariae Radix， Pinelliae Rhizoma， and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium. Some drugs showed high internal correlations with Armeniacae Semen Amarum and Platycodonis Radix. There were 228 prescriptions for the treatment of cough in children based on the ancient books in the Chinese Medical Code. The most commonly used Chinese medicines were Pinelliae Rhizoma， Armeniacae Semen Amarum， Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma， Poria， Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium， Platycodonis Radix， Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens， and Bolbostemmatis Rhizoma. The top 5 efficacies corresponding to high-frequency drugs were dispersing wind/dissipating cold， relieving cough and dyspnea， clearing heat/resolving phlegm， warming cold/resolving phlegm， and tonifying Qi. Some drugs showed high internal correlations with Pinelliae Rhizoma and Platycodonis Radix. As revealed by the comparison of ancient and modern medication， the medication principles could be roughly classified into two categories： ventilating the lung/descending Qi and resolving phlegm. In ancient medication， the drugs for cough in children were mainly used for warming， tonifying， dissipating cold， excreting water， alleviating edema， and astringing lung and intestines， while in modern medication， the prescriptions were mainly for dispersing wind， clearing heat， tonifying yin， and moistening dampness. ConclusionThis study systematically analyzed the commonly used prescriptions for the treatment of cough in children and provided references for the selection of TCM in clinical practice guidelines.